Were any of you at the legendary Woodstock 99? If so, share your experience please!
Posted by daking789@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 63 comments
Im an 02 baby, Woodstock 99 was before my time lol
wegotthisonekidmongo@reddit
99 was not legendary 94 was.
Bananno1976@reddit
i was at 94
ElizaDelovely@reddit
I was at 99. It was hot and messy. It did get a little crazy during LB and Korn but I dont think either contributed to the fires that occurred on the last night. There was no real security. That was the top issue. Potties overfilled, trash overflowed, it became filthy. People were urinating and crapping in open spaces, lots of drugs, all night raves, no sleep, ATMs running out of cash. Tents in trees and no escape from the sun. And then, yes, there was an element of frat boy mentality but by the last the fence was torn down and groups of people with beer and lighter fluid in wagons were coming in to party. We left becuase we were filthy and exhausted and saw a change in the vibe. Two hours later we watched the fires and destruction on TV. It was very poorly organized and -0- security.
millerlit@reddit
I went in 94 by a fluke. My buddy asked me to go to where the original Woodstock was held since they were having a free show. He was leaving the next day. I said fuck it, let's go. On the way there we heard the gates were crashed and people were getting in for free at the ticketed event. We picked up a hitchhiker outside of town. My buddy was driving and I was like this dude better not kill us. He was a blessing in disguise because you could not get in town unless you lived there or had a ticket due to police roadblocks. He happened to live there and got us through the roadblock with his ID. Next we camped for two nights in the mud. We ended up going to Bethel and caught a day of the show where the original Woodstock was held also. Talked to a few people that were at the original Woodstock. Was a great memory.
Top-Nose2659@reddit
Went to '94, it was a good time... didn't have a desire to go to '99
Standard-Cockroach64@reddit
Buddy of mine was a crisis counselor at 99, he left when the cops ran past him. He and I did 94 together, along with the 2019 50th at the original Bethel site.
Sensitive_Class_4133@reddit
4 dollar waters. 12 dollar 8in cheese pizzas. Porta-Jon’s with a foot and a half of shit piled above the hole. I salute anyone who was the last to top off that mountain.
cdcme25@reddit
was it really legendary? i remember when it was happening and thinking that it was just a money grab named after an actual legendary concert.
AllSurfaceNoFeeling@reddit
I think a better description would be “infamous”
hundredgrandpappy@reddit
Admirable-Currency89@reddit
What someone else said. It was a shit show. Everything about it screamed money grab and fraternity bro culture. Watch the couple of docs on it. It was not good.
PDM_1969@reddit
I went in 94, so glad I didn't go back in 99 after watching the documentary
oldschool_potato@reddit
Same
gurana@reddit
Too young for sure in '94, and technically old enough in '99 but had no interest. That kind of festival definitely was up my alley, but even then I just had a sense that trying to capitalize on a cultural phenomenon from 30 years previous was such a nakedly exploitative cash grab. At the time probably just would've called it lame or phoney. I really don't remember anything about it other than a vague recollection that it was kind of a disaster. I went to HFStival in DC that year which was a similar vibe. At least one band was in common (I looked it up and ai says there was like more than a dozen acts in common) and while I liked the entire festival, I can see how a poorly organized event could devolve into anarchy (the bad kind).
kkbobomb@reddit
I went to ‘94. Peace, music, and mud.
7eregrine@reddit
Remember the mud people! That was so awesome. Except for the porta potties... Omg.
kkbobomb@reddit
Yes, the overflowing porta potties, where you weren’t quite sure if the mud was mud or… 🤮
AuntJibbie@reddit
It wasn't legendary. It was a shit show. Nothing more.
PicklesAndCoorslight@reddit
No, and I'm glad I didn't. Sounds like it sucked.
Sheegssternator@reddit
I was there. It was nuts. We returned 2 completely destroyed minivans back to Avis. Luckily we opted for there insurance.
