Was Limp Bizkit Actually to Blame for Woodstock ’99?

In the event you watched the Woodstock ’99 documentary on HBO, you noticed Limp Bizkit obtain a big a part of the blame for the chaos that unfolded on the competition. However was Limp Bizkit actually accountable for Woodstock ’99 devolving right into a fiery riot?

Excessive warmth, scarcity of provides, overcrowding and aggressive music doesn’t precisely make for 3 days of peace and love. As a substitute, riots, sexual assaults and even deaths come to thoughts when Woodstock ’99 is introduced up. However for all the issues and all of the causes of the issues that ultimately led to the failure of the music competition, the finger tends to get pointed in the direction of one band — Limp Bizkit.

Woodstock ’99 promoter John Scher, together with unique Woodstock ’69 organizer Michael Lang simply marketed the competition to what was common on the time, and sadly, nu-metal got here hat in hand with aggression, misogyny, homophobia, and was very a lot a success with the offended frat boy-type viewers. However what individuals overlook about Woodstock ’99 is that the worst of the rioting, looting and assaults didn’t even occur the identical day Limp Bizkit carried out. They occurred the day after.

The actual fact was Woodstock ’99 was stricken by a sequence of oversights by the organizers, and the acute summer season warmth solely added gasoline to the fireplace. Folks noticed by the greed of the excessive tickets prices and overcharging for issues like water bottles. The safety they employed was severely under-qualified. They did a horrible job of planning issues like entry to bathrooms and showers. The retired air base was merely unfold out method too far between phases and the tenting space, all with MTV and the media hyping it to be a competition of complete freedom, just like the second coming of Woodstock ’69.

One second that HBO’s Woodstock documentary didn’t present was Fred Durst saying to the viewers, ”We already let all of the unfavorable power out. It’s time to convey some optimistic power into this motherfucker.” In a later interview, Durst recalled, “I don’t assume [the crowd] understood what I meant. Okay, let’s do away with all that unfavorable power so we will convey optimistic in. Meaning begin leaping — leaping and singing. It doesn’t imply begin raping and burning the place down.”

Woodstock ’99 made Limp Bizkit go from the dangerous boys of TRL to villains within the mainstream media. Information studies confirmed Fred Durst singing “Break Stuff” and clipped it over video of all of the mayhem that ensued. For the narrative, it was handy. The competition ruined the mythic model of the peaceable Woodstock gathering of the ‘60s, however to this present day, John Scher lays the blame on the bands, particularly Limp Bizkit. It let the organizers off the hook, however perhaps they need to’ve seen the problems in making an attempt to place a greenback signal subsequent to the romanticism of the outdated competition. Generally individuals don’t need the reality, they simply need a scapegoat.

Watch the complete video on whether or not or not Limp Bizkit had been accountable for Woodstock ’99 under.