I was there on Sunday... We lived locally in the Rome area (Vernon to be exact) so we drove over that morning and stayed until the fires began during the Chili Peppers set. Sad to see the peace wall get torn down which was supposed to be for charity... My cousin actually ended up with a huge piece of it and used it for a beer pong table for years after the show lol. I remember Thursday was supposed to be a local act showcase and the start of the all night rave in the hangar building... I was part of the drum circle that was over there with the 5 gallon plastic pails as drums... My uncle and aunt set up a little concession stand next to their restaurant in Vernon "The Mason Jar" they made grilled cheese sandwiches and sold bottled water. After the first day, a LOT of people were lining up to buy tons of sandwiches and waters for $3... because the vendors were forced by the promoters of Woodstock to charge insane prices... I remember seeing the grounds Sunday morning after the rain storms came through and the port-a-potties all had overflowed and spilled out into the tents that were across the tamac in the grass between the taxi ways for the runway... I saw a guy jump buck naked into one of the hand washing 'fountains' to take a bath. I wonder if you ran across the guy who was dressed in nothing but a toga and a tube sock walking around with a couple gorgeous girls called "Woodcock" lol. I only got to see like 5 bands on the one day I was there, but the last day was the good day to go and get a feel for how the whole thing had played out... Luckily I was only 17 so I didn't try to get to deep into the crowds or get caught up in anything too crazy. I just happened to end up about 25 ft from where the first tower got knocked down. They put a bunch of pallets and crap on it and it got set on fire. I looked at my friends and I told them. I'm getting to my car right now and leaving. If you want to see home tomorrow, I expect you to be right behind me... We got out of the Griffiss Park area just as all the fire trucks, police cars and ambulances were pulling out of their stations on Black River Blvd. I told my friends. Watch the news tomorrow. You're gonna see something crazy... Sure enough, the powder keg ignited and I pulled in to my parents drive way just about 1:30 am... I walked through the door and "Breaking news" Fires break out at Woodstock on the local news. lol.

Your a legend for snapping that glow stick!

So glad I found your video. I'm only 22 but it's really cool to see older generations on KZfaq just talking about their younger years and sharing all these cool memories with us. This is the closest we have to a time machine so it was a pleasure hearing you talk about your experience at Woodstock, I felt like I was right there with you. Pretty sure somebody would still buy that glowstick from you even though it doesn't work anymore :)

That was a wholesome video man, felt oddly bad that you snapped the glow stick for us but the joy it bought you made it worth it. Great story and great pictures, cheers from the UK!

Im 25 years old and fascinated by this whole event thank you for sharing your story and giving me another view on everything !

I was born on July 30, 1999. Exactly one week after the first night. Hearing about all the batshit craziness that went down just a few days before i was born is truly mind blowing 🤯 especially since I’m an avid music listener and concert goer and a musician myself. It’s amazing hearing the perspective of someone who was actually at the festival and saw everything live. Thank you so much for sharing your story and experience with us🙏. Also it’s crazy that a glow stick that’s a few days older than me can still glow today 🤯

I would love to have Korn, Limp Bizkit, Rage Against the Machine, Metallica & RHCP all in one festival again but those days are gone wish I could've gone to 99

Being an early X’r and even older than you, I had gone to 94’ and drove 24 hours straight to do it again in 99’. I was there and had a great time watching the bands I was there to see and a few of the newer ones. I did see the problems brewing and also had to run to get my stuff after the Pepper’s performance. The gates were closed as we fell asleep to the sounds of mayhem in the background. We drove around the perimeter as the gates were opened at daybreak and were shocked to see the disaster left behind. It’s a shame how it ended, but for me it was an unforgettable experience.

I just finished watching the Netflix doc the other day and I have been looking around for people sharing their experiences. Thank you for making this video! I’m totally fascinated by what went down that weekend

I was at 99 too. Loved it. Good to finally hear another reasonably positive review. Sure the weather was brutal, prices sucked, bathrooms were beyond gross but there were a ton of things that made the weekend great. I feel a big problem was the bands they chose to perform. Heavy, raucous acts that have nothing to do with the Woodstock theme. Songs like Seek & Destroy, Killing in the Name & Porno Creep don't really foster the kumbaya imagery the the original Woodstock does. Don't get me wrong, they were fantastic. Everyone loves to hate on Limp Bizkit but that night they were gods. What I'd do to be able to go back ...

Dude awesome.. We had the time of our lives at Woodstock 99.. We didn't find out we had a "bad time" until Monday afternoon when the news and Mtv told us it sucked... Good job man.. We'll never forget that weekend.