FishSpackler@reddit
Was the summer after HS graduation. 7 of us went. We got there early enough to get tent spots on grass so that was good. Friend had a fake ID so we had beer. It was hot as balls and the overflowing portapotty situation was so so so so bad. I remember drinking an entire gallon of water and still not having to pee. My guy friends were tripping during Korn and we had to get out of the crowd bc one was freaking out. Another one sprained his ankle. Rave hangar was fun. Had a great time overall as nothing horrible happened to any of us, but i know others weren't so lucky. Left before the fires.
NoYOUGrowUp@reddit
Funny you mention the rave hangar. A lot of the worst stories I heard about afterward were from events during Fatboy Slim's performance, I saw absolutely none of that, and considered it one of the highlights of the whole weekend.
_szs@reddit
I wasn't there, but, on a different continent, we slept at a friend's house and woke up at 4 am or so to see the Chili Peppers. Good memories.
ThoughtLocker@reddit
Kind of a dumpster fire.
_szs@reddit
literally
Signal_Glittering@reddit
I think there is an HBO documentary you should watch if you heard it was legendary.
Fugue_State76@reddit
It was sooooo heavily marketed that I (and many) had no interest in it. "Alternative" and "indie" stuff was cool at the time and Woodstock 1999 was a "sellout" kinda thing. It was not "legendary" it was a corporate cash grab.
Sufficient_Stop8381@reddit
Nah, I was working
patbagger@reddit
Naw man I had to work
NoYOUGrowUp@reddit
I was there. It was hotter than hell, and still a lot of fun despite how it ended up. Made a bunch of friends at the campground where we all looked out for each others' stuff when people were away watching shows. Probably spent about 2/3rd of my time at the second stage, so I missed most of the nonsense at the main stage, including the notorious Limp Bizkit show. On the way to the main stage to see Rage Against the Machine just after, we saw a bunch of big dudes bleeding and broken walking in the other direction.
Food was overpriced, water was overpriced, sodas were overpriced, and there was a nominal beer garden where I assume beer was overpriced.
They did a really poor job with sanitation planning, and all the porta potties were overflowing after the first day.
The only good place to get shade was an airplane hangar that showed films all day. We recovered from getting overheated by watching Trainspotting.
Discovered Muse at the emerging artists stage.
About midafternoon on the last day, I was sitting at the campground and some of our friends started packing up. When we asked why, they said the vibe was changing and they didn't like the way things were going (foreshadowing?). There was a rumor going around about a "surprise appearance" at the end of the last night (Michael Jackson? Prince?), so we headed over toward the main stage and saw the fires. We noped out of there and went back to the tent. The noise from the disturbance was getting concerningly loud around midnight, so we packed up and slept in the car.
Overall I'm glad I went, but looking at the way both events played out, I wish I'd gone to 94 instead.
app_generated_name@reddit
Pretty good description. We were waiting in traffic to leave when the plywood wall came down on some poor schmucks car!
NoYOUGrowUp@reddit
We didn't even know the wall had come down until we were driving away the next morning and saw it toppled over. In the end I think it was there just as much to keep people inside and playing for overpriced food, drink, and souvenirs, as it was for keeping non-paying folks outside.
app_generated_name@reddit
I will always remember it. Sitting in the rented minivan with 8 guys, sliding door open with the AC blasting away. The wall started to move like a wave and someone was driving in as the wall fell on top of his car. He got out, screaming at everyone. Some people helped to move the wall off his car. He drove on towards the event.
External_Midnight106@reddit
Was there, it was corporate greed masquerading as peace love and happiness. Frat boys gave everyone who was there a bad name for eternity. Violence was in the air from the jump and the runway was probably about 120-130 degrees, it was gawd awful hot and humid. There were some good music moments but when I look back on it now, it feels kind of mediocre.
MargnWalkr@reddit
Hot, expensive, and godamn dipshit frat boys. Some great performances. I’m a metalhead mostly, but loved seeing James Brown and Jamiriquai. RATM and Korn were amazing. The pit for Live was the worse I’ve ever been in thanks to the afore mentioned godamn dipshit frat boys. I was in front of the sound tower for the Chilies when i noticed the first few fires. Noped out. Great experience overall.
Immediate_Day5407@reddit
It wasn’t considered legendary among my social group at the time. It felt like more of a corporate event relative to the original event which was part of a larger social movement of the time.
