Reflections on Woodstock 99

I can't help but always remember this insane capsule in time.  I'm always asked the same question.  "Was it all worth it?"  My answer is still yes.  I had just turned 19.

I remember the set list being released, and thinking yes indeed it very well could be the end of time if did not make it to the greatest concert to exist that was literally 15 miles from my very home.  I couldn't fathom that the bands I cranked the stereo up to and was repeatedly told to lower that crap down was going to be around the corner from home.  I remember vividly trying to convince my parents to let me see what I thought I lived for.  Rage Against the Machine (my voice for my distaste in political power was coming to crap Rome, NY) I remember my dad shaking his head as if it didn't mattered, did he not understand! Why they would ever come to this hole was beyond my capacity!  Korn, Limp Bizkit, The Offspring, Bush, Metallica, Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Counting Crows.  I insisted on this being a once in a life time event for me to see all my favorite bands all in the same place.  I tried to sell it to them that all my friends are going even both my cousins and the close people I grew up with along with my current boyfriend at the time would all be together.  My sales pitch was a total flop.  My parents didn't want me to go they felt it was unsafe.  I remember the fit I had and not wanting to be around anyone due to being so crushed while that's all everyone was doing was busy buying their tickets and making the big plans and I was being left behind.

So like a stubborn teenager I presented my case to the hardest person to win over.  I pulled the grandfather card.  Which oddly enough was the easiest case to win over.  He already knew that both my cousin's where going and he felt it was only fair that I should go and gave me the money to go.  Let's just say my dad was not pleased at all and that was the last time to pull the gramps card.  Also, the new stipulation for allowing me to go was if I came back home harmed in anyway "Hell was to be paid and I was grounded for life and something like they where not going to deal with it"  Of course in my overly excited mind I'm agreeing to anything at this point..."yea, yea, yea, sure, sure, sure!"  I had yet another obstacle to tackle.  Work!  Because it was so close to the concert date, I had to get the time off from the movie theater.  My boss agreed to me having the days off as long as I showed up for work on July 26th.  Yea, yea, yea, sure!  Score!

I remember arriving there and already vowing not to use the facilities.  Not pretty.  Which I didn't the whole time we were there.  We ended up staying at a friends house around the corner from the base so I would wait till we got there after we had seen all the shows.  The temperatures for the weekend on the base remained in the upper 100's.  They sold bottled water at $8.00 a bottle.  I remember the sun burn I had was almost a purple red.  I hardly drank or ate, who had time for all that.  Clearly young and not thinking.  I was busy running into friends from college on the East side stage before Rage Against the Machine started.  Nothing but an epic time.  Partying up, rocking out like an all-star.
Until the last night and they started the fires and men with riot gear came in and I remember genuinely being scared and thankfully not without much difficulty able to leave.

At this point on July 26th I've kept my part of the bargain and showed up at work and I'm a disaster. I can barely move and I'm having muscle spasms and can barley hold myself up.  My boss unbeknownst to me called my mother to come get me and told me I need to go home and go to the hospital and yes I still had a job.  My thoughts are my father is going to kill me.  My mom takes me to the ER,  she is not happy to say the least and I am told I have suffered severe dehydration.  I was pumped the equivalent of 12 liters of fluids.  My father would not speak to me for two weeks due to my stunt maneuver and lesson learnt.

Dad hated Rage Against the Machine then now I hear him listening to it every now and then and I find it so odd when he used to bang on the bedroom door and yell to turn that junk off.  We have conversations every once in a while over the old Woodstock 99 move and he always asks "Would you still do it all over again, was it worth it?"  I can't help but still say yes.  It was my 19 year old self.  As I watch the footage in retrospect and can imagine what was going through my parents mind as they where indeed probably watching it on pay per view and or on MTV I can relate to my father and mothers disdain for not wanting me to go and why my father was so mad.  Thankfully, my 19 year old self had some common sense and didn't go up to the front of the stage as much as I wanted to and hung out by the MTV cam tower where indeed it was much safer and still got plenty of good views.
My 19 year old self would say something stupid back then like..."I did it all for the nookie"
Some favorites from my 19 year old self.
Nookie (Live @ Woodstock) FULL VERSION

Rage Against The Machine - Bulls On Parade (Live Woodstock 1

Korn - Got The Life - Live Woodstock 1999

Bush - Swallowed - Live Woodstock '99

Metallica Nothing Else Matters Woodstock 1999