HBO captures all the ugliness that was “Woodstock 99”

Aggression & violence.  Medical emergencies & death in extreme heat conditions.  Out of control arson fires lighting up the night sky.

Oh….and there was music somewhere in there, too.

Woodstock ’99, to coin a overused phrase, was definitely not your father’s Woodstock.  And as a new HBO documentary shows, that’s the central theme towards figuring out the how and why this massive music fest devolved into something ugly and dangerous.  You can definitely tell that Bill Simmons (creator of ESPN’s 30 for 30) was a producer on this project.  Here’s what some reviewers are saying:

  “Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage may stand as the definitive account of a fateful moment when Gen Xers and millennials joined forces in complacent idiocy, enabled by delusional baby boomers.”  — Marc Hogan, Pitchfork

“Who is to blame for the disaster that was Woodstock 99? As the film outlines, there’s not one answer, proving the event a cultural moment worthy of serious interrogation.”  — Adrian Horton, The Guardian

“Where are these guys (who attended the show) today? Most of them would be in their early to mid-40s, many of them presumably married with children. If they watch this documentary, will they shake their heads at their behavior, or crack open a brewski and toast the good times?”  — Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times

Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage is available now HBO Max.