The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99 in photos
Pictures of the ill-fated event
Last updated 7th Sep 2022
Woodstock 99 was meant to be a 30th anniversary celebration that echoed the peace and love of the fabled original event. Sadly, it descended into carnage and chaos.
Held from 22nd to 25th July 1999 on the disused and predominately concrete Griffiss Air Force Base airfield in Rome, New York around 100 miles from the original Woodstock site, the festival featured performances from Metallica, Rage Against The Machine, Kid Rock, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Korn, The Offspring, Limp Bizkit and many more in the blisteringly hot sunshine.
However, instead of being remembered for the music and good vibes, the ill-fated event was blighted by atrocious organisation, and it degenerated into fires, riots, destruction, and sadly rape and death.
In the past year, Woodstock 99 has been the subject of two documentary series – HBO’s Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage and Netflix’s more recent and aptly titled Trainwreck: Woodstock 99.
Listen to all the biggest 90s rock and metal on our Kerrang Radio Premium station Alt Rock 90s, playing non-stop Limp Bizkit, Metallica, Offspring and more, ad-free.
Now, Kerrang! Radio takes a pictorial look at some of the chaos that hit Woodstock 99 over two decades ago.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99 in photos:
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
A couple sit in the mud at Woodstock 99 after water pipes burst on site. It's claimed the mud had traces of human faeces in it.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Litter is strewn across the Woodstock 99 site as attendees gather for the second day. It took three weeks to clean up the air base after the festival.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Two female attendees in the infamous mud at Woodstock 99.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Woodstock 99 attendees find a rare spot of shade to hide from the sun's blistering rays. Temperatures on the weekend reached 100°F (38°C). Sadly two people were reported to have died from heat-related causes over the weekend.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Fans washing up at one of the few locations with running water at Woodstock 99. The Netflix documentary features one fan explaining she contracted the delightful-sounding "trenchmouth" from the contaminated water supply.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
A mud-encrusted fan at Woodstock 99.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
A pine tree becomes a dumping ground for empty beer cups at Woodstock 99.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Woodstock 99 security – aka Peace Patrol – lift a crowd-surfing fan from the crowd. Criticism was levelled at the organisers for not employing enough security to deal with the quarter of a million strong crowd.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Festival goers rest among the litter at Woodstock 99. Multiple attendees in the Netflix documentary commented on the "filth" of the site, with little to no litter collection evident (much to the disgust of photographer Lisa Law who is filmed on a doomed mission to get festival-goers to collect it)
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Dozens of muddy Woodstock 99 goers gather at the main stage. An estimated $78,000 was spent on re-turfing the grass areas around the stages.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Attendees crowd surf on ripped down fencing boards at Woodstock 99. In the background can be seen the main sound tower, which was stripped of its fencing by the crowd during the festival.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst jumps onto a torn down fence panel at Woodstock 99.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Fred Durst on a fence panel during Limp Bizkit's performance at Woodstock 99. The band's performance of their anthem 'Break Stuff' was said by some to have aggravated the crowd to break the panels and boards around the site. Others point to the widespread logistical problems that led to the crowd feeling exploited by the festival setup.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland on stage during their Woodstock 99 set. Borland wore an early version of his makeup which would go on to become a key part of his outfits and the band's image. See a gallery of Wes Borland's costumes through the years here.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst says hello to the crowd from the stage at Woodstock 99.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Kid Rock dodges bottles and litter during his set at Woodstock 99.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Metallica's Kirk Hammett. Although barely mentioned in Netflix's 'Trainwreck: Woodstock 99', Metallica headlined the Saturday night. In an interview on site, Hammett describes the inflated prices associated with the festival as "Peace plus love = capitalism". Attendees reported that bottles of water which would have cost 60 cents outside the site were being sold for $4 inside, whilst temperatures exceeded 35°C (95°F).
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
A view of the main arena at Woodstock 99. Around 250,000 people attended over the weekend.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Peace Patrol security dealing with wave after wave of crowd surfers.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea performs naked at Woodstock 99.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
A man crowd surfing on a board at Woodstock 99.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Woodstock 99 attendees light peace candles, which were handed out by organisers on the Sunday night, intended as a gesture against gun crime. Moments later, fires erupted across the site as people began to light the piles of plastic bottles and fence panels.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
A man stands in a gas mask as fires blaze on the Sunday night at Woodstock 99.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Despite the widespread fires and carnage, a couple have a tender moment at Woodstock 99.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
A peace symbol on a flag starkly juxtaposes the bonfire backdrop at Woodstock 99.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Semi trailer trucks are set on fire at Woodstock 99. Propane gas bottles inside the trucks exploded, prompting panic on site, as crowds fled.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Attendees fuel fires with tables and litter on the Sunday night at Woodstock 99. Festival organisers claimed that the on-site fire fighters refused to leave their fire station to put out blazes, fearing the unruly crowd.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Fires rage on the Sunday night at Woodstock 99.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
Festival organisers John Scher (L) and Michael Lang (R) address the media at a press conference during the festival. Throughout the weekend in a series of tense press conferences the pair downplayed reported problems including price gouging, lack of water and food, lack of shade, violence, insufficient security and poorly planned festival infrastructure.
The chaos and carnage of Woodstock 99
State troopers in riot gear on site on Monday morning bring the carnage to a halt.