50 Fun Facts About Woodstock '99

Which punk band bashed dummies of the Backstreet Boys with a plastic bat during a Friday set at Woodstock '99?

The Offspring lined up five dummies wearing the boy band's faces, and the crowd joined in by pelting them with plastic bottles.

What did activists hand out at Woodstock '99 on Sunday that fans then used to start bonfires?

Candles came from an anti-gun-violence group called PAX, whose vigil plan had never been cleared with local firefighters.

Which rap act kicked beach balls with $100 bills taped to them into the Woodstock '99 crowd to protest high prices?

Insane Clown Posse watched fans scrap over the cash, and a year later the duo launched a festival of their own, the Gathering of the Juggalos.

What kind of site hosted Woodstock '99, chosen partly because promoters thought a wall could keep gate-crashers out?

A former Air Force base, Griffiss had shut in 1995, and its vast stretches of shadeless concrete and asphalt trapped the heat day and night.

Which band's Saturday set at Woodstock '99 is widely blamed for sparking violence as fans tore plywood from the walls?

Limp Bizkit were asked mid-set to calm the crowd, but their frontman told fans not to mellow out and later crowd-surfed on a torn-off panel.

Which animated sitcom spoofed Woodstock '99 with a character whose clothes catch fire as he balks at $8 bottled water?

The Simpsons sent bus driver Otto to the festival, where the woman who douses the flames with her own bottle ends up as his fiancée.

Which festival was announced within a week of Woodstock '99, then gave fans free parking and a free bottle of water?

Coachella debuted in Indio, California, that October, and its well-behaved crowd stood in stark contrast to the violence of three months earlier.

Which band played the closing set of Woodstock '99 on Sunday night while bonfires spread across the crowd?

Red Hot Chili Peppers were begged by the city's mayor to go back on stage and calm the crowd; some outlets later blamed their choice of cover song for stoking the blazes.

Rumors of a secret superstar finale at Woodstock '99 ended with footage of which late star of the 1969 festival?

Jimi Hendrix appeared only on screen beside a laser show, and fans who had heard whispers of Prince or the Rolling Stones booed and turned on the vendor booths.

Which upstate New York city hosted Woodstock '99, with a mayor who hoped the festival would revitalize the area?

Rome's mayor announced the festival alongside Hillary Clinton, and on the final night he pleaded with the closing band to go back out and calm the crowd.

Which band headlined Saturday night at Woodstock '99, one of only five acts that had also played Woodstock '94?

Metallica followed Rage Against the Machine to close the East Stage, five years after sharing the 1994 bill with Aerosmith and Nine Inch Nails.

Which nu metal band's Friday night set at Woodstock '99 left its singer needing oxygen and an IV for heat exhaustion?

Korn frontman Jonathan Davis said the crowd moved like an immense wave of sound rolling for miles, and the next act's singer dreaded following such a ferocious set.

Which performer, later named a breakout star of Woodstock '99, urged fans to throw their empty water bottles onstage?

Kid Rock made the request between songs out of disgust at concession prices; fans waiting for him had earlier pelted the day's opening band.

Which singer's Saturday set at Woodstock '99 drew boos and chants from fans impatient for the next band?

Alanis Morissette heard fans chanting the next band's name near the end of her set, and that band's singer then mocked her on stage for mellowing the crowd.

Which singer called her Friday set at Woodstock '99 the worst gig of her career after being heckled and pelted?

Sheryl Crow said she nearly ended the set early in disgust, and she spent years criticizing the festival for the way its crowd behaved.

Which rapper, introduced at Woodstock '99 by actress Rosie Perez, won praise for his Friday set?

DMX was among the acts whose performances impressed critics before coverage of the weekend turned to the chaos around them.

Which soul legend led off Friday's East Stage bill at Woodstock '99, hours before the nu metal and punk acts?

James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, shared Friday's main bill with Jamiroquai and Live before the day turned much heavier.

Which country legend played first on the East Stage on Sunday at Woodstock '99, long before the night's riots?

Willie Nelson shared Sunday's main bill with Elvis Costello and a swing orchestra, a gentle start to the weekend's most destructive day.

Woodstock '99 took place in which month, a few weeks short of the original festival's thirtieth anniversary?

July 22 to 25 brought temperatures above 100°F to the shadeless site, while the 1969 original had been held in the middle of August.

Which TV network covered Woodstock '99 extensively, then evacuated its whole crew amid Sunday night's violence?

MTV staff were pelted with bottles and batteries, and veteran anchor Kurt Loder likened the final night to reporting from a war zone.

Which Rage Against the Machine member set fire to an American flag on stage at Woodstock '99?

Tim Commerford, the band's bassist, lit the flag while the group played Killing in the Name; guitarist Tom Morello later defended the crowd in the New York Times.

Which British DJ's late-night rave set at Woodstock '99 was cut short after a stolen truck drove into the crowd?

Fatboy Slim and his entourage were told to get out at once; they fled to a nearby airport and flew out the next morning.

Which band was joined at Woodstock '99 by Doors guitarist Robby Krieger for a cover of Roadhouse Blues?

Creed brought Krieger out as a surprise on Sunday, three decades after the Doors had turned down an offer to play the original festival.

Which British band closed Friday's East Stage at Woodstock '99, its frontman nervous about following a ferocious set?

Bush went on without incident and even calmed the crowd a little, three months before the band released the album The Science of Things.

Which thrash metal band closed the West Stage at Woodstock '99 on Sunday after a tribute to its late ex-drummer?

