Woodstock ’99 has always been a strange moment in music history. As it was deemed a failure, it’s often overlooked and forgotten. “Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage” aims to change that. The new HBO documentary chronicles the story of Woodstock 99 — a three-day music festival meant to echo the ideals of the original 1969 festival. Instead, it devolved into riots, looting, and sexual assaults, earning it the distinction of killing the ’90s.
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“Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage” was directed by Garret Price (“Love, Antosha”) and executive produced by Bill Simmons (“Showbiz Kids”), Take a look at the official summary for “Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage” below:
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“Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage” unfolds over three blazing hot days and nights of nonstop performances and heaving mosh pits in July 1999 and examines how the festival eventually collapsed under the weight of its own misguided ambition. The musical lineup reflected acts that dominated MTV and radio airwaves at the time and leaned heavily towards artists catering to a young male demographic. Intense heat, lack of adequate sanitation, and access to free drinking water agitated a crowd already at a breaking point. Shortcuts and cost-cutting measures had diminished security, allowing the anger and frustration of the mob to explode into unchecked rioting and destruction. Woodstock 69 became known as a celebration of peace and inclusion as much as Woodstock 99 became a flashpoint for burgeoning white toxic masculinity.
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The documentary will drop on HBO on July 23 at 9 pm EST to coincidence with the 22nd anniversary of the festival. “Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage” will also be available to stream on HBO Max as well. Take a look at the new trailer below.