(New York) Michael Lang, co-creator and promoter of the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival, which served as a benchmark for generations of music lovers, has passed away.
Michael Pagnotta, spokesperson for Mr. Lang’s family, announced on Sunday that the 77-year-old was battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma and died at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York on Saturday.
“He was a historical figure, and also a great guy,” Pagnotta told The Associated Press, saying he had known Lang for about 30 years.
Along with his partners Artie Kornfeld, John Roberts and Joel Rosenman, Mr. Lang organized the festival billed as “three days of peace and music” in the summer of 1969, when the Vietnam War was raging and driving increasing numbers. young Americans to turn away from the traditions and mores of the time and embrace a lifestyle that celebrated free speech.
About 400,000 people gathered in the hamlet of Bethel, about 50 miles northwest of New York City. Over 30 acts followed one another on the concert’s main stage, and spectators were treated to iconic performances by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, The Who and Jefferson Airplane.
“From the start I thought that if we did our job right and with heart, set the stage and set the right tone, people would reveal their higher selves and create something amazing,” Lang wrote in his memories, The Road to Woodstock.
Mr. Lang was among those who sought to organize a concert in 2019 to commemorate the 50e anniversary of Woodstock, but the project was ultimately scrapped due to financial issues and difficulty finding a venue. In an interview with the Associated Press at the time, Mr. Lang said he still hoped to host the concert in the future.
Although Woodstock was not the first large-scale music festival in the United States, it is it who is considered the model for those who have followed. He thus carved out a place for himself in history.
“A lot of them are inspired by Woodstock – Bonnaroo and Coachella, in particular,” Lang said of other festivals, in an interview in 2009. “A ritual was created and it never ceases to be. reproduced ”.