Megadeth dedicated a song to Gar Samuelson, who had died eleven days earlier, and a fan's laser pointer prompted frontman Dave Mustaine to scold the crowd mid-set.

Which Canadian band opened Saturday's East Stage at Woodstock '99 and was pelted with bottles by impatient fans?

The Tragically Hip singer Gord Downie answered by singing O Canada for the many flag-waving Canadians present, only for others to boo and strike up the US anthem.

Which N.W.A alumnus played the West Stage at Woodstock '99 on Saturday and joked about cutting his set short?

Ice Cube walked back on after two minutes; he had flown in from Southern California on a rented Boeing 737 shared with two nu metal bands.

Which Austin Powers actor walked on stage at Woodstock '99 to introduce one of Saturday night's biggest bands?

Verne Troyer, the films' Mini-Me, warned the crowd they were about to get the worst, and stars including Jennifer Aniston watched the set that followed.

Which song from Saturday's most notorious set at Woodstock '99 later named a podcast about the weekend?

Break Stuff was the point at which crew in the sound tower were ordered to abandon their post, and The Ringer borrowed its title for an eight-part series.

Which bassist walked on stage naked for his band's Sunday night set at Woodstock '99?

Flea also spoke up from the stage against the groping of women in the crowd, and he played naked again at Reading and Leeds that year.

Which co-creator of the original 1969 festival also helped organize Woodstock '99 with promoter John Scher?

Michael Lang, who had also staged the 1994 edition, tried once more with a fiftieth-anniversary festival in 2019 but had to cancel it.

Which Vietnam War film did the closing band's singer liken the burning grounds of Woodstock '99 to, from the stage?

Apocalypse Now came to Anthony Kiedis's mind moments after the mayor had pleaded with his band to go back out and calm the crowd.

Which bacterium did county health officials find in the free drinking water supplied to fans at Woodstock '99?

E. coli turned up in a sample after overflowing toilets and broken pipes had turned parts of the site into sewage-laced mud pits.

Which rival tour's closing dates kept System of a Down and Static-X off the Woodstock '99 bill?

Ozzfest wrapped up in San Bernardino, California, that Saturday, yet one of its main-stage acts, Godsmack, still played Woodstock '99 on the Sunday.

Which network premiered director Garret Price's 2021 documentary film about the chaos of Woodstock '99?

HBO used the film, built on interviews with promoters, performers and fans, to launch Music Box, its series of music documentaries.

Which streaming service released Trainwreck, a three-part 2022 docuseries about the collapse of Woodstock '99?

Netflix later turned the title into a franchise, reviving the Trainwreck name in 2025 for documentaries on other infamous events.

How could fans who stayed away follow Woodstock '99 live all weekend, as some 500,000 reportedly did?

Pay-per-view passes cost $59.95, and the director of a later documentary recalled being glued to the broadcast all weekend with his college roommates.

Which folk-pop singer fled Woodstock '99 by tour bus straight after a tense Sunday set?

Jewel later recalled a feeling of dread on stage, describing the audience on the final day as really tired and very depleted.

Which act turned down Woodstock '99 because its frontman said the band was not offered a prime-time slot?

Marilyn Manson had been reported as part of the bill before pulling out, as had Hole, who blamed clashing tour dates.

Which band was booked for Woodstock '99 but withdrew before the festival to finish work on an album?

Foo Fighters were completing There Is Nothing Left to Lose and were still without a replacement for departed guitarist Franz Stahl.

Which member of The Who, a veteran of the original 1969 festival, played a solo set at Woodstock '99?

John Entwistle, the band's bassist, appeared on the Emerging Artists Stage on the Sunday rather than on either of the two main stages.

Which Grateful Dead member, a veteran of the 1969 original, played Woodstock '99 with the band Planet Drum?

Mickey Hart, one of the Dead's two drummers, had earlier won the first-ever Grammy for Best World Music Album with a record of the same name.

Which English band, later a stadium headliner, played the Emerging Artists Stage at Woodstock '99 on Sunday?

Muse released their debut album that same year, and in 2007 they became the first act to sell out the rebuilt Wembley Stadium.

What name did Woodstock '99 give its unarmed security staff, mostly young recruits with no prior experience?

Peace Patrol members were hired through a local job agency to save money, and many sold their staff shirts or simply walked away from their posts.

Frightened crew in the sound tower at Woodstock '99 hung a sign naming their post after which besieged fort?

The Alamo sign went up below the cameras during Saturday's most violent set, shortly before the technicians were ordered to evacuate.

Which rapper revived Jump Around, his old hit with House of Pain, during a Sunday set at Woodstock '99?

Everlast had not performed the song in concert for nearly four years, and he brought an extensive backing band along for the set.

Which Fugees member played Saturday's East Stage at Woodstock '99, backed by a band billed as the Refugee Allstars?

Wyclef Jean had launched his solo career two years earlier with The Carnival, an album whose full title also credits the Refugee Allstars.

Which electronic duo played the West Stage at Woodstock '99 on Saturday night, hours before the late rave began?

Chemical Brothers shared Saturday's West Stage bill with Los Lobos and Everclear, on a weekend that also had its own late-night rave hangar.

Which funk bandleader played Thursday's pre-show at Woodstock '99, then returned to the West Stage on Friday?

George Clinton brought the P-Funk All-Stars both nights, and Thursday's bill also featured Bernie Worrell and the Woo Warriors.

Which act's frontman joked about the crowd's nudity during a Saturday East Stage set at Woodstock '99?

Dave Matthews Band were among the acts singled out for praise in early reviews, before attention turned to the conditions on site.