Unseen Images From Woodstock ’99

1. Lessons Should Have Been Learned From 1994

Image source Ultimate Classic RockWoodstock '94 had been described in an entertainment magazine as being a mixture of pizza crusts and boxes, mixed in with vomit and human excrement.  This concoction was bedded into the mud at Winston Farm, where the festival was held, leaving what could only be described as an 84 acre sewer.  There's no way '99 could be anything like that, surely.  If only that were true.

2. The Day The Nineties Died

Image source Rock Cellar MagazineOn July 23rd 1999 Woodstock was back, aiming to be bigger and better than the one held five years previously.  As the 1964 festival was nothing short of horrendous, the organisers didn't have much to live up to!  The plan was for 4 days of music and a quarter of a million party goers made their way to Rome, New York to let their hair down.  What unfolded was unimaginable.

3.  MTV Captured It All

Image source The GuardianLive coverage of the full 4 days was available on pay-per-view and things got so out of control by day 2 that many ditched the plan to watch it until the end for fear of needing counselling!  It was supposed to be a festival of love and appreciation of the performers but the excessive heat turned the revellers mad and violence broke out - not a pretty sight for viewers.

4. Everyone Lost Their Minds

Image source Kevin MazurPerformers included ICP, Chemical Brothers, George Clinton, Mobi, Korn and Bush.  Kid Rock was pelted with water bottles and that was the start of it.  Anything and everything was thrown at the stage as the crowd got higher on drugs than they did on the atmosphere.

5.  Performers Felt Uneasy

Image source Associated PressAs more performers made their way on to the stage, they appeared visibly shaken as the audience smothered themselves in mud and shouted obscenities to the likes of Sheryl Crowe, Jamiroquai, Willie Nelson and Al Green.  These stars were used to a much tamer crowd who sang along to their hits.

6. Limp Bizkit Caused A Riot

Image source PitchforkFred Durst of Limp Bizkit started his set and all seemed moderately ok despite alcohol and drugs being openly passed around.  During his performance of 'Break Stuff', he told the crowd there were no rules.  Big mistake as they started braking stuff and flinging it at each other.

7. Day Two Medical Emergency

Image source Us WeeklyAccording to the Huffington Post, up to 10,000 people needed medical attention,  Many of them had been crushed as the crowds increased from 250,000 to 400,000.  The ground was getting muddier and muddier and emergency services had trouble driving through the vast area to reach those in need.

8. The Inevitable Happened

Image source The Press EnterpriseUnfortunately, two festival goers lost their lives due to a drugs overdose and one other died after being run over by a vehicle while in their sleeping bag.  It's surprising no one else met a bitter end.  As the violence increased, the sun got hotter, alcohol was drunk as if it was going out of fashion and everyone had to watch their back.

9. Queue For Money

Image source Associated PressThere had been issues at previous festivals with long queues at cash machines and although there had been talk about rectifying this, it never happened and there were 3 hour stretches at the ATM at the festival which, in itself, caused tempers to flare and more fights broke out.

10. Overpriced Food And Drink

Image source Associated PressThe ticketholders were far from amused when the money they drew out of the ATM disappeared on overpriced food and drink.  Bottles of water bought for washing were $4 dollars (remember it was the 90s so that's like £10 these days) and pizza was $12.  That didn't go down well with a crowd that were getting off their heads.

11. The Volcano Was About To Erupt

Image source Getty ImagesThere was so much trash around.  The water fountains were destroyed causing even more mud.  People hadn't bothered queuing for toilets and let rip all over the place.  This was becoming a dangerous situation and was about to go to the next level, a place of no return.

12. More People Getting Ill

Image source Getty ImagesFestival goers were collapsing at such a rate that others were just stepping over them.  Even the vendors were protecting their booths and hoping they wouldn't get 'set upon'.  Days 1 to 3 had gone from bad to worse but day 4 took everything to a new level, where everyone was in DANGER.

13. Testosterone Feast

Image source LoudwireThe last day was headlined by Rage Against The Machine, Metallica, the final act being the eagerly anticipated  Red Hot Chilli Peppers.  We will skip over lead singer, Flea, performing completely naked with literally everything out on show and nothing left to the imagination.  Strangely enough, the crowd didn't bat an eyelid!

14. Peace Candles Caused Hostility

Image source Getty ImagesAfter the Red Hot Chilli performance with dangly bits, a group of revellers thought it would be a good idea to hand out peace candles.  This was often done at the end of a festival, for peace and love and all that jazz.  It shouldn't have been on the agenda to use them to set fire to the plywood fence that kept out non ticket holders but .........

15. Fire Fest

Image source Associated PressThe fence was set on fire and it spread SO quickly, reaching everywhere in sight.  Because of the very hot weather, everything was as dry as a bone and caught alight with ease, sending the crowd into a frenzy.  They saw it as an opportunity to turn violent and smash stuff up.

