LUCIDMEDIA

Woodstock: 40 Years Later – What went Wrong in ’99?

Written by Nadine Bachan Thursday, 13 August 2009 12:35

When original promoters John Scher and Michael Lang returned to organize Woodstock 1999, their dream for the 30th anniversary event was determined and optimistic, but tainted by selfish ambitions. It was a foolish expectation – the hope that the attitudes of the patrons this time around would somehow mirror those of the 400 000-plus people that attended the festival in 1969, and that they would accept, without anger, the blatant profiteering at hand. In the end, Woodstock 1999 will be remembered for none of the things the original festival represented and celebrated. Peace, love, and good music were replaced with violence, commercialism, and performers egging on the bedlam that ensued.

Woodstock 1999 took place from July 23rd to 25th at the former Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, New York. Scher and Lang, along with Ossie Kilkenney, an experienced band manager, came together with the event’s licensors, Woodstock Ventures and financiers of the original Woodstock John Roberts and Joel Rosenman. The base was chosen for its size and suitability in case of rain. The event would ironically be marred by the scorching temperatures – hundreds of cases of heat stroke were reported, one resulting in death. There was no rainfall.

In order to maximize food sales, many attendees reported that they had to give up any outside foods and drinks upon entry, thereby forcing people to buy everything they needed inside the venue. Concession stands gouged people with outrageous prices with one attendee reporting that they saw people paying $12 for a single slice of pizza. At its worst, vendors were charging up to $4 for a bottle of water and due to the extreme heat, the lines for water were so long that some took it upon themselves to break open water pipes. Along with the mud and sewage, piles of garbage accumulated (discarded water bottles, food wrappers, etc.) into one big mess.

Unlike Woodstock 1969 (where extra concert-goers were encouraged to attend), the organizers took serious measures to dissuade crime and gate crashers (a.k.a. people who did not want to pony up $150 per ticket). State Troopers were called in with the foresight of maintaining order and safety throughout the festival. However, the presence of police did not stop people from looting trucks and concessions, overturning public toilets, and assaulting each other. A 12-foot perimeter fence, made of plywood and steel, was erected to keep out all those who did not pay the hefty ticket price. The fence would eventually be ripped apart by the unruly masses, planks of the plywood being used to surf over the crowds and as kindling for bonfires.

The organizers secured a diverse set of bands and artists to play on three stages. The varied booking encompassed a wide range of genres and styles, perhaps in an attempt to appeal to as many patrons as possible. Among the performers were James Brown, Willie Nelson, Alanis Morrisette, Limp Bizkit, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Chemical Brothers, DMX, Snoop Dogg, Moby, Live, Our Lady Peace, The Offspring, The Tragically Hip, Rage Against the Machine, Sheryl Crow, and Bush.

Of all the amazing talents that graced the stage, the few performances that people remember today are not recalled for the music, but rather for the mayhem. Throughout most of the performances, huge mosh pits formed in the sea of people. Regardless of the type of music, boisterous revellers thrashed about and battered one another with full force, resulting in the medical tents being overrun with the sufferers of cuts, bruises and broken bones. Rage Against the Machine burned an American flag during their set. Limp Bizkit’s highly-suggestive lyrics encouraged patrons to destroy anything they could get their hands on. Red Hot Chili Peppers performed a rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire” while crowds set towers, trucks, and concessions stands ablaze. In a natural decent into chaos, the looting began soon after.

Police tried desperately to catch people stealing, destroying property, or causing harm. Authorities viewed photographs of the looting and violence to try, in vain, to identify culprits. Several reports surfaced during and after Woodstock 1999 about the crimes that were committed, but due to nature of the event and general anonymity of people, many of the perpetrators escaped. There were even several reports from eyewitnesses that claim they saw a woman, who had been bodysurfing during Limp Bizkit’s performance, be pulled down into the crowd where she was raped by a group of men near the front of the stage. They claimed they could do nothing but watch in horror while the people standing nearest to the assault cheered the men on. Several other sexual assaults were claimed, but none were confirmed.

Why did things spiral so horribly out of control? Sarah McLachlan, who had experience with large events as the founder of Lilith Fair, chastised the promoters and organizers for turning the spirit of the festival into a blatant money-making venture. “When Woodstock was conceived, it was a beautiful thing,'' McLachlan told the Associated Press soon after the events. “But what happened is it turned into this big, horrible commercial madness.''

Many agreed with McLachlan’s opinion, believing that the concert-goers had been pushed to their limits. Although nothing is an excuse for the excessive violence and destruction that resulted, those who watched from the sidelines and learned of the details could clearly see why many of patrons resorted to such behaviour. A crisis service director commented on the rioting saying, “The combination of heat, readily available alcohol and drugs, and the lack of food and sleep was a perfect breeding ground for [this kind of behaviour].”
Adding to the factors was the music itself – many of the performances that occurred during the incidences were steeped in themes of anti-establishment, pro-violence and pro-anarchy. What else would you expect? You wind people up the right way and they will oblige. You get caught up in a mood or a thought, and enough people around you are indulging, why not join in? That is classic mob mentality and it can ensnare even the most sensible of people.

On the same psychological plane, the mentality of those who attended in 1969 was focused on globally-affecting issues like the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement. Those people were all about an escape from pain and hate, embracing tolerance, social justice, free love, and friendship. We must admit that the state of mind of the youth in 1999 was wholly different.

Those at Woodstock 1999 took on a “let’s go crazy” attitude. After all, it was 1999, and the new millennium was just on the horizon. It was a time to be euphoric, foolish, and irresponsible with a feeling of invincibility. On top of all that, they had their idols and favourite musicians telling them to go nuts. For many attendees, it was simply another opportunity to let loose and get wild without consequence. And that’s exactly what happened. We can’t fault them for that.

The organizers and promoters hold the greatest responsibility for what transpired though. If it had been about truly honouring the 1969 festival, they would have made a greater effort to book the original performers, or would have been somewhat faithful to the original tone (for example, Woodstock ’69 had Swami Satchidananda give invocation on the first day, setting the peace-loving mood for the rest of the festival). They could have done something … anything … in true tribute of the original event. But efforts simply weren’t made from the very beginning. Their shameless consumerism and lack of consideration for anything else frustrated people in the worst way.

As harsh as it may seem, I agree with many others who felt that Woodstock 1999 exploited the memory of a wonderful festival and was used for selfish gains. It was never about celebrating Woodstock 1969 – a historical event that embodied a long-past time and mentality. It was about turning a profit and taking advantage of naïve youth. As it turned out, the youth wasn’t about to take it lying down. If we learned anything from Woodstock 1999, it proved that the mellow, turn-the-other-cheek, hippie attitude of the 1960s was long gone.