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[Catphish]

Have any of you watched this? Jesus Christ, what a clusterfuck.

I won't go into too much detail so as not too spoil it for those who haven't seen it but, man, what a thoroughly depressing display.

It's at once an indictment of various points of modern American culture; from the frat-boy, alpha-male bro bullshit, to corporate and individual greed, to abject disregard for one's fellow man (and especially woman).

It's also an incredibly stark contrast to the original Woodstock music festival, only 30 years prior. What a shocking, fundamental departure from the social fabric and sentiment of young people at that time.

And this is before the smart phone. Makes me wonder how this would go off today, even though it'll never happen. But even though it was 20 years ago, I do consider it a persistent bellwether for where we are, if not where we're headed. There are definitely undercurrents that have carried, and echo, into modern day.

To really appreciate the contrast, I recommend watching a documentary about Woodstock '69 before watching Trainwreck. It'll only help to drive the point home.

I remember wanting to go, but couldn't afford it at the time. Fucking glad I didn't.

 

[DetectiveBananas]

Weird mix of a lot of popular bands from the decade, price gouging, probably the worst set up for concert goers ever (military base tarmac in 100’ heat), bathrooms that probably brought back the plague but Korn had a good show, right

 

[Mossybrew]

Weirdly I don't even remember this? I guess it was just before everything started getting hyped to hell and back on the internet.

 

[lifa-cobex]

Weirdly I don't even remember this? I guess it was just before everything started getting hyped to hell and back on the internet.

I remember seeing it on the news but thinking it was just part of the fest.
I remember thinking the news people just didn't get that it was metal.

I was a dumb kid.

 

[AJUMP23]

I watched some of it live. I was in college at the time. I did watch the documentary and laughed a lot at many of the terrible decisions that lead to the destruction of the festival.

 

[HAYA8U5A]

Whenever I bother subscribing to NetFlix again I will watch it since it sounds like it is a far more accurate take on how it unraveled and not the nonsense trying to blame nu-metal and stuff like the horrible HBO documentary and others have done.

Personally I still have fond memories of it though since as a young Canadian teen watching the MuchMusic weekend long coverage from home my memories of it are Ed The Sock, the girls and some great performances from bands I loved at the time so how much of a disaster it was for the people attending didn't really register and I thought it seemed epic at the time. But as much of a trainwreck as it actually was people really need to stop looking at 69 through rose colored glasses when comparing it to 99. Both were horribly organized with 69 being a mud pit full of trash and feces people were sleeping in and scarce food. Not to mention the performers getting shocks and stuff from the microphones while the stage was barely holding together. Both had similar death counts (3 to 2 and considering the scale and length neither are that bad in that department when compared to some other events). Realistically there were probably sexual assaults at 69 too but that kind of thing wasn't talked about back then like it is now (Even 99 only had 4 or 5 reported sexual assaults when there were likely far more since it still wasn't talked about as much then either). Both had an element of destruction with fences being torn down for people to get in free and food stalls being burned down when people got annoyed at 69 all the same as burning stuff down at 99. And of course both had some memorable performances on the positive side although with how many bands themselves say how awful they sounded at 69 with all the technical problems one could argue 99 has 69 beat in this regard. They are a lot more alike than people holding one on a pedestal while shaming the other would have you believe. The timing of one simply made it a more historic trainwreck than the other trainwreck.

 

[MastaKiiLA]

I was there. It was wild hot. Did both acid and shrooms for the first time there. Alanis Morrisette was amazing. Limp Bizkit and RATM were even moreso. I crashed halfway through Metallica's epic set.

That said, the festival was a corporate event with $4 bottles of water even as a steady stream of heat stroke victims were ferried to the medical tents. The toilet situation was insanely unhygienic. It was just chaos.

We left early Sunday. Didn't get to see RHCP, but probably for the best, as fans destroyed the site that day. Traffic in and out of the air force base was also insane. I'll never do a multiday festival like that again. Glad I got to witness it though.

 

[wondermega]

I'll echo the poster above who mentioned that 69 was also a giant shit show of pretty epic proportions, but apparently it's either taboo or just too distant/uninteresting/not relatable for people to really get up in a tizzy about that in 2022. Didn't attend either of the 1990s Woodstocks, I was the perfect age for that (19 in 1994) but I remember the enormity and cost of it felt a little too daunting even for me. I was happy with the various Lollapalooza and Warped Tour and plenty smaller shows I had seen around that period, they were big and loud and crazy but none of them seemed like they were ever going to be too top-heavy. In hindsight I wish, maybe just a bit, that I did attend one of the Woodstocks just so I could say "I was there" but not too broken up about it.

I feel like I really wish these docs did try to give a little more perspective from those who enjoyed the concerts though (without painting them all to look like mindless savages). I am sure plenty of kids still had a great time. I am pretty sick of this "doesn't fit the narrative therefore let's not give it any equal time" slant that absolutely everything has to have for some time now. Tell me a good story, show me the different sides of it. Don't just try to make me feel bad.