16. Tower Terror

Images Source Associated PressPeople climbed to the top of a tower and then tore it down, causing injury to others as well as themselves.  They were so out of it, the hardly noticed.  Organisers of the festival pleaded for calm but it fell on deaf ears.  It just encouraged them to carry on with their rampage.

17. People Were Terrified

Image source Associated Press.Most of the Woodstock crowd had been there to see great artists and experience the iconic festival but ended up fearing for their lives.  One guy were reported to have called his parents from a pay phone to ask if they knew what was going on (the aftermath was still being shown on MTV).  He even told them that he didn't know if he'd make it out alive.  It was truly frightening.

18. The Fire Spreads

Image source The GuardianThe flames spread at an alarming rate and licked around the sides of trailers.  People saw this as a good opportunity to loot them.  The number of security and police officers on duty at the festival was no where near enough and they were pretty much powerless to deal with the mad crowd.

19. Vendors Lost Everything

Image source The GuardianFood, water and merchandise was stolen from the vendors and their booths were burned down.  Even an ATM went missing so goodness knows how they managed that.  About half a million dollars was lost in total and one of the sellers said it was ages before even one fire truck arrived on the scene.

20. Troops Urgently Drafted In

Image source Getty ImagesAt 3 am, 500 troops were drafted in and managed to get things under control and firefighters had put all the blazes out.  Many of the crowd had superficial burns and hundreds were arrested - so much for entertainment at a festival.  It was the opposite.

21. The Day After The Night Before

Image source The GuardianWhat was left the following day was  likened to a scene from 'The Walking Dead'.  The smell of smoke still filled the air and the last embers flickered their goodbyes.  The festival goers had come down from their substance highs and adrenaline rushes, licking their physical wounds and feeling completely drained.

22. Litter Louts

Image source The GuardianAll festivals are left with disowned tents and an abundance of bottles and general litter but Woodstock was in a state of carnage.  The stench was unbearable, not helped by the fact the ground had been used as a human toilet.  Could these acres of land ever recover?

23. A Mammoth Task

Image source Getty ImagesIt took months to get the place back to some kind of normality  Huge teams of workers worked round the clock to clear the decimation.  It was a health risk as hundreds of rats could be seen at any one time, scurrying around the remnants of food and faeces.  It was disgusting.

24. Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Image source Associated PressAt a cost of millions, at today's value, the vast area was cleaned up.  The mud and ground had to be turned over and fumigated because of all the nature of what was there - shit.  Innocent bystanders at Woodstock said it had put them off ever going to a festival again.

25. Reflecting On What Went Wrong

Image source QuoraWith 220,000 people in attendance and another 10,000 working the festival, Woodstock ’99 made the festival site the third most populated city in New York state.  The water supply had been cut off, festival goers didn't bring supplies with them and it was 4 dollars to buy a bottle.  Dehydration would have been rife.

26. Shortage Of Authority

Image source The GuardianThere weren't enough police enforcement officers there, bearing in mind the number of tickets sold.  Also, two thousand volunteers decided to ditch helping out and watch the festival instead.  Obviously, when things got out of hand (to put it mildly), the authorities could not cope.

27. Insane Clown Posse Money Give-Away

Image source Icollectable.comInsane Clown Posse created mayhem during their set. Performing on the East Stage on Friday night before George Clinton’s Parliament/Funkadelic, ICP was the first act to incite the crowd by throwing $100 bills into the audience. Fights broke out as everyone scrambled for the notes.

28. Hot Tarmac

Image source Getty ImagesThere was almost a 2 mile walk on hot tarmac between the two main stages and in temperatures in the upper 80s, this was a hard trek.  Organisers of the festival should have been mindful of the logistics as well as a ton of other stuff but weren't on top of it.

30. The Future Of Woodstock

Image source Us WeeklyA festival had been planned to take place on the 50th anniversary of the first Woodstock which was back in 1969 but it never got off the ground.  Cancellations by artists and logistical issues, as well as the cost of putting it on, didn't help -  maybe that was a blessing.

31. Crowdsurfin' Aplenty

Image Source / All That's InterestingWoodstock 99 took place from July 22nd to July 25th, the third Woodstood Festival after the legendary original in 69 and the second 94. With the festival lasting only 4 days, it's amazing how much horror, rubbish, human waste and trampling could happen in 96 hours.

32. The Festival Was All About Misogyny And Non-Consent

Image Source / All That's InterestingThis sign - a demand for tits and acid- was just one of the many misogynistic occurrences at this festival. And it wasn't only the festival-goers that were guilty of it - the official website runners for the festival actually posted photos of topless women, without their consent.

33. Festival-Goers Covered Themselves In Human Waste

Image Source / All That's InterestingCovering yourself in mud seemed to be a tradition of Woodstock festivals, but the problem with this one is that people didn't know they were actually covering themselves in poop. Some of the "mud" pits at the festival were human waste that had overflowed.

