Michael Lang

In a recent letter, Lang accused his former financial backer of ”illegally swept approximately $17 million from the festival bank account, leaving [Woodstock] in peril.”

”It is one thing if your company, Dentsu, wanted to back out of its commitment to Woodstock because it would not make as much money as it had hoped, but to try to suffocate and kill Woodstock so that we could not have a festival for our Golden Anniversary without you is puzzling for any company, let alone one that claims reform,” Michael Lang writes.

Woodstock co-founder Michael Lang continues to insist, “we’re gonna get this done,” but the circumstances around producing the festival – even over usage of the Woodstock 50 name – make that seem unlikely.

Following its cancellation by financer Dentsu Aegis Network, organizer Michael Lang has doubled down on insisting Woodstock 50 will happen in a new statement, saying, ”Woodstock belongs to the people and it always will.”

He’s also set to perform at Woodstock 50 the same weekend.

Despite the current delays and uncertainties with Woodstock 50, which ticket sales for are still “on hold,” Michael Lang has big plans for the Woodstock name beyond this anniversary year.

Michael Lang calls cancellation worries ”just more rumors,” but a talent agent said, ”no one knows what the hell is going on but there is clearly a problem.”

Original Woodstock co-founder Michael Lang said that ”Woodstock purists” should ”get over” the eclectic lineup; ”we cannot just have an oldies show,” he said. ”This is not Oldchella or Desert Trip.”

Woodstock 50 goes down this August.

After years of rumors and promises from Woodstock festival co-creator Michael Lang, official details of a Woodstock 50th anniversary — taking place on the original Woodstock site — were finally announced after Christmas, but with one catch…