Senate Resolution No. 2601
BY: Senator HINCHEY
MOURNING the death of Michael Lang, co-creator of
the Woodstock Music & Art Fair, distinguished
citizen and devoted member of his community
WHEREAS, Michael Lang of Brooklyn and Woodstock, New York, died on
Saturday, January 8, 2022, at the age of 77; and
WHEREAS, Michael Lang was instrumental in sparking the international
movement that transformed generations of young people who became forever
connected through music, art, and spirituality; and
WHEREAS, The Woodstock Music & Art Fair, August 15-17, 1969, also
billed as "three days of peace and music," is considered the most famous
music festival in the world, produced by Michael Lang and his partners
Artie Kornfeld, Joel Rosenman and John Roberts; and
WHEREAS, Michael Lang, at the age of 24, and his Woodstock ventures
partners, planned the transformative 1969 festival on Max Yasgur's
sprawling dairy farm in Bethel, New York, where more than half a million
attendees were captivated by extraordinary performances from musical
artists including Janis Joplin, The Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix,
The Who, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Richie Havens, Santana and more; and
WHEREAS, Although anticipating 100,000 attendees, the total number
of attendees who traveled to the festival ended up at more than 450,000
fans, closing the New York State Thruway along the way; and
WHEREAS, Battling weather issues, late venue changes, and far more
attendees than anticipated and under the able leadership of Michael
Lang, Woodstock's free-wheeling ethos of "peace, love and music"
endured, confirming the festival as the defining moment in the decade's
countercultural movement; and
WHEREAS, The Woodstock Music Festival singularly defined a global
generation, across all backgrounds, whose many adherents would go on to
become future activists, iconic musicians, and cultural pioneers; and
WHEREAS, Featured prominently in the Academy Award-winning 1970
documentary "Woodstock", often seen riding across the festival grounds
on his motorcycle, Michael Lang became one of the more recognizable
faces behind the vast cultural change that followed the festival; and
WHEREAS, Michael Lang continued to inspire new generations,
producing the extraordinary 1989 East Berlin Music Festival celebrating
the fall of the Berlin wall, and with his Woodstock ventures partners,
produced Woodstock '94 in Saugerties, New York, and Woodstock '99 in
Rome, New York, and as head of the Michael Lang Organization, he
developed a recording studio and managed prominent international musical
artists; and
WHEREAS, Born in Brooklyn, New York, Michael Lang briefly attended
New York University before moving to Florida; it was there he got the
idea for Woodstock after organizing the Miami Pop Festival in 1968,
featuring Jimi Hendrix as the headliner; and
WHEREAS, Michael Lang's commitment to excellence, his spirit of
humanity, and passion for music, carried over into all fields of
enterprise, including charitable and civic endeavors; and
WHEREAS, Michael Lang is survived by his wife, Tamara; his sons,
Harry and Laszlo; three daughters, Lari Ann, Shala and Molly, and his
sister Iris Brest; and
WHEREAS, Armed with a humanistic spirit and imbued with a sense of
compassion, Michael Lang leaves behind a legacy which will long endure
the passage of time and will remain as an inspiring memory to all he
served and befriended; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
mourn the death of Michael Lang, and to express its deepest condolences
to his family and friends; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the family of Michael Lang.