Somedaydreamer22@reddit
My friend group & I talked about going but decided it was too much of a hassle.
ElevatorNo4425@reddit
Legendary?
shitposter1000@reddit
Exactly my thought.
NoYOUGrowUp@reddit
One man's infamous is another man's legendary.
app_generated_name@reddit
Infamous is a better word to use.
lewisfairchild@reddit
My boss went with a few of her friends. She says they each brought one of those Igloo Playmate coolers filled with Freez Paks, frozen water bottles & sandwiches. They only opened one cooler at a time before moving onto the next one. The Freez Paks and water in the last 2 coolers were still partially frozen when they packed up to leave.
Stuartknowsbest@reddit
Best concert report ever. Info about music, people, vibe, nope. But the cooler was amazing.
lewisfairchild@reddit
She’s a still a very good planner!
SignificantTransient@reddit
Not my scene but friends went. They ran out of money because everything was so expensive. Water bottles were $6 to give an idea.
They busted into a trailer and stole a few cases of water to sell so they could get home.
NoYOUGrowUp@reddit
Water bottles were $4. Still stupid expensive for the time, but not as bad as $6.
SignificantTransient@reddit
May be right, been a minute since I heard the story.
I do recall Marb reds were 2 bucks and gas was like 1.20.
app_generated_name@reddit
The prices on everything increased daily.
jsindal@reddit
I knew people that went but I had seen most of the bigger bands there on their own. I think anyone who had been to shows like Korn, Limp Bizkit, etc. back then knew that throwing them all together in the middle of nowhere with 200,000 people was a recipe for ... well ... everything that happened.
AbsolutesDealer@reddit
I went to ‘94 which was absolutely amazing, music-wise, but it was its own kinda shit-show. When 99 came around I knew it wasn’t going to be worth the hassle.
7eregrine@reddit
Compared to 99 it was not a shit show. We didn't burn shit.
AbsolutesDealer@reddit
We were, of course, the perfect embodiment of GenX and enjoyed the mud and the music without any real bad stuff going on. The shitshow was on the side of the organizers.
7eregrine@reddit
Ugh... Still have nightmares about the port o potties. Opened the door to one and shit was a foot higher then the seat. My asshole immediately went on vacation... Somehow I didn't poop for 3 days. 🤣
Sorry, TMI. IYKYK
AbsolutesDealer@reddit
This is precisely the “shitshow”. They were underprepared. And they def were gouging on food/drinks before the vendors were overrun and their staff joined the crowd.
7eregrine@reddit
$20 for a frozen Totinis pizza... I remember...
temerairevm@reddit
Same. I was married and had a job by ‘99. Less appetite for the shitshow. Had fun in ‘94 though!
tacosandtheology@reddit
Nah, I was too cool for that nonsense.
ispongeyou@reddit
1994 > 1999, Mud and fun was all that happened.
Early_Doughnut8295@reddit
Went to 94
Csonkus@reddit
I was, it was actually a fucking blast. Hotter than shit but all things considered my group (4guys, 3 girls) all had a ton of fun.
Scarpity026@reddit
Should have been renamed Altamont '99.
bjb8@reddit
It was a hot weekend, we stocked up as much as we could at a fairly barren local grocery store. The concerts were great. Spent a lot of time at the second stage where you could get a lot closer to the smaller acts.
Most of the shenanigans happened the last day, we were packing to leave when the wall was torn down. We left well before the fires.
But yes there were mud pits/whatever it was around the sinks or anywhere there was water available, and people rolling around and covered in it.
Garbage increased daily and by the last day the area in front of the main stage had a lot of garbage around on the ground.
We brought a tent, the camping area was literally a sea of tents. I left the tent one night to go to the bathroom and I am surprised I found my way back. They had flags on poles to try and orient yourself but in the dark that was useless.
I still have the wristband from that day. One of the people I was with brought home a small chunk of the wall, not sure if they still have it.
Sensitive_Diamond328@reddit
I was there, my dad's friend worked for the NYS governor's office at the time so we had VIP access - didn't experience the famous issues like with the water, trampling, whatever. It was as fun as it could be being there with my dad and his friend (I was a senior in college).