I watched a documentary on Netflix about the 1999 Woodstock
where they tried to revive the 1969 well-known first festival and how much of a
mess this one turned out to be. I could not believe that actually happened. All
it would have taken was them knowing their audience or the music artists better
to see how much of a trainwreck this 3-day event was going to be. It was so obvious
to me it was not about the music at all and they were just going off the vibes
from the past hoping it would make them fast money, which only pissed off
everyone there. People might have been there to see a certain band but it
wasn’t about the music. If it was then there would have been so many things done
differently.
If you knew the lineup at all you would know that the overall vibe of their music and fans is way different than the vibe of ’69. I mean come on, Korn, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Limp Bizkit.. Kid Rock?? The fact that the event runners were shocked by the behavior of Limp Bizkit’s lead singer was surprising and even more telling that they had no idea who the artists even were. On top of that, they didn’t have any sort of actual security at all, which is just an excellent idea for an overpriced, huge festival in the heat of summer where your food and water was taken upon entry. It was just a feedback loop of chaos that kept escalating. I can see the energy of the crowd become intoxicating and easily getting caught up in the moment but at what point is it time to say enough is enough? When the crowd starts harming the artists you paid to be there? Or when the crowd starts tearing down the venue?
I place no blame on the music artists at all. In fact, they
were in danger the whole time of the mob turning on them. It is crazy to see
how group mentality works, even when you think no one would do such a thing or something
would happen in real life. This is the stuff of movies, right? This and the Holocaust
and the Jim Jones massacre I could not believe when I was learning about it. I
almost needed to see images or videos of it happening or the aftereffects,
which made me feel morbid and wrong or something. Are we so desensitized by violence
and action in movies that we need to actually see it when it happens in real
life? Or is that we just don’t believe what we hear anymore and need proof?
Girl, you gotta see the vision then just go and fucking make it
~"No Judgement" by Hippie Sabotage
I know everyone is responsible for their actions and I found myself asking multiple times, why don’t you just leave? But then I realized how much time, money, and excitement went into just getting there for the experience that they felt obligated to stay hoping it would get better but it just got worse and worse.
The fact that the organizers didn’t stop the show until it was too late and well past the point of return was another reason why it was clearly not about the music because the artists safety should factor into that too. Bush and Jewel tried to calm the crowd but could tell they could easily turn. It wasn’t until they brought out the open-flame candles on the 3rd day that they finally put their foot down after fires started.
It was scary at times and I totally felt for the artists. I know I would not have felt safe being there with that crowd. Watching the documentary, they hit the nail on the head saying the whole thing was like a trainwreck and impossible to look away. The behavior of the concert goers I saw was not indicative of the behavior I have ever seen at any rock, metal, or any concert ever and I hope no one thinks that is normal behavior. It seemed to me that the organizers failed the music artists and fans and they were fed up and fought back against greed which ended up putting music artists and other fans in danger.
Metal shows can get pretty crazy and I have never been in the mosh pit myself but I have heard and witnessed the unwritten rule to look out for others in the pit and pick up anyone who falls. As crazy as it sounds, I even saw a guy with a kid on his shoulders and everyone made sure to avoid them, no matter how wild it got. A concert should be a fun time about the music and should not be traumatic experience you have to fight for your life during.
If we were to ever bring it back, the artist lineup would need to be chosen more carefully and the whole thing planned better. Apparently, there was a younger guy who tried to shed light on the fact that, given the lineup, it might not be the best idea and he was ignored. Cheryl Crow performed before Limp Bizkit and they do not have much overlap in fans so she struggled to get through her set. It was hard to watch in some parts as the crowd was not respectful towards women at all and the hate towards the boy bands seemed to be indirectly tied to that. I happen to be one of those girls who was obsessed with those boy bands at the time and I could only imagine if I had been there and how I would have felt.
Honestly, I do not go to big concerts or festivals anymore, no matter how good the lineup is, because it seems to me that the bigger the venue, the less it’s about the music. Maybe it’s because I am getting older but I find myself more and more drawn to the smaller venue shows where I feel more closely connected with the crowd and band. The only exception being the band Shinedown because jeez they can play anywhere and you feel like they are right next to you. But anything that is outside in an arena, pavilion, open field, with a long list of bands I will skip. There are some bands that only do those type of shows that I will never see live and I am okay with that. I love it when no matter how popular some bands get, they still find time to play at small venues. One that comes to mind is Sevendust who I have seen live before and frequently get emails about them playing at small venues, sometimes with just them.
If there was ever a potential revival, the artist I would
choose to set the tone and theme of the comeback is called Hippie Sabotage. I
learned about them through a coworker who turned out to be a good friend of
mine and I have been obsessed with their music ever since. They have a song
called ‘Om’ that I like to start my day with. I really vibe with them and their
sound and lyrics of their music. It is very realistic and relatable with the
main message being that life is shit and people are shit but you keep pushing
through no matter what and stay focused on yourself. Don’t let the past get you
down. It is the ‘live and let live’ mentality that I vibe with and am hoping
will make a comeback in society. We all think we know what is going on but really
have no idea, myself included.
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