The Saboteurs, Santana, and more pull out of Woodstock 50

The Woodstock 50 woes just keep on coming, with news coming forward that more acts have now pulled out of the beleaguered festival.

By now, the troubles faced by Woodstock 50 should be common knowledge to just about every music fan out there.

First announced earlier this year, an underwhelming lineup for the anniversary festival soon gave way to fears of a cancellation. With the financial backer pulling out, noting that the event was indeed cancelled, organisers soon took them to court, assuring fans it was still business as usual.

However, the bad news continued to come forward, and with weeks to go until the kick-off, Woodstock 50 has had its venue permit application denied multiple times, with reports coming forward over the weekend that it had moved from its planned location of New York state, to Maryland, where it is now set to be a free benefit concert.

While a number of artists – including Jay-Z, Dead & Company, and John Fogerty – reportedly pulled out of the festival, numerous reports have claimed that more cancellations have taken place.

As Rolling Stone reports, Jack White’s The Raconteurs (or The Saboteurs, as they’re called here in Australia) have confirmed they “will no longer be playing Woodstock 50”, instead announcing a replacement show on August 16th.

Similarly, the likes of The Lumineers and Carlos Santana have also pulled out, with a representative for the latter noting the original Woodstock performer will not be making an appearance.

“Carlos is definitively not playing Merriwether Post Pavilion and has added his name to those who will not be appearing,” a representative for the artist explained. “We can’t come back and do a free show two days after a paid show. Go buy a ticket to the Supernatural show!”

Check out Santana at Woodstock:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqZceAQSJvc

As Variety notes, not only has Woodstock been trimmed from a three-day affair to a singular day, Miley Cyrus has also confirmed she will not be appearing at the festival.

The publication also notes that while headliners The Killers and Imagine Dragons are yet to comment on their appearance, Woodstock 50 does not appear on their list of upcoming dates on their websites, adding confusion to the whole matter.

Meanwhile, one act that maintains the fact they will appear is The Zombies, who explained to Variety that the festival will hopefully overcome any of the hardships faced in its planning stages.

“I’ve always believed it would happen, which might sound kooky, but we’re at a messed-up moment in time right now and the spirit of Woodstock is something that we need,” explained co-manager Cindy da Silva. “And also, the tenacity of that team has been incredible.

“If this was any other festival I’d say ‘Give it up already’, but maybe the way it’s happening is right: It shouldn’t be for profit, it should be about peace and love and music and charity and people coming together.

“If it turns out the way it looks like it should, I do believe it’ll be a powerful event that could be a moment of change. Maybe there’s a reason it hasn’t gone away yet.”