Woodstock '99: Trainwreck

Trainwreck: Woodstock '99 is up on Netflix

Immediately after watching this I started reading about Michael Lang. He struck me as "in over his head" and "fake it 'til you make it" kind of personality whose initial "success" at Woodstock '69 allowed him slither out of accepting any responsibility for the mayhem that ensued at Woodstock '99.

Huge crowds make me eggy so this only affirms my desire to avoid them completely, whether it be a concert, a sporting event, or a demonstration. Just NFW I'm putting myself at risk of that much discomfort or potential violence.

Were any of you there? In your opinion what caused this carnage? The film cites greed and squarely lays the blame on the promoters. Agree or disagree?

Reading that HBO(max?) did the same kinda doc a couple years in a more concise manner. Regardless, I would watch on a lazy Sunday.
And at this stage of life, fuck festivals. Much less multi day ones.

I didn’t go but went to many Korn concerts in the late 90’s. Definitely the most violent and fun mosh pits, more the whole crowd was thrashing in a circular motion and there were pockets of hardcore moshing within. Knees up, elbows out and keep moving to survive.


Now, put 250,000 of those people in 100 degree heat and charge $4 for a bottle of water for 3 days with no security and inadequate facilities, I’m surprised it wasn’t much worse.

Entertaining Netflix binge for sure.


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Operationally wasn’t Woodstock 69 a disaster? Farmers driving food, overwhelmed gates, mud, tech issues?

Multiple people I worked with back then went to ‘99 and had a good ish time by memory.

This quote from inside hook pretty much sums up my opinion of John Scher one of the promoters.

“There’s no question that a few incidents took place,” says Scher. “But if you go back in the records of the police and state police and stuff, we’re not talking about 100. Or even 50. We’re talking about 10. I am critical of the hundreds of women that were walking around with no clothes on, and expecting not to be touched. They shouldn’t have been touched, and I condemn it. But you know, I think that women that were running around naked, you know, are at least partially to blame for that.”

What an asshole. These guys have had charges brought against them.

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I thought this doc was absolutely fascinating. As I watched I kept wondering why the whole thing failed to register with me at the time. Then I realized I'd just gotten married on July 17 that year and my wife and I were backpacking in the Wind Rivers on our honeymoon when this was going on. Crazy shit man!

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Originally Posted by SkiBall

Reading that HBO(max?) did the same kinda doc a couple years in a more concise manner. Regardless, I would watch on a lazy Sunday.
And at this stage of life, fuck festivals. Much less multi day ones.

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Don't need more than HBO presented.
More of a 93 fan myself.
Blind Melon vs Limp Biscuit

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Originally Posted by Woodsy

Don't need more than HBO presented.
More of a 93 fan myself.
Blind Melon vs Limp Biscuit

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Netflix version has more boobage. Worth a watch.


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Originally Posted by dunfree

Operationally wasn’t Woodstock 69 a disaster? Farmers driving food, overwhelmed gates, mud, tech issues?

Multiple people I worked with back then went to ‘99 and had a good ish time by memory.

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Did a capstone project on this exact topic. It was a literal mudpit, shithole, and heroin den. The movie made its legacy.

Watched this last night, thought it was pretty good. Train wreck is the perfect title. Seemed a little one sided at times.

A few of my friends went to this and I was so close to going, can’t remember why I bailed at the last minute, probably job related, although i remember not really giving a shit about jobs when I was 21…

I do wonder how much of the headlining bands egged the crowd on as was portrayed in the doc. RHCP coming out with Fire for the encore was pretty nuts, especially after being asked to try and calm down the crowd, which was an impossible task either way.

Grateful I didn’t go for whatever reason. Definitely worth a watch though

Flipped it on last night, just wanted to check it out to see if it was worthwhile to watch later.
Finished all 3 episodes. I couldn’t look away.
That was quite the story.

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Originally Posted by Buzzworthy

...just wanted to check it out to see if it was worthwhile to watch later.
Finished all 3 episodes. I couldn’t look away.

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DITTO

I liked the parts when I didn't have to listen to Limp Bizkit or Korn.

Juggalos gotta Juggalo..

Fuck. I completely missed this due to being buried on school. Total shithead promoters, terrible lineup for amping up a crowd, maximal greed.
Mom appalled


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I had this comment in the Netflix thread:

“Train wreck - Woodstock 99”.

A must see. If you were in your 20’s or low 30’s in 99, it really hits home. I had flashbacks to being at Lallapaloza 92 in MN. I totally forgot him much of a shit show Woodstock 99 was.

This was a good idea and a complete F for planning and execution. An excellent documentary of the whole debacle.

When Korn starts it with that classic intro guitar riff…..look out.

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Originally Posted by AK47bp

Netflix version has more boobage. Worth a watch.


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This was a bonus. I guess no internet really and really down in my own thing, I missed what a major shitshow this really was. When the frat boys took the wheel of metal without a full understanding, it was bound to get out of control.

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Originally Posted by SkiBall

When the frat boys took the wheel of metal without a full understanding, it was bound to get out of control.

