How in the world did I miss this news?
Woodstock, the legendary music festival from 1968, will be revived in Korea with a participant from the original event, Neil Young.
Young is known as the godfather of grunge and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
The concert in Seoul, titled “Flower Power Peace Festival,” is May 4 and 5 at Jamsil Olympic Stadium.
Some pretty cool acts if you’re into music from the era:
The festival in Seoul will open in front of the DMZ, will move to Jamsil.
It brings together singers from the 1960s and 1970s, including Rod Stewart, a Hall of Famer in 1994, Don McLean, Judy Collins, Janis Ian and Melanie Safka-Schekeryk.
Also on stage will be Linda Ronstadt, the Alan Parsons Project, Janis Ian, the Brothers Four, Donovan and Crystal Gayle.
The organizer said Elton John is another possible participant.
Apparently, this is the brainchild of 70s hottie and Libertarian singer/songwriter Melanie Safka-Schekeryk, who, according to the JoongAng Ilbo, “came up with the idea for a Woodstock-type festival in Korea after visiting the DMZ in 2006.”
Tickets for the concert are reportedly on sale via Ticketlink (www.ticketlink.com) and Interpark (www.interpark.com).
51 Comments
Alan Parsons Project? Sweet jeebus I am starting to feel old.
And ‘The Hurdy Gurdy Man’, too? Whoah, man - that’s trippy.
Do you have to go to both dates to see all of the performers? Surreal.
Good to see that Korea is up-to-date with current global trends, as usual.
This is passing odd.
I assume this is for $ and not politics; at least the money *might* make more sense than the politics.
#4: Yes, you are correct. It’s a nostagia trip for locals who weren’t even there the first time around.
Michael Breen actually wrote a good article about waiting for Korea’s Woodstock last year in The Korea Times.
My own feeling is that few Korean under 40 will be interested in attending this event, so it’s kind of a travesty to market it as some sort of Woodstock when the youth element won’t even be a significant factor here.
Keep on waiting, Mike, but don’t hold your breath.
Some proper skepticism is required… First the article appears to be a rewritten press release (common here). Then there’s the not so uncommon practice of listing not-as-yet-confirmed performers in one’s PR.
Over at Dave’s ESL Cafe, they’re not holding their breath.
http://forums.eslcafe.com/kore.....?p=1586392
Why does the article mention Janis Ian twice? Did Dr. Hwang clone her?
Baeksu are you an ex-ESL teacher? You sound like you have a lot of resentment towards Korea. Passive but nonetheless strong.
#8: “You sound like you have a lot of resentment towards Korea. Passive but nonetheless strong.”
I’m sure that all regular readers of The Hole will appreciate the rich irony of such a statement.
Here’s my own take on this subject:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/ww.....ryCode=197
Woodstock was in 1969, so that’s yet another Korean news article rendered ridiculous by its opening paragraph.
I think I read about this in the Joongang Daily about a week and a half ago. Went to the ticket sites and didn’t find anything.
Nothing about Neil Young’s supposed participation in this show is mentioned on his official website. Pollstar does not list this show in either the section for Neil Young or Rod Stewart tour dates. (Not saying it won’t happen, but…)
I’d drop some cash to watch/listen to Neil Young for a couple of hours, but without him, this is, at best, a third-rate nostalgia show.
So, who here has tickets to see 50 Cent?
Some of them are on pollstar. http://www.pollstar.com/tour/s.....Search.y=6
King Baeksu, ever since I called you a dickhead or something last week, I’ve started to like you. Good posts lately.
In fact, I think I might buy your book. Or, maybe Brendon will give me his copy.
#15: Hey, I’m still trying to learn the ropes on this whole Internets thing, but thanks for the encouragement.
After reconsidering this event, I think it is the typical situation where a lot of Koreans would like to host an event that shows they are “hip” and “sophisticated” and “with-it” to outside observers, without considering the deeper implications of what the original inspiring model was all about.
Pure simulation, as they might say in France.
APP’s “Eye in The Sky” is the ring tone on my cell phone.
Don’t forget to pick up your Duran Duran tickets, either.
Here’s the link to tickets. There’s a 10% discount if you bring a bottle of Centrum Silver for the performers.
http://ticket.interpark.com/Ti.....e=08001076
Will Rain, Super Junior or The Wonder Girls be lending their global wave ‘o’ Hallyu gravitas to this otherwise talentless pack of wailers?
Frankly I am seriously debating flying to Osaka next weekend to see Pennywise, Rancid, and Flogging Molly. Somebody tell me when that billing comes here.
Maybe I didn’t read it well enough, but what does this have to do with Woodstock at all? The article makes it sound like this is a Woodstock-affiliated event, but I don’t see that it is. Also, kind of a weird premise. A peace festival? If sending refugees to their death doesn’t appease the North, I don’t think old white people will help. Hasn’t worked for Itaewon yet, anyway.
I stand corrected on my previous comment about age above. According to Ecorn’s link above, the average age of advance-ticket purchasers is 33 years old. Is that old or young here? In the West that could be considered still young, but in Korea, probably not.
According to the same site, women ticket-purchasers outpace men by 11% or so at the moment. Anyone looking for some MILF or cougar action, this could be to place to be!
Do take the brown acid!
I’m waiting for the Korean Lollapalooza in 2039.
