Celebrity News

Miley Cyrus latest headliner to back out of Woodstock 50

Miley Cyrus has pulled out as a headliner of Woodstock 50 — joining a growing list of stars who have also backed out of the beleaguered anniversary fest, including Jay-Z, Dead & Co. and John Fogerty, multiple sources said in a new report.

The Racounteurs, the Lumineers and original Woodstock 1969 performers John Sebastian and Country Joe McDonald have also said “no” to the event, initially billed as three-day fest scheduled for Aug. 16 to 18, Variety reported on Tuesday.

The status of Imagine Dragons and The Killers, the last headliners to not pull out, was unclear, but the festival is not listed under upcoming tour dates on either of their websites. Reps for those bands either declined or did not respond to request for comment from Variety.

Sources told the outlet that the festival will still move forward as a one-day event with four or five acts agreeing to perform. A broadcast partner has been contacted and asked to budget out a single day’s performance, a source said.

The revised plan likely means that the concert will now either take place on Aug. 16 — when the Baltimore’s Merriweather Post Pavilion has a capacity of 20,000, or Aug. 18, when it is 32,000. The Smashing Pumpkins are set to perform their own show there on Saturday the 17th.

A festival representative declined to comment to the outlet.

Rock band The Zombies was the only group to confirm to Variety that they were still on board.

“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,” co-manager Cindy da Silva told the outlet. “And also, the tenacity of that team has been incredible.”

“If this was any other festival, I’d say, ‘Give it up already,’” she added. “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.”

Woodstock 50, commemorating the anniversary of the 1969 cultural landmark, has faced a series of setbacks over the last few months. It lost its original site in Watkins Glen, New York, as well as a second alternative in Vernon, New York, due to permit issues — and has a tentative hold on Merriweather Post. It also lost a financial partner and a production company.