Did Gen X largely skip Woodstock '99?

[-]

Zealousideal_Draw_94@reddit

Ok, Woodstock’69, the year I was born. Had possibly up 500K people. 10x the expected crowds, but mostly worked.

Woodstock ‘89 “the Forgotten Woodstock” was kind of spontaneous, and had no major acts, and was word of mouth, no promotion.

Woodstock ‘94, when I was 24, it had more than 2x as many people as tickets sold, around 350K. It broke down, but was the only one to make money.

Woodstock’99 was I was nearly 30, and the bands were mostly built off of high schoolers, and MTV. It was both metaphorically and literally a Shot show. They didn’t have enough water, food, or security. The had on kids on asphalt that increased temperatures.

[-]

ChaosAndFish@reddit

Considering there are 65 million Gen Xers and 250,000 people at Woodstock 99 I’m going to go with yes. Most of us did not attend.

[-]

Intelligent-Rest-231@reddit

I was at Woodstock 99 and I’m prime GenX. It was awesome!

[-]

jenvt01@reddit

Same! 😎

[-]

Electronic-Bake-4381@reddit

So the original Woodstock was largely and east coast thing. Sure, some people drove across country, but it's not as if all the eastbound highways clogged....

Woodstock 99 was a lot smaller and also not a national happening

[-]

automator3000@reddit

I would hope so.

I’m a “young X” and at the time I knew Woodstock ‘99 was for people younger than I was.

[-]

nutcruncher360@reddit

I was too busy working and supporting a family to go to an overpriced concert full of mediocre bands and moronic concert goers. I wasn't surprised at all at what happened.

[-]

jackie-daytonuh@reddit

I was so sick of Boomers going on and on about how amazing Woodstock was, their music was so much better, their generation was the best, we could never understand the power of the summer of love, blah, blah, blah. The last thing I wanted was to go try and compete with those idiots at an overpriced festival with a shitty l lineup when there were so many great concerts happening that year.

[-]

Any-Video4464@reddit

Seemed like the band choice, heat and shitty location brought the issues. All that being said, if I had gone, I'm sure it would have been fun. Riots may be "bad" but they sure are fun to watch, especially after a weekend of getting treated like consumer, even though it was pricey to go.

[-]

Somone-Who-Isnt-Me@reddit

94 Woodstock was enough

[-]

BocaGrande1@reddit

Yes the bands were pretty lame . I’m a younger Gen X had the opportunity to go and was like I’m not standing on a airport tarmac to watch Limp Bizcut

[-]

Practically_Hip@reddit

Ichabod Crain with his m-f-king top off. Yes, thanks to Yee.

[-]

Independent-Fall-893@reddit

Missed that one! Was at the '94 Woodstock, it was horrendous shit show literally. Had people piss on my leg bc we were packed so tight there was no other option. Port-O-Pots overflowing into shit/piss rivers, little food/water to be found (if you were lucky to find a bottle water it cost an arm & leg)

I believe the '99 show combated all those issues with fire, right?

[-]

obligatory-purgatory@reddit

I know my friend group did and others were like “you degenerates didn’t go?!”

[-]

beastofhamden@reddit

Went to 94 Woodstock, was awesome. No desire to do that 5 years later tho lol.

[-]

Admirable-Currency89@reddit

I was 30 with a career and a wife. No way I cared one shit about that.

[-]

Regular_Sample6@reddit

Probably. I was 29 and had a kid. Party days were over. Kids grown now, back to going to shows.

[-]

MadDad909@reddit

I was 19 in 1999, I watched the ‘94 Woodstock on tv and was so envious of my oldest brother being at that. When I saw the lineup for 99 I was very underwhelmed to the point where I knew a few that went but I chose to work that weekend. The bands I was into at the time weren’t on mtv, korn and limp biscuit was fuckin lame

[-]

JJQuantum@reddit

I was 30 when it happened and past my “going to concerts regardless of how much of a pain in the ass it would be” stage. I still see live music occasionally now but it needs to be convenient. Also, I’m not into recycling the past, though I love studying it. Have some imagination and make new things using new ideas or don’t bother. Otherwise it’s just a money grab.