Jane’s Addiction, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Living Colour, Nine Inch Nails, Ice T & Body Count, Butthole Surfers, Rollins Band, and Violent Femmes look to be a more up-to-date lineup.
DMZ ought to still be there, too.
#24 wrote “Anyone looking for some MILF or cougar action, this could be to place to be!”
I taught the meaning of “MILF” to my mom — of all people — but I don’t know the slang meaning of “cougar.” What’s that all about?
Who actually pays money to see these geezers anyway? Their peak musical abilities are 20+ years ago… Now they’re just embarrassing…
Or is that the reason they’re going to Korea? No other countries can promise enough ticket sales to make up for the “Geritol” purchases?
” Who actually pays money to see these geezers anyway? Their peak musical abilities are 20+ years ago… Now they’re just embarrassing… ”
Koreans of course.
I predict it will be popular, particularly if you have a peace on the peninsula / reunification bent to it. Koreans, particularly the young, love Americana (although not necessarily America). Woodstock, although it is in the dusty past, is a visible piece of Americana.
#27: Whitey, to get the full flavor of the term “cougar,” you’ll have to check out the flick “Ocean’s 13.”
BTW, there is a Korea connection between the terms MILF and cougar and the two movies in which they respectively appeared. Any hotshots out there able to figure it out?
#31
Easy for the MILF term. John Cho’s character in “American Pie”. Not sure about the Korean connection for cougar though.
Stifler was the best character though by far.
Life imitates parody.
I caught Neil Young in Nov ‘07, days after his 62nd birthday, and found him in fine form over two 90-minute sets, an acoustic opening set and then an electric (but not Crazy Horse) set. No loss of voice at all on the mellow acoustic tunes. Some decent new tunes as well.
In contrast, Crosby, Stills and Nash have degenerated to a mere nostalgic act and should be avoided.
Pass; went to the original.
Melanie Safka, relatively obscure in the USA, has always been a well known name here, btw.
#32: Bbundaegi, good job on Korean-American actor John Cho in American Pie:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=HJXogSkC2kg
There was an American Pie knock-off here in Korea called Sex is Zero (2002), but I don’t think the AILF concept had as much traction with local audiences.
@10,
Lol you are full of shit. Why dont you keep on replying to your own post. Its no wonder you’ve had bad experiences in Korea.
#38: Actually I’ve had a lot of fun in both Koreas, but thank you for your thoughtful concern nonetheless.
She sure did have a brand-new pair of roller-skates, and i’ve had a key for her ever since i was in the seventh grade…
Neil Young still rocks totally hard, his new album (chrome dreams II) is as good as almost anything he ever did, and he would still be great to see in live concert; one of the few that i would pay good money to see in fact.
However, according to his biography (Shakey) he despised the original Woodstock, and he has refused to participate in any of the subsequent American imitations — has always maintain a very high level of integrity — so i’d be very surprised if he participated in this Korean nostalgia-travesty as it was described in that report… I’ll be interested to see the truth of what happens.
Here’s an unusual case that probably deserves its own thread “NY Mom Rescues Son from South Korea”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23836311/
Only if I know for sure that Neil Young will be playing.
#43: I’m not sure about “90%” but if Sperwer is correct there would be precedent for his prediction. There was apparently a “Rock for Peace” or Woodstock-syle concert planned in the North last year, but it seems to have been cancelled for reasons that are not very clear.
I’d say it would be a safer bet to make plans for this year’s Fuji Rock Fest, and probably a lot more interesting:
http://www.smash-uk.com/frf08/
The problem with Fuji is they always hold it during the rainy season, but I guess that’s part of the fun.
Sounds good-90% of koreans will split when Neil Young comes on so it ought to make for a fairly intimate set.
I saw James Brown at Jamshil and he didn’t even know where he was.”It’s great to be back in Shanghai………” band member whispers in his ear”Shanghai,Korea,East Asia.I was last here in 1969..”Recovered well,must say.
Good to see Koreans have moved on from Kenny G,Michael Bolton and Michael Chamberlain.Well-with the exception of NY,presuming he confirms-I guess not.Some ajummas are bound to score anyways.
Or of course,head over to Fuji rock festival for My Bloody Valentine and Bootsie Collins.
#43,
But, Michael Jackson did show up for Kim Dae Jung’s inauguration. LOL.
Sperwer, did you really attend the original Woodstock of Sept 69??? If so i’m in awe, and we want to hear your stories… already posted anywhere?
Quite true, but the fault for that is almost entirely Stills’s degenerated condition — Crosby and Nash are still quite fine and innovative as a duo, and Croz the Silver Walrus (now as fully recovered as could be hoped from his cocaine and liver problems) is simply great in his own band CPR — plenty of soulful new songs and superb musicianship. And if & when Neil shows up and joins any combination of the others — Look Out Mama!!
A movie of the Neil-led CSNY tour of summer 2007 is due out pretty soon, and word from my stateside buddies is they blew the roof off — the Shakey-directed flick takes a quirky angle, but should be quite worthwhile…
Sanshinseon:
Yeah, I made an unscheduled (and parentally unauthorized) stop there on my way to college ;)) No posted stories, but here’s a teaser: I spent the weekend with Joss Stone’s earlier avatar. ;)) ;))
Whoa, dude
Any news on this? Is Neil coming?
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