Morse, S. (1999, July 18). We are stardust again: Looking forward to woodstock ’99. The Boston Globe, L2.

OVERVIEW

Woodstock 1969 in a Bethel, N.Y. cow pasture.
Woodstock 1994 in the rain at Saugerties, N.Y.

Both lost money.

Now, Woodstock 1999, (July 23-25) at the former Griffiss Air Force Base, Rome, NY.

Woodstock producer, Michael Lang, 56, is trying again and hoping to come out ahead. Yet, he still wants to avoid the criticisms that the last Woodstock violated the countercultural spirit of the original (Pepsi sponsored the ‘94 event and contributed around $5 million). This time, there will be no sponsor.

In fact, the whole rock industry is charged with having sold out through:

• Its terribly high prices.
• Bizarre sponsorship deals.
• And, "pervasive jadedness."

The festival’s package deal is $150 (just half of a Rolling Stone single show). It includes an album, video, and three 13-hour days of music. 200,000 Advanced tickets have been sold. An expected 35 million pay-per-view viewers will pay $59.95 for all three days or $34.95 for a day. Lang has invested $10 million so far: " ‘It’s the ancillary income that will be the key to whether we make money. And if we don’t make money this time, I may not do this again. It’s just so much work.’ " (fighting locals for permits, etc.)

The lineup of groups include:

• Bush
• Chemical Brothers, Collective Soul, Elvis Costello
• Counting Crows, Creed, Sheryl Crow
• DMX
• Everclear, Everlast, Fatboy Slim, Godsmack
• Al Green (playing a gospel show on Sunday morning)
• Bruce Hornsby
• Ice Cube, Insane Clown Posse
• Jewel
• Kid Rock, Korn
• Limp Bizkit, Lit, Live, Los Lobos
• Dave Matthews Band
• Megadeth, Metallica
• Alanis Morrisette, Willie Nelson
• Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers
• The Roots, Rusted Root, Tragically Hip, and more.

There are many reasons for going to Woodstock: celebration, nostalgia, the "mother of concerts," "everybody’s there," drugs and sex, a grand human connection, a deep spiritual experience, and just for fun.

For those who have not attended Woodstock, and especially any who have never been to a large rock concert, it is impossible to realize the spirit of celebration and mystical union that is felt by many. They sense they have left a world of hypocrisy and stagnation for a bit of paradise.

In terms of its countercultural intentions, it may seem strange that Woodstock ‘99 will take place between giant B-52 runways of the (decommissioned) Griffiss Air Force Base. Says Lang, " ‘I like the irony of bringing a peace-and-love festival to a place where B-52s used to be stationed (during the Cold War). I thought it would be a great metaphor for the end of the century.’ "

The 500-foot stages are built on the level grassy strip next to the runway. The stages are 2/3 of a mile apart and are separated by a shopping mall of a food court, beer gardens, cyber cafe, cinema, sports park and misting tents. Almost 12,000 staffers will run the affair. Complementing the military fence are three miles of 12-foot high fence to keep crashers out.

Although Lang is making special efforts to revive the hippie love-and-peace atmosphere, the performers seem not to have caught this spirit. Sheryl Crow says:

There’s no downside to doing this. I don’t expect this to represent a higher cause or spiritual experience. But I’m a performer who has always felt that the more people I can play for, the better.

Dave Matthews has similar expectations for Woodstock 1999:

I don’t think it will be the same joyful collection of people that the original one was, with people all sitting back and getting to know each other. There will probably be a lot more attitudes at this one, a lot more people ‘running the show,’ a lot more running around with clipboards and cell phones. But we love to play; that’s the principal reason we’re doing it. And there’s a lot of great bands there, so it should be a great show.

Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit adds:

It sounds like a really cool thing to me. And, man, we’re playing the festival that started with the legendary Jimi Hendrix! To think that I’m playing that is a kick. It may have a different meaning now, a different feel. It’s not as special, I don’t think, but it’s still a gathering that brings together of lot of people.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. How do most urban societies handle celebration? How do they publicly lament, rejoice, and go wild (like traditional and biblical societies)?
2. Can you understand why young people are dissatisfied with the opportunities adult society give them to lament, rejoice, express themselves and their sexuality, and to go a bit wild?
3. What would you look for if you were attending Woodstock 1999? How would you interact and what would you contribute? What would you gain from the experience?
4. How would you help a young person process this event?

IMPLICATIONS

• People and communities do need opportunity to celebrate. Young people need to have their rites of passage (to adulthood) celebrated by their friends and the larger society.
• Celebration also needs to give people a chance to lament all that is wrong with the world around them. Otherwise, this sense of wrongness (from the news and other media) can fester within.
• Youthful celebration, therefore, needs catharsis (or cleansing), wild rejoicing, and reconnection with others in a fragmented world.
• Neither church nor society gives young people adequate opportunity for effective celebration.

Dean Borgman cCYS