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Break Stuff: The Story of Woodstock '99

by The Ringer

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Latest episodes

8. Aftermath

September 19, 2024 · 40 min

What can we learn from Woodstock ’99? Two decades later, the festival is like a social experiment about how gathering in a large group can bring out the worst in people. Have contemporary music festivals learned the right lessons from this…
7. Sunday

September 17, 2024 · 40 min

At the end of Woodstock ’99, the festival had descended into full-blown riots and hooliganism. Memorably, the Red Hot Chili Peppers concluded the festival by playing Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire,” inspiring scores of actual fires to be set all…
6. Savages

September 12, 2024 · 35 min

In the aftermath of Woodstock ’99, there were reports in the media about widespread sexual harassment and assaults. A combination of factors—including lax security and an environment that encouraged unbridled machismo—made the festival a…
5. Saturday

September 10, 2024 · 41 min

A group of friends from Connecticut took a road trip to Woodstock ’99 in search of music, adventure, and a great party. The most excited person in the group, a 24-year-old man named David DeRosia, wanted to be in the mosh pit for…
4. Friday

September 5, 2024 · 33 min

The first official day of Woodstock ’99 included performances by bands such as Korn, the Offspring, and Insane Clown Posse, who remember the festival as a harmless but crazy experience. But that didn’t always translate to the people in the…

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3. When in Rome

September 3, 2024 · 36 min

The planning of Woodstock ’99 was rife with tensions between the promoters and local officials in the small town of Rome, New York. But potential red flags portending trouble were overlooked in favor of the hope for what Woodstock could do…
2. Woodstock’s Willy Wonka

August 29, 2024 · 37 min

No one person embodies the Woodstock brand more than Michael Lang, the cherubic-faced concert promoter who came to fame as one of the stars of Michael Wadleigh’s 1970 documentary ‘Woodstock.’ He’s also a symbol of how the counterculture…
1. Just One of Those Days

August 27, 2024 · 36 min

It’s the one thing people think they know about Woodstock ’99—Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit encouraged shirtless hooligans to “break stuff.” But is it possible that Limp Bizkit shoulders too much of the blame for the riots, violence, and…
Introducing ‘Break Stuff’

August 22, 2024 · 2 min

In 1999, a music festival took place in upstate New York that became a social experiment. There were riots, looting, and numerous assaults. And it was set to a soundtrack of the era’s most aggressive rock bands. Incredibly, it was the…

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About the show

In 1999, a music festival took place in upstate New York that became a social experiment. There were riots, looting, and numerous assaults. And it was set to a soundtrack of the era’s most aggressive rock bands. Incredibly, it was the third iteration of Woodstock, a festival known for peace, love, and hippie idealism. But Woodstock ’99 revealed some hard truths behind the myths of the 1960s, and the danger that nostalgia can engender. Listen to the entire season here.