Jay–Z and Miley Cyrus are to perform at Woodstock 50.
The “Empire State of Mind” hitmaker is set to take to the stage at the event, which will take place at Watkins Glen in New York to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the original Woodstock festival.
The event will take place between Aug. 16 and Aug. 18, 2019, with acts like Chance The Rapper, The Killers and Halsey also on the lineup. To mark its 50th anniversary, some acts who played the first festival will also be making their return to the stage, including Santana, whose performance of “Soul Sacrifice” at the 1969 festival put them on the map.
And Woodstock’s co-founder and co-producer Michael Lang is keen that this year’s festival is more than just a “concert.”
He shared to The New York Times: “Coachella’s got its thing, as does Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza. But I think they’re all missing an opportunity to make a difference in the world. They’re all perfect places for social engagement and for fostering ideas, and I think that’s lost. We want this to be more than just coming to a concert. And hopefully, a lot of the bands will become part of this effort to get people to stand up and make themselves heard, to get out and vote. And if they don’t have a candidate that represents their feelings, to find one — or to run themselves.”
The first ever Woodstock festival saw around 400,000 people sing along to the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Who and Janis Joplin. A further two festivals were held in 1994 and 1999, respectively.
