USA: ROWDY REVELLERS SHATTER PEACE-LOVING IMAGE OF WOODSTOCK AT LATEST INCARNATION OF THE MUSIC FESTIVAL 30 YEARS ON

Record ID: 386637

  • Title: USA: ROWDY REVELLERS SHATTER PEACE-LOVING IMAGE OF WOODSTOCK AT LATEST INCARNATION OF THE MUSIC FESTIVAL 30 YEARS ON
  • Date: 23rd July 1999
  • Summary: ROME, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (JULY 23, 1999) (REUTERS ) VARIOUS CROWDS AT WOODSTOCK '99
  • Embargoed: 7th August 1999 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ROME, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA1TPAAOBSR14C81FBNIP7706ZO
  • Story Text: With a benediction from Zen Buddhist monks and soulful grunts from James Brown, the latest incarnation of Woodstock officially began Friday (July 23) 30 years after the original festival made musical and cultural history.But at Sunday's finale, rowdy revellers shed the original festival's peace-loving image setting ablaze Griffiss Park field, the site of the weekend's Woodstock '99.
    An estimated 200,000 people converged on the 3,600-acre (1,456 hectares) former Griffiss Air Force Base in upstate New York to kick off the three-day "Woodstock 1999" celebration of music, peace, and, if the weather predictions of rain come true, mud.
    Brown, the "The Godfather of Soul," began the event with an hour-long set that began with "Get Up Off of That Thing."
    He also performed his signature song, "I Feel Good."
    At one point, Brown urged the crowd to "Let's hear it for the Kennedy family," which is mourning the deaths of John F.
    Kennedy Jr.his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her sister, Lauren Bessette last week.
    Festival co-producer John Scher said organisers were considering a memorial gesture for Kennedy, but a final decision had not been made.
    While Brown's performance marked the festival's official opening, the music actually started on Thursday with local and national acts, including a celebration for George Clinton's 59th birthday.
    Organisers of the $35 million to $37 million Woodstock '99 said they hoped the crowd would eventually reach 250,000.
    Tickets were still available at outlets and in the festival parking lots.The first Woodstock, in 1969, and a second one, in 1994, both lost money.
    Woodstock '99 was to feature more than 70 acts, including Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Limp Bizkit, the Dave Matthews Band and Alanis Morissette.
    Veterans such as Elvis Costello, Bruce Hornsby and former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart were also on hand.
    Traffic was the biggest issue as the bulk of the crowd descended on Griffiss on Friday.Traffic backups of up to five hours were reported.
    But there were some reminders of the non-conformist spirit of the counter-culture that made the first Woodstock famous.
    One man walked around the grounds wearing nothing but a strategically placed sock.At a tattoo booth, women peeled off their shirts and let the artists paint their chests.
    Unfortunately the festival bonhomie ended on Sunday night (July 25), when the Griffiss Park field was set on fire as Woodstock '99 came to a close.
    Four refrigeration trucks were reported burning after fires were set near them, while sound towers were torn down by fans who leapt on top of them.
    Even as the fires burned, dozens of Woodstock attendees danced around and through the flames, while others beat on drums.
    The disorder spread to the adjacent campground, where portable lights were torn down, tents were vandalised, and more fires were set.
    State police in riot gear formed a line to clear the festival field, and firefighters had apparently doused all the blazes after about two hours.
    Witnesses said the crowd, mostly made up of teenagers and people in their 20s, may have have resented the low-key end of the festival, held 30 years after a major 1960s celebration, or been venting frustration over accumulated inconveniences.
    Festival Security Director Ken Donahue said information about injuries or arrests was unlikely to be available until later in the morning.Some ambulances left the scene with sirens wailing.
    The trouble ended what had been a relatively uneventful four days of music and other activities that attracted an estimated 225,000 people to the decommissioned U.S.Air Force base.There had been only one death: A 44-year-old died of a heart attack.
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