[-]

Tricky-You4565@reddit

I didn't pay attention to it because instead of being "three more days of peace and music," it was "three days of capitalism gone crazy." $4 for a bottle of water? No toilets? No place to bathe? And there's MTV, "So, how are you enjoying Woodstock 99?" And then there's a kid high on something, and doing something stupid. Or worse yet, a girl half naked in the middle of all those adolescent boys.

No wonder there was a riot and fires at the end of it. Total shit show that blemished what the original Woodstock was all about. In fact, if you look up "shit show" there should be a Woodstock 99 logo there in place of a definition.

[-]

minder125@reddit

I went to the first four Lollapaloozas. I was all set.

[-]

Admirable_Trouble574@reddit

Yes THIS

[-]

ScarletCarsonRose@reddit

😂 me too.

[-]

-greensky-@reddit

Yep, it was dumb.

[-]

lisep1969@reddit

The Big Flop did a great podcast about this, below is from their transcript of the show.

“Woodstock '99 was meant to commemorate the original, historic festival with “three days of peace and music” but instead became "three days of rage and chaos."

The Big Flop - Woodstock ‘99

[-]

Last_Blackfyre@reddit

Had to work and had other plans for vacation

[-]

Mysterions@reddit

TBH, I don't even remember there being a Woodstock in '99. But looking at the lineup, nah, it's just a bunch of Nu Metal bands which I would have had no interest in.

[-]

Wide_Half3502@reddit

I didn't even realize it happened until the doc came out.

[-]

Mysterions@reddit

I didn't even realize it happened until I read this post. Then I thought OP was talking about the '94 one the whole time.

[-]

Tight-Delay1750@reddit

It was a joke

[-]

HousesRoadsAvenues@reddit

I worked in a prison when it was on. Two dudes from food service (the kitchen) went. They came back early with tales about how bad it was, coupled with the expense.

[-]

Reasonable_Bid3311@reddit

if we skipped it, then who went? Only a small amount of xennials would have been old enough.

[-]

saxdiver@reddit

The jam band scene was more my vibe in '99, wasn't interested

[-]

suburbanerd@reddit

I had a couple of friends who bailed when the crowd’s mood started turning. But it wasn’t something I was interested in. Nu-metal wasn’t my thing and that seemed prominent on the bill. Lollapalooza in the US and Another Roadside Attraction and Lilith Fair in Canada had more acts that I was into.

But the main reason I didn’t go to any of these was that I was broke.

[-]

moneyman74@reddit

I lost interest in Numetal...but Red Hot Chili Peppers? A ban with 90% Gen X fans was front and center? I saw the highlights on MTV but I wouldn't have personally been interested in going.

[-]

jamescockroft@reddit

I very much wanted to go, and was 21 and too busy working and doing various, ehrm, recreational activities to a) remember when it came around or b) afford to travel there and the tickets and all.

It passed by without me even noticing, and oh well.

[-]

Opposite-Mushroom940@reddit

You forget the large span in age in Gen X. I’m young Xennial/Gen X and it was huge to me. I relate more to Nu Metal than Grunge, again the age span.

[-]

Swimming-Compote-168@reddit

After reading about all the issues with the original Woodstock, seeing all the issues with Woodstock 94, I thought the Woodstock festival was cursed. Woodstock 99 supplied more evidence of my theory.

[-]

Ianthin1@reddit

I was 24 at the time, and only mildly intrigued because my dad went to the original. I caught a few bits but nothing stands out enough to be memorable. Only heard about the chaos the next day.

