The Great Woodstock Story - Part 8

In this continuing series I detail my adventures at Woodstock ?99.

Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 and Part 7 to catch up.

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In the hot Saturday sun the big bands were out. Tragically Hip, whoever those guys were, opened up at noon. Since I didn?t know them then and still don?t, I never bothered to watch their show. But I was there with bells on at 1PM, awaiting what would be one of the highlights of the weekend.

Simply put, Kid Rock rocked the hell out of Woodstock.

He opened with the ?Bawitdaba?, a classic opener if there ever was one. ?My name is Kiiiiiiiidddddd?.? he screamed, and the crowd exploded in energy when he screamed ?ROCK!?. Everyone yelling, jumping, dancing and man it was fabulous. It was surreal to see over a hundred thousand people completely in sync with a performer, hanging on his every word and into it just as much as he was. That sort of energy is contagious, and wow did I feel alive. Simply incredible.

At one point Kid Rock said, ?Okay, I know y?all got a bunch of water bottles. When I say go, I want every one of you motherfuckers to throw those in the air. Ready? Go!?

And it was a shower of water bottles. I couldn?t even see the stage from the wave of tempered plastic. I also wondered who those bottles would be landing on?at least some of them still had water in them, and a 5lb bottle landing anywhere from 20?30ft in the air has to be painful.

After Kid left to a huge ovation or three, Wyclef Jean promptly dispersed the crowd.

There seems to be a misconception or at least clouding of what most Woodstock patrons were expecting. Some came for the raves, some came for the pop groups, others came for hardcore metal rock. There was plenty of all of that at the festival, but the majority was there for the rocking and powerful music that flooded the mainstream in the late 90?s. Korn alone proved to be one of the most powerful acts at the show, and Limp Bizkit, well?we?ll get to that soon.

Following Wyclef, Counting Crows were still in the ?let?s slow the tempo on all of our songs to show what true artists we are? phase, which killed any energy that may have came otherwise. No rolicking numbers, but A Long December was pretty good nevertheless.

Dave Matthews was electrifying, as they always are live, and their 90 minutes ran out far too quickly. I danced off at least 5lbs in the summer sun while Ants were Marching around me.

Again, let me stress what the crowd was expecting that evening. You had one of the most amazing rock sets of all time?Limp Bizkit, Rage Against The Machine, and Metallica topping off Saturday night. It was rock heaven. Mosh pits, screaming fans, mayhem and madness.

And who opens up for these 3 groups? Alanis Morissette. No, seriously.

Oh my God. I?ve never, ever, seen an artist just completely miss their audience. No one sang along, no one liked the new songs, and it was just plain uncomfortable. Finally, after an excruciatingly long 90 minutes, she left. Everyone cheered her departure. Why? Because the most amazing rock show of all time was about to start.

And I was there, front and center, prepared for anything and everything. And say what you want about Limp Bizkit?their music, their style, the fact that they truly ushered in the era of rock-rap hybrid bands?but they were by far one of the most powerful bands I?ve ever seen live. Fred Durst may be a punk, and you may have your own opinions about him, but the man knows how to work a crowd.

Some say that their performance began the inciting of rioting on Sunday night. Others say it was the best thing they?d ever seen. Others despised it. All I gotta say is, it made history. And I was and still am proud to have been there.

Update: Read Part 9.

What about the performances of Limp, Rage, and Metallica? This and the beginning of my amazing journey home coming this Thursday! (Tomorrow is the Family Update)

I'd like to think the best of me
Is still hiding up my sleeve