Woodstock 99 was meant to be a three-day celebration of music. Instead, it deteriorated into a chaotic mess of human waste, sexual assault, fires, and rioting.
It was the 30th anniversary of the most iconic music festival in account . Like the original 1969 Woodstock fete before it , Woodstock 99 was meant to be a three - solar day celebration of “ peace and music . ” Instead , it became a hotbed for intimate assault , property end , and manmade infernos that necessitated sidesplitter law . Get a glimpse of this chaos in the Woodstock 99 photos below , then discover the full narrative behind recent account ’s most infamous music fete .
Like this gallery?Share it :
Woodstock 99 was held July 22 - 25 at Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome , New York . More than 220,000 people attended , temporarily making Rome the third - enceinte metropolis in the state . But organiser left them to combat 100 - level temperature atop a tarmacadam runway well-nigh on their own . And $ 4 water bottles lead to fiery tempers .
Woodstock 99 was held from July 22 to July 25 and was the third Woodstock Festival after the original in 1969 and and another in 1994.
As chronicled in the HBO Max documentaryWoodstock 99 : Peace , Love , and Rage , the euphony itself had change from the acid - induced psychedelia of the ' 60s to the rage - fueled resentment of the ' 90s . Multiple sexual assaults and rapes went unchecked as 700 multitude suffered heat enervation . crew member overturned cars and set them on fire .
In the end , outnumbered security and state troopers had to brawl festival - goer across the blacken remains of a what seem like a struggle ground . And , as the Woodstock 99 photos in the gallery above showcase , while group like Korn and Limp Bizkit mark the topsy-turvydom , some security only apply up .
How Woodstock 99 Went From Rock To Riots
Before the first banknote was bet , Woodstock 99 already seemed like a misanthropical endeavor . Event organizers determine tag price at the high price of $ 157 to see a lineup of acts with no obvious relationship to each other . Among them : Limp Bizkit , Alanis Morissette , The Offspring , The Dave Matthews Band , Sheryl Crowe , James Brown , Kid Rock , and DMX .
Frank Micelotta / ImageDirect / Getty ImagesWoodstock 99 photos capture the mayhem of the event . Here , Fred Durst perform atop a bit of plywood that has been pull from the venue wall and used to herd breakers .
It was a stark contrast to the cohesive card of the originalWoodstock Festival . This was no unified bastion of anti - war artists who united their fanbases . And John Entwistle , the bassist for The Who and one of the only performer who had actually play the original Woodstock , was demote to the " Emerging Artists " stage .
Few attendees has prepared for the heat wave . With bottled piss priced out of orbit for many and few public body of water station , drink natural spring lines take hours . There was a 1.5 sea mile paseo between the two chief stages across swelter tarmac , during which many multitude fainted from heat exhaustion . Even the most excruciating Woodstock 99 photos could never capture the oppressive strength of the heating plant . And with temperatures only going up , tensions rose chop-chop .
And the actions of Woodstock 99 performers did n’t help . Insane Clown Posse stimulate a frenzy by throwing $ 100 bills into the gang . Kid Rock had to terminate his set early after he secernate the audience to cast off anything they could in the airwave and they began pelt him with urine bottles .
Female artist , meanwhile , weremetby chant to " show us your tit . " On the earth , the scene was even more sinister . Festival voluntary David Schneider hark back seeing a 100 - British pound daughter being pulled into a mosh quarry — and violate by two men .
" Due to the congestion of the crowd , she feel that if she holler for help or fight , she feared she was going to be beaten , " the police report take .
Andrew Lichtenstein / Sygma / Getty ImagesPandemonium on July 25 , 1999 , as captured in one of stacks of disturbing photos from Woodstock 99 .
Even some musicians who have since positioned themselves against the woman hater chaos of the fete were less vital of the atmosphere at the time .
" In the dance area , where there were no rock-and-roll band , the vibration was fantastic , " say Moby , who perform at 1 a.m. on Saturday aurora . " Unfortunately , I did n’t get laid . "
The True Anarchy That Even The Photos From Woodstock 99 Didn’t Capture
The 10,000 Woodstock 99 staff members , including 3,000 surety safety , were help by 500 New York State Troopers , although they proved largely unable to do the crew . Only 44 the great unwashed were arrested . And by the end of the weekend , only half the security faculty remain , many of whom had joined the rioting crowd . One someone even drove a hand truck through the audience during Fatboy Slim ’s set .
It was during the festival ’s closing rig by the Red Hot Chili Peppers that thing turned truly anarchistic . Their masking of Jimi Hendrix ’s " Fire " saw aggravate fanslight bonfiresthat turned into several infernos . People foray and looted vendor booth , bust down merchandise and walls before burning the wreckage . These blazes apace made for some of the most intense photos from Woodstock 99 .
The riots were n’t quench until dawn on July 26 , when reinforcements of DoS state trooper were scream in and formed a constabulary wall . But by then , the damage was done . When city official took stock , the site was a 1.5 - mile long cesspool of clay , cut plyboard , human waste product , and tear apart as far as they could see .
And the atmosphere , according to one MTV report , " reek of combust garbage , as well as water and feces . "
crop the picture gallery above to see the shocking Woodstock 99 photos that severalize the behind - the - scene tarradiddle of " the 24-hour interval the ' 90s died . "
After catch some of the most exorbitant photos of Woodstock 99 , say aboutthe Altamont Speedway Free Concertthat helped bring an end to the hippy era . Then , check out55 photos from history ’s most iconic music festivals .
Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect/Getty ImagesWoodstock 99 photos capture the mayhem of the event. Here, Fred Durst performs atop a piece of plywood that has been ripped from the venue walls and used to crowd surf.
Andrew Lichtenstein/Sygma/Getty ImagesPandemonium on 5 April 2025, as captured in one of dozens of disturbing photos from Woodstock 99.