[-]

Reader47b@reddit

I was relatively newly married, working, trying to save up, building a life, and had no cable TV (only rabbit ears). This concert was nowhere on my radar. I don't even remember hearing about it being a fiasco on the news, to be honest, but I don't think I watched or read much news at that time in my life.

[-]

Old_Goat_Ninja@reddit

I wanted to go but it was too dang far away, aka, too expensive to even consider going.

[-]

swingrays@reddit

I was at home watching it on a “black box cable thingy”. It was ho-hum.

[-]

MikeOxmaul@reddit

Going to Woodstock 94 was enough for me.

[-]

ToddBradley@reddit

I did the pay-per-view and invited my friends to drop by any time that weekend they wanted. It was not as exciting as I had hoped.

[-]

zymurgest@reddit

Well, there were 279m people in the US in 1999, of those, approximately 62m were Gen X.

The festival was specifically marketed to the 18-to-34-year-old demographic. In 1999, this range almost perfectly aligned with the Pew Research Center definition of Gen X (born 1965–1980), who would have been between 19 and 34 years old at the time.

Total Attendance - Most official reports and historical accounts cite roughly 220,000 attendees. However, some estimates suggest the crowd may have swollen to 400,000 due to gate-crashers and underreported ticket sales.

[-]

Sodastillpoppin@reddit

Skipped it lollapalooza was always better

[-]

imcataclastic@reddit

I’d say this touches on a sensitive subject about how to define the gen-x/millennial divide.

[-]

Ok-Entertainment5045@reddit

Yeah I skipped it. No desire to deal with that shit show

[-]

Majestic-Tadpole8458@reddit

Phish Oswego summer 99 was where it was it for me

[-]

VolupVeVa@reddit

Nothing could top the first two Lollapaloozas for me.

Also in 1999 I had a 2 year old baby.

[-]

Designer-Effort-1426@reddit

Jim Rose Circus lol!!!

[-]

Designer-Effort-1426@reddit

I agree Lolla 91&92 were awesome. I didn’t go to 93 but went to 94 and watching Corgan throw a full blown temper tantrum on stage, I knew the party was over. (Beastie Boys were amazing though)

[-]

EyeSuspicious777@reddit

I like to tell people that my ticket for the second Lollapalooza cost less than $30. And then show them the lineup.

Truth be told, the strongest memory I have is of Mister Lifto hanging a bowling ball from his dick.

[-]

jprennquist@reddit

This one sticks in my craw a little bit. Mainly because at every anniversary there was an incessant droning from the media and pop culture about Woodstock. And I think the '99 Woodstock was trying to cynically capitalize on that "nostalgia."

Meanwhile the same people (and media) who were salivating and delirious about the 1989 anniversary of Woodstock (20th) were salivating and delirious about the Panama invasion and absolutely over-the-moon about invading Iraq in 1990 and 1991.

And then they wanted to get in hippie-land at the 25th anniversary (I guess that was '94). And in '99 they held the 30th at a military base.

I asked some young boomers/older Gen X folks about this in the early 90s. And I had to hunt for a source on this but I also found one. The reality is that most Baby Boomers were not at Woodstock. Most young people at that time were supportive of the Vietnam war and George McGovern lost in a landslide to RICHARD NIXON in '72. And yes, Nixon cheated, but people still cas the votes that they cast. So tell me again how Woodstock changed the world. Please.

Yes, Woodstock was a huge event in US and maybe even global music and cultural heritage. Enormous. Yes there was an album and a film that broadened the impact and extended it into our generation and beyond.

But a lot of what made Woodstock a thing were 1) Musicians, promoters and audience from older generations that made it happen. And 2) The proximity to New York City, Boston, even Chicago and other big population and media centers which ensured that the event would get a lot of coverage and discussion. And also, contrast to '99, the music and the acts were fantastic. Honestly, a better comparison to Woodstock from our generation was Live Aid. But I digress.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/08/us/baby-boomers-gen-z-cec

By the time Woodstock '99 came around I was already trying to be an adult and had my first kid on the way. I was also newly sober and not interested in the scene at that time. Plus the line-up was not my thing. But over and above all, I was a little tired of efforts to recreate "Woodstock" and the nostalgia that seemed to really miss the point.

