Woodstock '99: A Festival Gone Awry

Woodstock '99, which sought to recreate the hippie spirit of the legendary 1969 music festival, ended up having nothing to do with peace and love. Instead, Woodstock blended chaos, violence, and misogyny to the soundtrack of nu-metal and millennial angst. You might even call it a "Trainwreck."

More than 400,000 people attended the highly anticipated festival held at the former Griffiss air base in Rome, New York, with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, and Korn taking to the main stage. However, at Woodstock '99, elements of poor management, budget cuts, high temperatures, misogyny, inadequate security, the music, a disgruntled crowd forced to pay high prices, and the lack of sanitation were a disastrous cocktail, eventually spilling over into violence, sexual assault, riots, and even death.

Jamie Crawford's three-part documentary series, Trainwreck: Woodstock '99, explores what went wrong and questions how exactly and who was to blame. Was it the music? Was it the fault of the organizers? Was it solely down to the crowd? "It's not one simple narrative," director Jamie Crawford told Newsweek.

The Location of Chaos

The festival took place at the former Griffiss Air Force Base, which was far from the idyllic green hills of the original Woodstock in 1969. Attempting to learn from the mistakes of 1994, where over 190,000 people broke in for free, organizers sought a location that would keep the attendees in line. However, as the event unfolded, they faced a heatwave that subjected festival-goers to intense temperatures, exacerbated by the asphalt grounds.

Festival attendees also struggled with severe dehydration due to a lack of accessible water, and when water was available, it cost over $4 per bottle. According to The Baltimore Sun, more than 700 people were treated for heat exhaustion and dehydration over the weekend, and there were over 1,200 onsite medical admissions. Tragically, 24-year-old David G. DeRosia died from a heat-related illness at University Hospital in Syracuse after collapsing during a Metallica performance.

The Organizers' Missteps

Woodstock '99 was organized by Michael Laing, John Scher, and Ossie Kilkenny. Scher admitted in the documentary that he was unfamiliar with the lineup he had booked, which primarily consisted of nu-metal acts. As issues began to arise, he maintained that the festival was running smoothly, stating, "We were having fun... Yes, issues existed, but they were isolated. Nobody came thinking they were going to stay at the Ritz Carlton."

Unfortunately, there was not enough security in place, and cost-cutting measures affected the quality of food, drink, and sanitation facilities. Reports emerged of festival-goers suffering from trench mouth, a gum infection linked to poor hygiene, and there were even allegations of human feces contaminating drinking and shower water. The overall experience left many attendees dissatisfied and disillusioned.

The Music and Its Impact

Unlike the 1969 festival that featured artists like Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix, Woodstock '99 showcased heavy-metal and nu-metal bands such as Korn and Limp Bizkit. Some commentators have suggested that the aggressive music mirrored the increasingly angry audience. Before performing "Break Stuff," Limp Bizkit's frontman Fred Durst incited the crowd to embrace chaos, leading to crowd surfing and aggressive behavior.

As tensions escalated, real bonfires were lit during a Red Hot Chili Peppers performance, coinciding with a candlelight vigil meant to honor the victims of the Columbine school shooting. The event, intended as a peaceful tribute, quickly devolved into riots and looting.

Crawford emphasizes that there isn't a single factor that explains the chaos of Woodstock '99. Instead, it was a combination of unfortunate events, missteps, and the environment that contributed to the disaster. The documentary aims to present various perspectives from those who attended, revealing the powerful sensory memories they carry from that chaotic weekend.

Ultimately, the legacy of Woodstock '99 serves as a cautionary tale about the delicate balance between music, culture, and crowd dynamics. It invites reflection on the responsibilities of organizers and artists alike in shaping the experiences of festival-goers.