The Killers' Brandon Flowers speaks out on Woodstock 50 line-up controversy: 'They've got all the bases covered'
'They offered us a certain amount of money and we said yes,' says Flowers
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Brandon Flowers has spoken out about Woodstock 50’s line-up – which has previously been criticised for being modern and “nowhere near the spirit” of the 1969 festival.
The Killers are among the acts scheduled to perform during the three-day event taking place in August in Watkins Glen, New York. Miley Cyrus, Jay-Z, Chance The Rapper and Maggie Rogers are also part of the line-up.
Asked to comment on the event’s programme, Flowers told NME: ”I know The Raconteurs are playing before us, then there’s also Jay-Z and Dead And Co. They’ve kind of got all the bases covered.”
The musician deemed Woodstock’s original spirit of peace and love “a good message”, musing: “When they asked us to play, it wasn’t like ‘Oh, are we going to keep the tradition alive?’
“I didn’t have to sign a waiver to deliver that message. They offered us a certain amount of money and we said yes. I don’t know what you want. It’s not 1969 any more, but we’re gonna do our best.”
The Killers are set to perform on the first day of the festival on 16 August.
A number of social media users shared mixed reactions after the Woodstock 50 line-up was unveiled in March. Some were expecting to see more acts featured in the 1969 festival, or more artists from the sixties and seventies.
Woodstock 50 does feature some heritage acts among its line-up, such as Dead And Company (made up of former Grateful Dead members) and Santana.
Michael Lang, one of the co-organisers of the 1969 festival, has previously defended the anniversary event’s modern line-up, indicating that it would have been unadvisable to only include legacy acts.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments