With so much uncertainty regarding the future of festivals and performances due to the pandemic, music fans might be forgiven for embracing some nostalgic memories of festivals gone by.
However, Woodstock '99 was not that type of festival because what was billed as a counter-culture celebration of peace, love, and music quickly descended into chaos, anarchy and crime.
In 'Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage', viewers will get an in-depth look at how a celebration of harmony ended up in pure mayhem
As you can see in the trailer, the documentary covers the majority of the reasons why the mood at the festival quickly changed.
For example, in the middle of the scorching heat, patrons were charged $4 for a bottle of water. Elsewhere, the portaloos didn't work, fist-fights were frequent, infrastructure was destroyed and there were multiple reports of sexual assault too.
As Moby says: "There is a sixth sense that you develop when you spend your life going to venues. I can tell you a hundred feet away what the energy in that venue’s gonna be like... We got off the bus and I was like, ‘Something’s not right.’”
Directed by Garret Price, the documentary will feature interviews with organisers Michael Lang and John Scher.
Elsewhere, prominent musicians who were on the billing including the Roots’ Tariq Trotter, Korn’s Jonathan Davis, Moby, Jewel, The Offspring, and Creed’s Scott Stapp were also interviewed along with people who attended Woodstock 99.
Woodstock 99 will be the first film in Bill Simmons' Music Box HBO series and the HBO original documentary premieres July 23 on HBOMax in the US.
As per the norm, we expect Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage to be released in Ireland via Sky and NOW shortly after.