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That's a good way to put it. Just looking at that audience, all I could think was frat boy spring break partiers and the girls that go along. I have to admit I was somewhat impressed with those chicks who could hang in the pit. I tried to imagine my own 16 and 18 yo daughters in there. Scary, but OTOH I did plenty of shit in my youth that scared my parents (or would have if they'd known). Very sad about the reported rapes, but I'd bet most women had a blast, not withstanding boob squeezes while crowd surfing. I wonder what those topless girls think when they watch this. Probably damn I was hawt!! Lol

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Originally Posted by yeahman

That's a good way to put it. Just looking at that audience, all I could think was frat boy spring break partiers and the girls that go along. I have to admit I was somewhat impressed with those chicks who could hang in the pit. I tried to imagine my own 16 and 18 yo daughters in there. Scary, but OTOH I did plenty of shit in my youth that scared my parents (or would have if they'd known). Very sad about the reported rapes, but I'd bet most women had a blast, not withstanding boob squeezes while crowd surfing. I wonder what those topless girls think when they watch this. Probably damn I was hawt!! Lol

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Saw Korn early on back in the day and it was just metalheads. Then when I saw them at Mile High, it was more like this WS crowd with abundant boobs and even a little bush off the top deck railing was a pretty different vibe. But, also, I was getting older and they were still younger. I was fine with it.

Yeah, but what about Lang's shorts? So sexy..... otherwise an entertaining watch having been at Live-Aid (USA) and Farm Aid in the 80's.

Did the festival make any money? They sure pounded the drum of the promoters being greedy. But it seemed more like the vendors doing that. There was hardly anything on that perspective.
At worst the OG promoters & staff were just completely clueless, trying to remake a moment in time; not understanding the people coming were completely different than their parents. Self absorbed, privileged children for sure.
I wish the series provided more details on the injuries & assaults. They made it out like it was a war zone, but no facts or figures to back it up.
Fred Durst is a complete asshole. Although the crowd's response to him was just amazing. It was like entire swarm of locust flowing to a single leader.

Fred Durst is a self absorbed dick. And a Putin supporter who lives halftime in Crimea.. although might be fleeing if he's currently there now..

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Originally Posted by Yonder_River

Fred Durst is a self absorbed dick. And a Putin supporter who lives halftime in Crimea.. although might be fleeing if he's currently there now..

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You serious Clark?


Jesus


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I was disgusted enough by him that I looked up his wiki page and then caught that tidbit there.

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"It's easy to point the finger and blame [us], but they hired us for what we do — and all we did is what we do. I would turn the finger and point it back to the people that hired us," said Durst, in reference to original Woodstock co-founder, Michael Lang.

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I agree with Fred. The people who put together the lineup were clueless about these bands and their audience. Go back and watch those old Limp Bizkit videos on MTV, they're fucking awesome IMO. Didn't like them much at the time but in retrospect I do. Also really like Wes Borland as a guitarist. Dude's a freak.

As the saying goes: If you didn’t know, you should have known.

After the other financial failures, early in the doc it became clear that they main goal was making a profit this time. They were so focused on the goal that those pesky little details didn’t get the attention they deserved. Sad, but hardly shocking(which is more sad) about the assaults, but those kids got a life memory. And isn’t that what we are all trying to find in one form or another?

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Originally Posted by SkiBall

Sad, but hardly shocking(which is more sad) about the assaults, but those kids got a life memory. And isn’t that what we are all trying to find in one form or another?

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Please tell me you aren't saying what I think you're saying?


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gang rapes at a music festival, what a time to be alive.

I’d have been ashamed to be there


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Holy Balls

I was two hours south in Sullivan County, NY and this event totally passed me by

Maybe because of the line up

Never been a fan of New Metal, but I was fascinated how such an insignificant weed like the lead singer of Korn can have so much power when he's on stage

Meanwhile, how the fuck did they get so big?

Shithouse

A mate messaged me and said

'Everything I hate about America is all there in that doco'

Hard to disagree

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Originally Posted by skinipenem

Please tell me you aren't saying what I think you're saying?


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I am not referring to the life moments as nothing in the sexual assault realm.
All these kids went to the biggest rager of their life in some barren wasteland under for longer than necessary in inhospitable conditions and some snapped causing a shitstorm of chaos. How memorable was that, eh? Not saying it was right, just saying it was memorable in a grand scale. And this forum is chock full of peeps seeking grand life memories. Just most are a bit more socially acceptable, and downright positive vibes.
Nothing is right about rape at all. Full stop.

Bring in all the X and speed you want but NO food or water allowed. What could possibly go wring???

Friend of mine said after watching, "Best weekend ever if you were 25 and made it out unscathed."

I can't believe nobody on here was there.

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Originally Posted by yeahman

I can't believe nobody on here was there.

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Oh, people on here were most certainly there. They're just afraid to admit it. Haha.

I remember really WANTING to go but I had just graduated and it was simply not in the cards financially to make it happen. Anyway, after hearing about the entire shitstorm that went down, I was glad that life's circumstances kept me from attending. Was all good though. Throughout the 90s I had plenty of memorable times at epic music events in Austin. Far tamer than WS99, that's for sure.

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Originally Posted by Kirby

What are you talking about.

The hippies were the original self-absorbed, privileged generation (i.e. neo-liberals, who after the party was over became capitalist neo-liberals). It was their children at WS99, playing out the life lessons that their parents taught them.

Fucking baby-boomers…

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This is true, but not absolute. There are definitely people I knew who were core punks and older cousins from the flower power generation who became hedge fun manager and bankster types. Funny how having family and kids changes your priorities away from planet and world peace to I gotta make sure these kids and their kids are set for life.. Now willing to step on some other peoples' necks to ensure that happens. True story. It will happen again to many of the Bernie Bros and Beto Bros as well..

Same as it ever was.