TL:DR Woodstock is its own thing that is extremely special and remarkable as its own thing. People who were there or helped make it happen can and should definitely cherish those memories and share them with others. But we're all better off creating out own thing rather than trying to live in the past.

[-]

Designer-Effort-1426@reddit

It wasn’t on my radar. Woodstock 94 would’ve been more my jam. I was at a HORDE festival that same weekend so it was like Woodstock lite.

[-]

shawncollins512@reddit

I was having my first kid in 99 - no time for stuff like festivals for many years.

[-]

dab70@reddit

Zero desire to go to the '99 show. I wanted to go to the '94 show, but I couldn't for one reason or another.

A friend of mine went and told me some stories that made me feel like I dodged a bullet missing even the '94 show.

[-]

arem1460@reddit

Born in the 60’s Xers mostly skipped it, but the 70’s Xennials were there

[-]

NotReallyButMaybeNot@reddit

There were no 70s Xennials- it was just the later Xers

[-]

viewering@reddit

there must have been L O A D S of xennials

[-]

viewering@reddit

it was more xennial

[-]

Taskerst@reddit

The Millennials were under 18, so if you saw someone there who looked to be in college or above, they were technically Gen X.

[-]

UrsaMajor7th@reddit

You bet I skipped it; the lineup was bullshit.

[-]

Bahlore@reddit

I dont like concerts/crowds and in 99 I was in Germany, so no chance to go even if I wanted to.

[-]

truce_m3@reddit

Me and my Gen X group want. But I'm not sure what any anecdote proves.

[-]

gmhelwig@reddit

My only interest in Woodstock 99 came from having lived part of my childhood on Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome NY, which is where the event took place. The music not being to my taste, I did not go.

[-]

EveningRequirement27@reddit

Because it was inauthentic. Overly hyped etc. that’s the antithesis of Woodstock and we knew that.

[-]

HPLoveBux@reddit

Felt like an MTV event … corporate televised event

GenX said nah…

[-]

Lost_Taste_8181@reddit

I didn’t really give a shit about it, honestly.

[-]

WillDupage@reddit

I was busy working - at my job and on my fixer-upper house. Seemed to me the only people who went (my perspective only) were sad people without personalities of their own trying to be the new hippie generation without any of the context or understanding. Cosplayers, if you will… but I don’t think that term was in wide use at the time. I thought the same about ‘94- when I had freshly graduated college. “Cheesy commercial grab trying to recreate something that was a once in a lifetime thing”. Pretty much everyone my age that I knew just rolled their eyes at the idea.

[-]

LadyNorbert@reddit

I genuinely forgot it was even a thing. I vaguely remember it, but I was working full time and in school full time and barely paying attention to anything else.

[-]

SoCal_Duck@reddit

Older Gen-X here. I was busy with a career and raising our first child, so Woodstock ‘99 was not even a blip on my radar.

[-]

Relevant_Wrangler830@reddit

Yeah, I was getting married in 99 and had already started my career. I was looking to build an empire back then.

[-]

59apache01@reddit

I was in college then and trying to work as well to pay for it, so there's no way I could have gone.

Plus it was still fresh in my mind of what a disappointment the media said Woodstock 94 was.

[-]

vin4thewin@reddit

I know I did.

[-]

wildcardfoxy@reddit

It was rumored to be obnoxiously expensive beforehand and I had bills / rent to pay.

[-]

Griz_iz_daddy@reddit

I did. I was too broke.

[-]

Myfreakinglyfe@reddit

I didn’t go. By that time I was married, a homeowner and trying to start a family. I watched it from home. That was fine. Glad I avoided the mess.

