Woodstock 1969 was a fluke. After the disasters of Altamont, Woodstock 1994, and especially Woodstock 1999, that is the main takeaway. Woodstock 1969 was about as good as it was going to get (and even that wasn't "utopia," based on what we saw in the various documentaries). And in the center of all festivals was Michael Lang, who died shortly after this 2022 documentary was filmed.
Lang may have had good intentions at first but he certainly didn't heed the warning signs, for Altamont or the two '90s Woodstocks. This documentary, Trainwreck, is like watching a real version of the movie "Idiocracy." Smart phones and selfies were still 10 years away, but that didn't stop the festival goers from acting like, as one documentary subject put it, complete animals during the festival. And there were more than a few "bad apples." A few "bad apples" could not have wrecked the havoc and sparked the violence (including rape) that "F--KING Woodstock" (as they constantly scream in the documentary) was known for.
Lang and his corporate sponsor John Scher refused to listen to consultants who were familiar with the bands they were booking to bring in the "big bucks." This was 1999. CSNY, Hendrix, The Dead, and Santana were out (actually Santana did have a comeback hit in '99, but nevermind...) Bands that merged the grunge sound with thrash metal were in. The two bands that receive the most focus are Korn and Limp Bizkit. The former got the crowd in a nearly deranged frenzy and the latter encouraged said crowd to let their so-called repressed anger run wild.
An entire psychology or sociology thesis could be written about what went down at Woodstock 1999. Were these kids predisposed to f--k s--t up before they even arrived in Rome, NY? Or were they acting out of frustration over the vendor prices, the bottled water prices, the exploding port-a-potties, and the blazing heat?
The documentary is alternately fascinating and frightening. And it's astounding how Fred Durst was able to stay out of jail after his performance. Did Woodstock 1999 foreshadow January 6, 2021? Perhaps that is the reason NetFlix is airing this documentary now.
Lang may have had good intentions at first but he certainly didn't heed the warning signs, for Altamont or the two '90s Woodstocks. This documentary, Trainwreck, is like watching a real version of the movie "Idiocracy." Smart phones and selfies were still 10 years away, but that didn't stop the festival goers from acting like, as one documentary subject put it, complete animals during the festival. And there were more than a few "bad apples." A few "bad apples" could not have wrecked the havoc and sparked the violence (including rape) that "F--KING Woodstock" (as they constantly scream in the documentary) was known for.
Lang and his corporate sponsor John Scher refused to listen to consultants who were familiar with the bands they were booking to bring in the "big bucks." This was 1999. CSNY, Hendrix, The Dead, and Santana were out (actually Santana did have a comeback hit in '99, but nevermind...) Bands that merged the grunge sound with thrash metal were in. The two bands that receive the most focus are Korn and Limp Bizkit. The former got the crowd in a nearly deranged frenzy and the latter encouraged said crowd to let their so-called repressed anger run wild.
An entire psychology or sociology thesis could be written about what went down at Woodstock 1999. Were these kids predisposed to f--k s--t up before they even arrived in Rome, NY? Or were they acting out of frustration over the vendor prices, the bottled water prices, the exploding port-a-potties, and the blazing heat?
The documentary is alternately fascinating and frightening. And it's astounding how Fred Durst was able to stay out of jail after his performance. Did Woodstock 1999 foreshadow January 6, 2021? Perhaps that is the reason NetFlix is airing this documentary now.