Legendary ‘Woodstock’ Concert Promoter Eulogized
By Michael Schneider
Michael Lang, legendary concert promoter and co-creater of the Woodstock Music & Art Fair (1969), passed away on January 8th of this year, at the age of 77, from Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Michael was, in a large way, responsible for the failures of the Altamont Free Festival (1969), the Woodstock ‘99 festival (held in Rome, NY), and the doomed Woodstock 50 festival, a would-be event that was covered extensively by The Utica Phoenix in the spring and summer of 2019. But Michael Lang was also the same man that organized the Miami Pop Festival (1968), the aforementioned Woodstock Festival and Woodstock ‘94, held in Saugerties, NY.
I first encountered Michael Lang in June of 2015, at that year’s Mountain Jam festival, held in Hunter Mountain, NY.
I was walking into the venue on the first day when I spotted Michael walking ten or so paces ahead of me, passing me on the left. Being a Woodstock fanatic, my knee-jerk reaction was simply to say, “It’s an honor!” Michael, somewhat startled by my candor, laughed for a second and humbly thanked me for saying that.
In 2019, I was asked to cover the beat on Woodstock 50 for The Utica Phoenix. My first assignment was to cover a meet-and-greet in the Village of Watkins Glen, hosted by Michael Lang himself. This was Michael’s first major public appearance in support of his upcoming ‘Woodstock 50’ festival, planned for that summer.
As the event drew to a close, and at the behest of my girlfriend, I quickly ran over to introduce myself to Michael, who, surprisingly enough, was standing by himself in a small hallway, near the wings of the auditorium. I explained that I was affiliated with an independent newsmagazine out of Oneida County and I requested that he join us for an interview sometime. Our Rome, NY connection was implied, but never mentioned.
I stammered a lot, but I managed to exchange business cards with him. Michael handed me a brightly colored business card with the Woodstock logo on it – you know which one I’m talking about – the one with the guitar, the dove and the red backdrop. He told me that he would “be in touch.” Little did either of us know how true those words would be.
Fast forward to July of 2019 and Michael was facing a much different situation than he had been in March. His financial backer, Dentsu Agnes, had pulled out of the festival, and as a result, the festival was homeless. In a strange twist of fate, Michael and company ended up in The Phoenix’s own backyard, attempting to house Woodstock 50 at the Vernon Downs Racino.
Michael made his case for the festival during an “open house” event at the hotel, but he was met with strong, local opposition from the start. As we all know, the festival never came to be, and I was not destined to become Woodstock 50’s version of Elliot Tiber.
That being said, Michael had remembered meeting me in Watkins Glen. I reintroduced myself again, and at one point, I noted how bizarre it was that this festival had ended up jockeying for a permit so close to my hometown. It was obvious that this predicament had resulted in a somewhat uneasy homecoming for Michael as well, who noted that, “It’s very strange. For both of us.”
Whatever your opinions about the man may be, Michael Lang helped to bring joy and memories to legions of rock-and-rollers, myself included. And, as a true impresario, his impact on American culture will be felt for generations to come.