[-]

drinkslinger1974@reddit

I didn’t go to that one, but I went to a slew of metal festivals that featured a lot of the same bands. I considered going to the ‘99 one, but I wasn’t really interested in seeing limp bizkit. I watched both the docs, I think I made the right decision. Honestly, with the kind of twenty something I was, I don’t think I would have survived it.

[-]

Gladis72@reddit

Went to the 94 one, was fun and would do it again if there could be less people near me... I feel too old to be around that many these days.

[-]

temerairevm@reddit

I went to the 1994 one with all the mud. I was 23 and just starting grad school. Had a blast. In ‘99 I was doing a postdoc and my husband had a real job and it felt like been there done that. From the documentary it looks like we picked the right one.

I have a lot of friends that are 5 years younger (there are more xennials than mid-Xers), and a couple of them went and have confirmed the documentary is accurate.

[-]

cleg74@reddit

I had zero interest in that show, in fact disdain. I was also married, about to start grad school, and unknown at the time about to become a father. I really wanted to go to ‘94 and had plans to do so but then we changed our minds thinking about traffic, etc.

[-]

skeeterbmark@reddit

I was 30 and had a kid in 1999. Definitely not my scene.

[-]

Hedonistic_Yinzer@reddit

I find the documentary suspect in nature and lacking credibility.

The producers definitely didn't hesitate to point the finger of blame at Mike Lang and Limp Bizkit. I am in agreement that Lang stuck his head in the sand about the truth of that debacle.

The fact that the documentary blatantly ignores Metallica played on Saturday night is a huge indicator of the bias of the producers. I am a huge Metallica fan, and have seen them both in the '90s when they were less than sober, and in recent years their performances have improved dramatically due to less pharmaceuticals use. Use. I am not saying that they had anything to do with the chaos that ensued. The truth is that Metallica does not sing about unicorns and rainbows either. Could they have been an inciting factor? We won't know because the documentary doesn't even mention their presence at the festival, except for a brief moment when Kirk Hammett is talking about free shoes.

A quality documentary will provide facts without bias and allow the viewer to develop their own opinions and conclusions. Netflix does not do this and reveals a high level of bias in documentaries. Woodstock 99 documentary is entertaining, it gets low marks for accuracy.

[-]

BoiledDenimForRoxie@reddit

Yeah, the 90s were fully dead by '99. It was full on Creed, limp bizquick, etc.... I'm glad I got to experience the 2nd and 3rd Lollapalooza. That shit was amazing.

[-]

TheGirlwThePinkHair@reddit

I know people who went. But the bill just wasn’t for me. If limp biscuit is on the bill, it’s not for me. Plus having it all on asphalt is a shit idea. I wanted to go to one of the other Woodstock festivals, but didn’t end up going

[-]

Len_Zefflin@reddit

I used to go to local music festivals all the time from the 80's into the mid 2000's and am only now finding out there were Woodstocks in the 90's.

[-]

jayhawkwds@reddit

I was in college for both. Couldn't afford 94, in rotations for 99. But my best friend went to 99. I stayed with him and his wife for a month during a rotation, and right after they got their photos developed.

I knew they weren't lying about their experiences there, but I kinda thought they might have exaggerated the experience. He did bring back part of the wall and still has it hanging in his garage.

After watching both of the documentaries, I don't think they exaggerated at all. They described everything that the documentaries covered. So it was like watching a movie of a book you read 20 years ago. They don't regret going, and I'm still a little jealous that I couldn't go.

[-]

GarionOrb@reddit

I was so jealous of everyone who got to go to Woodstock '94. But when '99 came around I couldn't be any less interested. It somehow didn't surprise me that it was so poorly received.

[-]

contextual_somebody@reddit

I went in ‘94. It was great. We didn’t pay to get in — the fences were already down, so we only had to cover bus fare from NYC.

I had no desire to go in ‘99. That was the era of TRL and everything had shifted to dumb and aggro.