I turned 31 in 1999, and I was raising young children. I missed out on this. It was nice to hear about it from someone who went. Thank you for sharing!

This is Nima from Iran. We've never had a huge Rock festival in our country and to watch and learn about Woodstock was really cool. Loved your stories so much. Wish I had a friend like you in my real life and I would listen to you for hours. I live in a country that is fighting for freedom and hopefully someday, there will be music festivals here in Iran as well. Thanks again for your video.

Thanks for the story! My sister's friend and his older brother went to Woodstock 99. We are all Chicagoians. Brian, my sister's friend, his older brother went to the 94 Woodstock and had a blast. Even with the rain, he said it was so much fun seeing his favorite bands and meeting new people. So he naturally got tickets for himself and invited Brian who was 18 at the time. They left on the second day. When they got back, we were relieved they were ok but Brian's brother had 2 stitches in his head, someone knocked his head in with glass during limp bizkits performance and brian was dehydrated. They couldnt take it and left Saturday night. They loved seeing their bands but said the atmosphere was chaotic and that you could tell the promoters didnt care about the safety of the concert goers. His brother said he saw a clearly underage girl doing drugs with 3 older guys who wouldnt stop grabbing her and he went to security and they didnt do much. They just asked if she was ok and for the guys to back off. I felt bad they had a terrible experience and so many others did as well. But I hear your story and it was nice to hear that you had a good time. Not everyone will have the same experience. Thanks again ❤

Thank you for sharing for those of us who couldnt be there! I was 14 at the time and my parents said I was 4 years shy of being able to go by myself, I was hearbroken! lol. They gave me the black cable box for the weekend so I watched every minute from my room!

Man I miss this era of my life. The late 90s early 2000s were amazing

Thank you so much for posting this fellow Woodstock 99 brother! My three friends and I were there too. For three 20 year olds from rural, north Idaho this concert festival was an unbelievable experience. I get so tired of trying to defend how great this music festival really was despite all the negative publicity it’s gotten over the last 24 years.

I really enjoyed watching your documentary! You did great and thank you for cracking the glow stick! Thank You for sharing all your memories.

I just saw the documentary because my brother really wanted me to watch it. I saw it and now I’ve been watching tons of people telling their stories about Woodstock ‘99. Your video is the best one I’ve seen. Thanks for sharing your story. Fun Fact: My dad was thinking about going to the show but couldn’t due to work and living far from New York.

I can feel that glow stick being passed around in 99 I'm in utter maze that it glows and I'm really happy that you showed us that, awesome way to cap the video thank you. And thanks you for your awesome story on your experience there 🤙♥️

Thank you for sharing your experience. I wish more folks would share like you. I was born in 1990 and loved all these bands as a young boy and wish I was old enough to attend this festival.

People have theories on why Woodstock 99 went so wrong, but the bottom line is it was 100% the fault of Michael Lang and the producers of the event. They should have used trained police officers as security, limited the event to 100,000 people, had it somewhere other than an air base (which was a toxic waste dump prior to the festival) , allowed concert goers to bring in their own food and water, had way more Porto potties and not placed them near the drinking water and control over the venders and their pricing. It wasn't young entitled white males, it wasn't the bands, let alone limp biztkit or Fred Durst. It was a pure greed. Plain and simple. My parents attended the original 69 Woodstock and they said it was also a disaster. They've told me a few horror stories. They met a lot of nice people and said some of the music was great, but there were a lot of bad things that went down. The media doesn't like to shine a negative light on the event because it still makes money. I am writing a tell all book about all of the Woodstocks and the dark hidden secrets which should be completed by next year. It's called "back to the gardens of hell"

This was a great video, thank you for making it. It was informative, nostalgic and you kept the suspense with the glow stick. I was not at the festival, but I am obsessed with this iconic bit of our generation’s history.

Wow! Thanks for your storytelling. I really appreciate the positive perspective you brought that nicely counteracts what I’ve seen in the documentaries and in the media. You seem like a very down to earth guy. The happiness I felt watching your glow stick actually glow after 23 years was eclipsed by watching YOUR joy that it still worked 💗 Peace.

I was there too with my daughter. I took her for her high school graduation present. We had a good time. We avoided all the assholes and issues. We found plenty of water. Although we did buy some water at 4.00 a pop. I snuck in some whiskey for myself in a wine sack to mix with soda. The outhouses were really gross 🤮. We arrived Friday afternoon and left on Monday morning. Was able to find outhouses enough to do our duties though. Saw the fires but stayed away. Oh I was 43 at the time my daughter was 18. The bands were great. We saw probably 15 band too. Rusted Root was my favorite. We saw the chili peppers too that was some crazy shit.

