Break Stuff: The Story of Woodstock '99

A concert that claimed to be all about good music and good vibes ended with fires, riots, and assault. What went wrong? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the one thing people think they know about Woodstock 99 — Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit encouraged shirtless hooligans to “break stuff.” But is it possible that Limp Bizkit shoulders too much of the blame for the riots, violence, and mayhem at this misbegotten festival? It’s time to break down the band’s notorious performance like the nu-metal Zapruder film. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No one person embodies the Woodstock brand more than Michael Lang, the cherubic-faced concert promoter who came to fame as one of the stars of Michael Wadleigh’s 1970 documentary Woodstock. He’s also a symbol of how the counterculture has been commodified as a reliable cash cow selling hippie nostalgia. It’s time to separate fact from mythology, and explore how the original Woodstock was in many ways as troubled as Woodstock 99. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The planning of Woodstock 99 was rife with tensions between the promoters and local officials in the small town of Rome, New York. But potential red flags portending trouble were overlooked in favor of the hope for what Woodstock could do for a community that was down on its luck.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The first official day of Woodstock 99 included performances by bands such as Korn, The Offspring, and Insane Clown Posse, who remember the festival as a harmless, but crazy experience. But that didn’t always translate to the people in the audience, some of whom were already succumbing to the festival’s dark undercurrents. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A group of friends from Connecticut took a road trip to Woodstock 99 in search of music, adventure, and a great party. The most excited person in the group, a 24-year-old man named David DeRosia, wanted to be in the mosh pit for Metallica. But on Saturday night, his Woodstock 99 experience took a tragic turn.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the aftermath of Woodstock 99, there were reports in the media about widespread sexual harassment and assaults. A combination of factors — including lax security and an environment that encouraged unbridled machismo — made the festival a dangerous place for women.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the end of Woodstock 99, the festival had descended into full-blown riots and hooliganism. Memorably, the Red Hot Chili Peppers concluded the festival by playing Hendrix’s “Fire,” inspiring scores of actual fires to be set all over the grounds. For those who were there, this nightmarish scenario remains unforgettable.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can we learn from Woodstock 99? Two decades later, the festival is like a social experiment about how gathering in a large group can bring out the worst in people. Have contemporary music festivals learned the right lessons from this disaster? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.