[-]

Majik9@reddit

Same

[-]

M1rza5@reddit

I went to both ‘94 and ‘99. Definitely 2 different vibes. It was amazing how do much changed in just a 5-Year period. I recall 2 shirts that pretty much summed-up the atmosphere for me. In ‘94 it was “2 More Days of Peace & Music”. In ‘99 it became “Inked, Tattoo’d, and Ready to Rock!” (I might be getting that last part wrong as I was stoned and tripping for both festivals.) In ‘99 we left mid-day Sunday because we were broke. On the drive off the airfield we could see the mood turning bad. Real Bad. We had no idea what transpired until the next day after a 12-hour drive home, crashing out, and recovering. Fucking loved them both but ‘94 was so much better.

[-]

cnhn@reddit

got to 94 gl I didn’t make it to 99. one of my friends was an emt for 99. holy shit it was a disaster

[-]

UpbeatPhilosophySJ@reddit

Gen X was that weird middle. Some were into it. Some couldn't stand their hippy parents or MTV trying to push the same old 1960's shit on us. It's not like we couldn't respect the music, don't get me wrong, it's just that Woodstock was so Baby Boomer, like gag me with a spoon.

[-]

NoYOUGrowUp@reddit

I was at Woodstock 99. People forget there were three stages. The big one was where the huge acts like Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Metallica played. The second stage had bands like Oleander, Lit, Collective Soul, the Roots, Everclear, etc. That's where I probably spent 2/3rds of my time. The third emerging artists stage is where I discovered Muse.

It was also over 90 degrees with no shade, the toilet facilities were overflowing, the price gouging was disgraceful, and we packed the hell up and headed out when we saw the fires.

So it was a shit show, but there were still highlights.

[-]

Comedywriter1@reddit

That is a great second stage.

Re: Discovering Muse. Cool! I had one of those free NME/Melody Maker compilation CDs with “Sunburn,” which was my gateway.

[-]

TakingYourHand@reddit

I chose Phish in Oswego, NY the weekend earlier, instead. No regrets.

[-]

RSVPno@reddit (OP)

You chose wisely.

[-]

ZeroKharisma@reddit

I wanted to go to '94 but was a broke ass at the time. I had no interest in '99.

I did go to the '89 event at Yasgur's as a very impressionable teen with some older friends. Kinda set the stage for my life if I'm gonna be honest.

[-]

Duran518@reddit

Nope! I was at home raising two kids.

[-]

JJosephmichaels@reddit

I guess I’m Xennial, born in early 81. Was 18 for Woodstock 99 and ya, I was there and the documentary does it no justice. It was so much worse. We went cause it was supposed to be like the OG Woodstock. Peace and love but break stuff and be angry. I just remember DMX and heat stroke, and a bottle of water was like gold. Platinum if it was semi cold. Kids in my class passing out in porta potties. Took 6 hours to get outta the parking lot an another 7 hours to drive home back to MA.

[-]

125acres@reddit

I’m almost went to the 1994 Woodstock.

I was freshman in college and I couldn’t get anyone to go with me.

None of us had a car that would make the drive.

[-]

KneeOne2037@reddit

I badly wanted to go to Woodstock 94 when I was in high school, and a few friends did attend.

By the time 99 rolled around and I was in college, it didn’t interest me. There were plenty of good festival tours in those years that were cheaper or easier to get to than the 3 hour drive to Woodstock.

[-]

jumpinoutofmyflesh@reddit

My music taste is all over the place. In the early 90’s I was all into the new gen jam bands, Widespread Panic mainly but also Col. Bruce, Blues Traveler, etc. Basically the Horde tour bands. It was like our own version of the Dead scene. Then all of the white hats (frat boys) started showing up and the scene went to shit and I quit going to shows. That’s what I witnessed with Woodstock 2.0. What a shitshow crowd. Bands were awesome. Lotta great performances (Blind Melon with Shannon tripping balls in a white dress!) but damn the crowd sure did ruin it.