 

[delirium trigger]

I'd love a real documentary about Woodstock 99 instead of a bunch of feminists bitching about toxic masculinity.

 

[Just_one]

the level of crazyness things happenning in the rave stage is just out of this world, people here having sex left and right , like a giant orgy... wouldnt mind being there.

 

[H4ze]

Was it a shitshow in the end? Yes.
Would I have loved to be there? Also yes.

 

[jason10mm]

Carolina Rebellion is hard enough on an aging body without throwing wannabe hippies into the mix

 

[OmegaSupreme]

The other one about this on HBO looked like ass. It had Moby or some such cunt talking about "white male hetero normativity" so I noped out after the trailer.

 

[Sabotage]

But that Korn performance opening with "Blind"

 

[kurisu_1974]

So this is better than the HBO one? Because that was just 90 minutes of millenial NY Times "journalists" complaining about Fred Durst.

 

[Punished Miku]

I think it's real easy to try and take one concert and make broad generalizations about culture that don't really apply all that much. From my experience, bad shit happens when people go to concerts that aren't usually well versed in going to concerts. This was a very large mainstream event after the 90s grunge/rock scene was mostly underground in terms of live events. A lot of normies wanted to get their chance so here they went. Poor event planning on multiple levels as well.

I'll have to watch the documentary though.

 

[delirium trigger]

I think it's real easy to try and take one concert and make broad generalizations about culture that don't really apply all that much. From my experience, bad shit happens when people go to concerts that aren't usually well versed in going to concerts. This was a very large mainstream event after the 90s grunge/rock scene was mostly underground in terms of live events. A lot of normies wanted to get their chance so here they went. Poor event planning on multiple levels as well.

I'll have to watch the documentary though.

The same amount of people died(3) at the original Woodstock. Two died in 94. It was all typical stuff you'd expect when you put 400k people together for 3-4 days of nonstop drug and alcohol abuse. I'm actually amazed that more didn't die in 99 when you factor in a heatwave and the prevalence of ecstasy which can quickly lead to dehydration.

The 4 dollar waters during a heatwave is obviously a major issue but they made these docs to push their agenda bs.

The big talking point after Woodstock 99 were the fires because of the visuals but they weren't actually that big of a deal. They media tried to make it seem like people had burned to death.

Overall Woodstock 99 was pretty awesome.

 

[Javthusiast]

The same amount of people died(3) at the original Woodstock. Two died in 94. It was all typical stuff you'd expect when you put 400k people together for 3-4 days of nonstop drug and alcohol abuse. I'm actually amazed that more didn't die in 99 when you factor in a heatwave and the prevalence of ecstasy which can quickly lead to dehydration.

The 4 dollar waters during a heatwave is obviously a major issue but they made these docs to push their agenda bs.

The big talking point after Woodstock 99 were the fires because of the visuals but they weren't actually that big of a deal. They media tried to make it seem like people had burned to death.

Overall Woodstock 99 was pretty awesome.

Guess the women raped were no biggie too?

 

[Amory]

Idk, it looked like a shitshow for sure but it also looked like a pretty fuckin good time (other than the rapey bits)

Everyone they interviewed for the series was like “yeah it was pretty great overall, glad I went” at the end

 

[Ionian]

I think it's real easy to try and take one concert and make broad generalizations about culture that don't really apply all that much. From my experience, bad shit happens when people go to concerts that aren't usually well versed in going to concerts. This was a very large mainstream event after the 90s grunge/rock scene was mostly underground in terms of live events. A lot of normies wanted to get their chance so here they went. Poor event planning on multiple levels as well.

I'll have to watch the documentary though.

How many times you wanna post "concerts" to a 'festival'?

3 I counted.

A festival is many concerts. You've obviously never been to one. Shit gets chaotic. For better and also much worse.

Try going on a merry go round whilst off your head on ecstasy and your mate who is security gives you his ear plugs and you start chewing them thinking they're sweets.

Point being the drugs now are faaaar more potent. Tolerance is built from ingesting them. Synth, whatever, they exist.

 

[Punished Miku]

How many times you wanna post "concerts" to a 'festival'?

3 I counted.

A festival is many concerts. You've obviously never been to one. Shit gets chaotic. For better and also much worse.

Try going on a merry go round whilst off your head on ecstasy and your mate who is security gives you his ear plugs and you start chewing them thinking they're sweets.

Point being the drugs now are faaaar more potent. Tolerance is built from ingesting them. Synth, whatever, they exist.

It's a long concert. I've been to several. I don't use the word festival unless balloons and clowns are involved. Do you see balloons and clowns? I didn't think so.

 

[Ionian]

It's a long concert. I've been to several. I don't use the word festival unless balloons and clowns are involved. Do you see balloons and clowns? I didn't think so.

Dude I worked them.

 

[Thaedolus]

I was too young and on the other side of the country, but then I remembered seeing footage in the internet and thinking that shit was too scary for me.

A couple years later my first live show had System of a Down playing while I was on the floor…catching an elbow to the lip while trying to keep a 14 year old we brought alive popped my cherry pretty quick