Like Woodstock ’94, this was an attempt to emulate the original 1969 Woodstock festival, and like the previous festivals, it was held in upstate New York – this time at the former Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, roughly 100 miles northwest of the 1969 Woodstock site in Bethel.
Approximately 400,000 people attended the festival from 23 July to 25 July 1999, though ticket sales were advertised as being capped at 250,000 (sales may have been underreported to avoid extra payouts to the city of Rome and Oneida County).
The festival was marred by difficult environmental conditions, overpriced food and water, poor sanitation (the toilets overflowed into the camping area, and the Health Department found the free drinking water to be contaminated with E. coli and other bacteria), sexual assault and rapes (at least five rapes were officially reported, though it is widely believed that a far greater number of unreported incidents occurred), extensive substance abuse, rioting, looting ( $22,000 was robbed from ATMs on the site), vandalism, arson, violence, and several deaths, leading to controversy that vastly overshadowed the musical performances.
MTV covered the festival extensively (and live coverage was available on pay-per-view), although MTV evacuated its entire crew amidst the violence on Sunday night.
500 New York state troopers were called to the site to help restore order. Ten troopers and two of their supervisors were suspended for posing for photographs with naked women and taking their patrol cars through a topless car wash.
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The musical lineup over the three days included James Brown, Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, Los Lobos, Muse, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Megadeth, Insane Clown Posse, Rage Against the Machine, The Offspring, Dave Matthews Band, Counting Crows, Sheryl Crow (who had faeces thrown at her during her set amidst chants from the crowd of “show us your tits”), Alanis Morissette, Fatboy Slim, Moby and Jamiroquai.