[-]

Professional-Lack-36@reddit

I was there. It was a bit uncomfortable at times but way more fun than people would have you believe. I walked out as soon as the Chili Peppers were done and had no idea it got so bad until after I was home (no smart phones).

[-]

Excellent_Paint_8101@reddit

Same. Good times--oh they're burning shit? Let's go then.

[-]

JumpReasonable6324@reddit

I was 30. I wasn't about to go stand in a field with a bunch of sweaty kids.

[-]

printerdsw1968@reddit

The explosion of GenX-driven music scenes of the early 90s, lots of creativity along with streaks of idealism, were devolving by the later 90s. You could feel it. Everything was taking a cynical turn, including that final disastrous attempt at branding Woodstock. Enough people could see it coming to know it wasn't the place to be, leaving attendance to clueless dudes looking for a free for all.

[-]

palbuddymac@reddit

I was 30 that year- it looked like ass on TV.

More Boomer exploitation of young people…

[-]

Impossible_Jury5483@reddit

Yes.

[-]

CharmingDagger@reddit

I had no interest in going, but I think the majority of that crowd were probably GenXers. Not a good look.

[-]

According_Assist_636@reddit

It was stupid ... Woodstock was Woodstock

[-]

DeezDoughsNyou@reddit

‘94 was a blast

[-]

deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]

[-]

GenX-ModTeam@reddit

{community_rule_2}

[-]

rogun64@reddit

The only person I knew who went was my millennial niece.

[-]

Old_Association6332@reddit

Have you heard Chapo Trap House's review of the Woodstock '99' documentary (I presume it's the same one)? It's very interesting. NB, I haven't seen the documentary, so can't really comment on it, or the validity of Chapo's critique of it

Chapo Trap House - Reviewing Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage

[-]

aran_maybe@reddit

I think I had a gig that weekend. It probably wasn’t Woodstock

[-]

Sea-Oven-7560@reddit

I was 31 and had a real job, I also didn’t have that kind of disposable income, never did.

[-]

Strawberries_Spiders@reddit

I enjoyed Woodstock ‘94 but had no interest in doing that again. Throw in the atrocious location and prices for ‘99. Nope.

[-]

PuzzledFig9009@reddit

Exactly. Anyone could see that '99 was going to be a shit show. It attracted the wrong crowd to the wrong event.

[-]

mosura1@reddit

I went to Berkfest instead. Hippie vibe, spaced out, better drugs

[-]

Knight_thrasher@reddit

I was 23. After the one in ‘94 I knew it was just a price grab so I didn’t bother. I can say I don’t regret not going.

[-]

TutorNo8896@reddit

Actually worked at '94. Cleaning up afterwards. It was kinda fun for me, there was other crews that looked like they were maybe prison labor, with armed guards.

There was also armed guards protecting all the unsold pepsi product, as it had a special woodstock logo

[-]

bigvicproton@reddit

Did you find my shoes?

[-]

SuicidalApendices@reddit

Sign of a good show right there.

[-]

TutorNo8896@reddit

Only singles, no pairs. Lots of wet blotter in the mud though.

[-]

PDM_1969@reddit

I went in 94, had a good time. Saw they were doing it again in 99 and thought about going...but plans never came together with the friend I went with in 94.

After watching the documentary I'm glad the plans never came together

[-]

NoYOUGrowUp@reddit

I wish I'd gone to 94. Everyone I know who went loved it. Better bands, too.

[-]

flibbitydoo2@reddit

Same here, was thinking about going in 99 but glad I didn’t. Had a fantastic time in 94

[-]

PatriciasMartinis@reddit

My parents wouldn't let me cross an international border with only friends as a teenager. S So LAME!

[-]

SuburbaniteMermaid@reddit

My oldest child was 1 at the time and I was living near my husband's second duty station in Fayetteville, NC.

I didn't have time, money, or inclination for someone trying to make us repeat some Boomer festival because they couldn't come up with a new idea.

