I found Woodstock ’99 documentary to be a fantastic narrative about the concert that went up in flames. Definitely a doc with a pre-determined angle and opinion but they gave enough people time for the defense in this trial. And plenty more accusers for the prosecution… and archival footage.

I’m a Gen Xer and I remember watching with grim amusement as the marketing opportunity known as Woodstock 99 went up in flames. Spent my life under the boomer umbrella and the legend of the original Nirvana/Eden known as Woodstock. So I was skeptical about its return… and was amused at all the stories of excess and capitalism. So, yeah, fake Woodstock ate itself… it lived long enough to become the villain.

I was riveted by this movie’s narrative and ability to spin a Lord of the Flies picture. As pure storytelling, it slowly cranks up the dread and madness as the crowd keeps getting more and more agitated. We get a good look at the masses of riling bodies and plenty of the performances that were riling them up. And the conditions… the mud, the overflowing outhouses, the tent village, the water shortage, etc.

Plenty of talking heads too… not all the musicians we would have liked but a few like Jewell, Moby, and Dave Mustaine (who closed out the show with Megadeth). We also get interviews with attendees, security, press, and even the event promoters (who have their own narrative). Wish they could have gotten Kid Rock or Fred Durst too (first time I’ve ever said those words!). But I imagine they’ve been spending the past two decades avoiding the topic.

There is some cognitive dissonance on a film-making level though. A lot of tsk tsk’ing about all the nudity at the show but also a lot of footage of the same (both female and male… hello Flee’s penis). I guess a charitable reading could be that they are just documenting it… but that doesn’t mean there weren’t a lot of boppin’ boobs on screen. Salacious or just fact-checking… you decide.

So, yeah, really liked this documentary. A few points negative and the possibility we’re being fed too much of a pre-defined narrative… but all that footage is pretty convincing that they told the story right. Or right enough. That it’s not just MTV hyping up the chaos. Good show.

Score: 90