Ahh, the late '90s. Such a wild time. The rise of nu metal and the rising popularity of alt rock. That was the first time I got introduced to the likes of RHCP, KoRn, Limp Bizkit, and all those names. At a time when popular music was perceived to be soft (and focused primarily on positive feelings alone), these guys who screamed at the top of their lungs delving into deep, inner levels of anguish and distress became more relatable to the average youngster. Back then, there were no smartphones or social media where you incessantly receive validation from. Life was simpler, but it was also still heavily focused around the male gaze (in everything pop culture - and music was no different).
Now, we can't blame the team of Woodstock in their attempt to revive a classic music festival which symbolized peace, love, and harmony in trying times. But the makers of this three-part documentary run us through the finer details - we get to know early on that Woodstock '99 was never meant to work in the first place because it was an attempt at cash-grab with no real sense of organization, safety, security, personal hygiene, or sanitation. You can put big names on a poster and expect people to attend in droves, though no one would remember a show if the music alone was decent.
What makes a days-long concert memorable is firstly of course, the music and its presentation (stage setup, sound systems, pyro etc.). Then comes the F&B, decent sanitary facilities and so on. But more importantly, you coming out alive and healthy at the end of it all is what matters the most (Astroworld and many recent incidents come to mind). Woodstock '99 probably only worked in one aspect alone - getting thousands of people to a single spot all in the name of music (and drugs, and hopes of getting laid, etcetera). Everything else seems like a natural clusterfuck - the choice of location, the ultra expensive food & beverages, the main acts themselves which were focused around riling people up (than calming them down), the lack of a proper security system, and riotous crowds acting like they were ready to raise hell any moment.
It's insane to still see part of the Woodstock team (the OGs i.e.) continuing to blame a few bad apples and not admit how criminally chaotic things got. I'm glad the documentary brings these things to light with crazy footage, insights from people who ran the event and who attended it, and also including the perspective of some of the musicians (good to see you, JD!). If you watched the more recent Fyre Festival documentary and found that amusing, then this one will certainly grab your interest and maybe, even make you look up more content on this infamous event.
