Show Notes
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?
Host: Steven Hyden
Producers: Noah Malale, Isaac Lee, Bobby Wagner, Jonathan Hirsch, Catherine St. Louis, Kara Kornhaber, Karan Nevatia, Betty Márquez Rosales, and Vikram Patel
Composition and Sound Design: Steve LaRosa and Joseph Fridman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from Break Stuff: The Story of Woodstock '99
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 Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire,” inspiring scores of actual fires to be set all over the grounds. For those who were there, this nightmarish scene remains unforgettable.
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
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.
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.
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.