[-]

udonbeatsramen@reddit

We had one of those illegal cable boxes, so I did watch and tape a lot of the pay per view broadcast. Also, I had gone to our local radio station's festival a couple months before, and at least three Woodstock 99 bands were there, so I can't say I wasn't into the music

[-]

cometshoney@reddit

I was at home with 2 little kids and another one on the way. Bringing them probably would have been frowned upon, so I stayed home.

[-]

OceanGrownPharms@reddit

Cool kids went to Phish's Camp Oswego instead

[-]

vistaculo@reddit

Why? Did they go to beat up all the dorks that like Phish?

[-]

HistorianJRM85@reddit

i was 19 at the time and it was a big deal among my peers. I didn't go, but as i was hearing about how much they were jacking up the prices (and how un-woodstock it was becoming), i knew it wouldn't end well.

[-]

Caliastanfor@reddit

I wasn't into most of the musicians performing there, '94 was more my jam, but check out Korn's performance of Blind on YouTube. Totally badass imagery of how crazy concert crowds used to be.

[-]

Public-Clothes-5078@reddit

I thought Woodstock 99 was the stupidest thing when I first heard that it was going to happen

[-]

Couldbelater@reddit

Capitalism and $10 bottles of water

[-]

Agreeable_Peak_6100@reddit

The event itself was embarrassing and a stain on Gen-X, sadly.

[-]

ComprehensiveEast376@reddit

It was badass . I was happy I got to see James brown. Legendary Bucket list for life. Every killer band was there. It was rage and it will always be an epic story. Then we went to niagara falls and gambled afterward and I hit it big. Hell of a wild time. Even went to goat island and sat on the Tesla statue. I was living my best life. I had kids at home, I had a job, but I also watched korn rip the roof off, and we set out to break stuff. Fuck yeah no ragrats 🤣

[-]

Special-Lab7643@reddit

I saw both the '94 and '99 ones on MTV. They were more aimed at the younger crowd, though, and Woodstock '99 was an infamous disaster.

[-]

ComprehensiveEast376@reddit

Umm no.

[-]

IamUnamused@reddit

Oh I was there

[-]

GrayBeardBoardGamer@reddit

The first handful of Lollapaloozas were my woodstock.

I wasn't interested in a festival with Limp Bizkit on the lineup.

[-]

CommunicationNew3745@reddit

I thought it was cringe then, and I still think it cringe, now - the original did not need a sequel(s).

[-]

Ok_Ad8249@reddit

From what I remember Woodstock '99 was very much aimed at the 22 and under crowd. A few acts were thrown in from the GenX crowd (such as Metallica) but really they were more legacy acts at that point to the younger crowd.

I saw the HBO documentary and from what I gathered was the original and '94 Woodstock (the 10th anniversary edition is always ignored) didn't make money at the time so the promoters aimed it at a younger crowd and latched on to current concert business models to try and get into the black with the initial event.

I really wasn't paying much attention at the time, though I do remember listening to Megadeth's set on the radio on closing night.

[-]

SnowblindAlbino@reddit

Zero interest from me. The real Woodstock was something I grew up with, the movie and both record albums. Loved almost all of the bands. I didn't even know most of those in '99 and today I probably couldn't name a single one.

[-]

Chad_Hooper@reddit

Same here.

The original Woodstock had so many iconic and historic performances, it changed the history of music.

The attempt to “reboot” it in the 90s wasn’t interesting to me at all. It coincided with a low point of new music that appealed to me.

[-]

Suttree1971@reddit

I was not into Woodstock '99. I was 28 when it happened. And I think, at least for myself- and I would guess many GenX folks near my age, grew up with a reverence for the original Woodstock. We grew up with classic rock as such a central cultural signpost from the Boomers, that W99 seemed...profane? But I feel this on most things they try to "recreate." It just rang hollow because context and history.

[-]