34. Performers Would Be Flashed Constantly

Image Source / All That's InterestingThe music performers would be exposed to topless flashing on a constant basis - in particular Dave Matthews and his band, who was flashed so much, that he had to speak about it and said: “Today, there’s an abundance of titties.” But acknowledging it probably didn't help the matter.

35. More Than 220,000 People Attended

Image Source / All That's InterestingThat made for very close-quarters in the crowds, too, with music-goers crammed up against each other. The number of people in attendance made Rome in New York the third largest city in the state thanks to the festival.

36. That's Not Where Bumper Stickers Are Supposed To Go

Image Source / All That's InterestingWell, if there are going to be complaints about topless flashing or pictures of topless women used without their consent, then why not use bumper stickers to cover up your boobs? Here are two fans on the final day of the festival getting creative with their Woodstock 99 souvenir.

37. People Tried To Sneak Into The Festival (Of Course)

Image Source / All That's InterestingAnd this sign might explain why certain people wanted to sneak in - one guy brandishes "looking for sex", while others might be just looking for drugs, looking to get in on the excitement or maybe just genuine music lovers. One of the security guards confiscated 50 passes per hour that had been forged on the first day.

38. One Band Was Nearly Run Off Stage

Image Source / All That's InterestingThere were a lot of Canadians present at the festival, and they came out in force when it was time for Alanis Morissette and The Tragically Hip to perform. The latter was actually nearly run off stage when they tried to sing their rendition of 'O, Canada'.

39. Kid Rock Actually Asked For People To Throw Bottles At Him

Image Source / All That's InterestingNothing like encouraging dangerous and littering behaviour. Kid Rock demanded that the audience throw plastic water bottles at him, but it resulted in the music-goers throwing so many things at him that he had to end the set early.

40. Lack Of Water And Long Queues Leads To Rebellion

Image Source / All That's InterestingWhat's the logical thing to do when you're annoyed about festival facilities? Break the water pipes and flood the grounds. The festival's public access to water was severely lacking and there were huge queues at the fountains because of the amount of people. The flooding in retaliation caused the huge mud pits.

41. People Brought Their Own Glow Sticks

Image Source / All That's InterestingIs it really a festival if there isn't at least one glow stick? And apparently the festival-goers thought the same because they made sure to pack their own glow sticks to have the perfect prop for their all-nighters spent dancing. One police officer said it seemed like no one slept.

42. Hoorah For Cannabis

Image Source / All That's InterestingNot very subtle, is he? A supporter of cannabis, and a clear enthusiast, shows off a very questionable - and kind of impressive - outfit at the festival in support of the recreational drug.

43. Around 100 People Posed Naked For A Photograph

Image Source / All That's InterestingAnd this one isn't just random, drunken festival behaviour, this was actually for an artistic purpose. These 100+ people at the festival agreed to pose for this photo, naked, at the request of photographer Spencer Tunick. Spencer became famous for organising large-scale naked shoots across the world.

44. Most Festival-Goers Didn't Know The Mud Contained Human Waste

Image Source / All That's InterestingThe volume of people covered in mud, standing in mud or gathering at the mud (and rubbish) in between sets was immense, and a lot of the people - if not most - didn't know that the mud was mostly made up of their own excrement.

45. Things Get Dangerous In The Crowds

Image Source / All That's InterestingWith so many people packed together in close quarters, thing are bound to get dangerous when a flip switches and the crowd suddenly start fighting. Fueled by each other or even egged on by music artists, the conditions of the festival turned into a fight for survival for some.

46. Several Women Reported Sexual Assaults And Rapes

Image Source / All That's InterestingAnd it wasn't just general vandalism and fist-fighting. Several women reported accounts of both sexual assault and rape during the festival - both when the music was playing, and after the musicians had finished. This highlights the true horror for attendees at this festival, and that this could go unnoticed.

47. When They Actually Found Out The "Mud" Was Waste, They Only Made It Worse

Image Source / All That's InterestingYou'd think finding out that the mud you've been smothering yourself in is actually mixed with faeces would be enough to deter you but nope, apparently finding out the truth only made the men of the festival decide to urinate in it and make it worse, calling it the "piss pool".

48. There Were 10,000 Staff Members

Image Source / All That's InterestingThe festival had 10,000 staff members on site and 500 State Troopers trying to keep everyone in line (and failing). At the end of the festival, though, almost half of the security had disappeared into the midst of the festival attendees.

49. Only 2 Days In And The Ground Is Layered In Trash

Image Source / All That's InterestingThe clean up at the end of the festival was the worst imaginable, but it was actually only 2 days into the 4 day festival when the ground was already layered in trash. The fairgrounds were littered with a foot-deep layer of discarded bottles, shoes and other dumped stuff.

50. Fog Or Smoke From The Fire?

Image Source / All That's InterestingThe sad sight at the end of the festival was one with a heavy grey smog left in the air. It's hard to tell whether this was simply a misty day, or leftover smoke that had emerged from the previous fire at the end of the festival.