I love the music playing with the photos. Felt like I was there at times. The heat, the mess, the laughs, the disorganisation and craziness, and excitement. Amazing to have been a part of it.

5:44 "anyways, i digest" made me so happy 🌸❤️....glad it was the festival of a lifetime for you! i was in awe with the documentary. edit: made it all the way to the end!! ✨️ 🤣

Amazing how you keep memories of all your concerts!

nice to see a positive point of view of woodstock 99 and your and friend pictures rocks

I was there. The people had turned unoccupied tents into outhouses,I’m sure you witnessed that. By Saturday night they were mudsliding in the overflow from the porta-johns. Thankful it was local to me and we traveled there daily and didn’t stay the night.

Thanks for your stories!!! Love this! Much like your glow stick, I just turned 23. July 30th. I’m nearly as old as your Woodstock 99 experiences and I am absolutely fascinated. Would’ve loved to experience it all. Concerts are my life and I’ve camped out for a fair share of them, but wow. Peace & Love :)

Just watched the documentary the other day and came across your video on my feed. Your energy is so pure and genuine. And I can’t lie, the cracking of the glow stick and your excitement over it made me emotional 🥲 thank you for sharing! God bless.

I was 100% sure the glowstick would still work 🎉 Thanks for sharing your story, please do more. Hi from Australia 🇦🇺

Hehe I used those same exact glowsticks while in the US Army at this time. I can't believe it's getting on over 20 years ago. The 90's were simply a GREAT decade to be a teenager/young person. It just feels like our world has grown quite a bit darker since IMHO 9/11 killed off the 90's buzz from which we've never recovered. Great story of your own experience and the glowstick was a really nice moment of connectivity.

I loved watching this! Thanks so much man. Made me wish I could take my kids back to the mid 90’s and show them how optimistic life used to be.

I was only 15 at the time but I remember Woodstock 99 and all the problems that went on but I wish I could have went. All the bands that I grew up listening to was there. definitely a historical event.

Thanks for a trip or a wonderful trip down memory lane very elegantly done we need more of this now Thanks

I am so fascinatet about WS99, i cant believe this happended. Im german and regularly visit Metal-Festivals like "SummerBreeze", "Wacken", "Ragnarök", "FullForce" and stuff. Thought ive seen everything. But Woodstock? Thats a new level of going feral man

Thank you for your story man. I wasn't even born yet when Woodstock '99 went down, but watching the documentaries definitely interested me. The details in your stories make it feel like I'm there experiencing the festival too, and the photos just enhances your story. Thanks for sharing!

Anyone else get so emotional when the glow stick snapped.. and when you said “this is glowing for you” I cried a little 😢❤😊

An old buddy who once ate 17 mustard sandwiches in one sitting once said that if you tittybang a turnip, the cat will climb down from the tree and now I can't stop thinking about toaster strudels that had aspirations of being more than just a thought at 3am after a garbage can drum solo. Thanks for telling your story man!

Soo cool you were there. I'm a photographer. I was only 10ish at the time, but I just watched the doc on Netflix Glad you had those pictures! I would have been documenting the whole time as well!

I was to young to drink... Thank God. My very first Jedi trick, was not pooping for 4 days. To this day, I have not seen more people, nor more police in one spot. My best friend killed himself a a year later, but at least he lived while he was alive. Requiescat in pace Brian, love you man. Great video Pauli, thank you for taking me back man!

Great video. The pictures say it all. I was there to. I also have some pretty cool pictures. Also still have my ticket and wristband!! I'll never forget what I experienced there or seen lol. One thing is a definite everyone I was with was happy when the sun started to go down, the temps were ridiculous. Still wouldn't change a thing. So much fun it's indescribable unless you were there. The band line up was insane for those 3 days. Good times, good memories

I absolutely loved your story and your pictures. The not so bad side of Woodstock 1999.

That was quite a show man. It rained all morning, and then it cleared up in the afternoon. And that's it, I almost remembered something else, but it's gone.

Great job brother, I was 21 at that time and was supposed to go. What a great video you made here and so Canadian not looting and being respectful!

It was yesterday as much as it was a lifetime ago. Thanks for the memories. What a ride.

This is such a cool thing to have experienced! Its shown as such a bad time in the vast majority of videos, so I really like how you told the positives of it!

I was there,I was 18 at the time, what an experience!!! Also had seen some of those bands several times, it wasn't the music it was how they organized it. Still have my ticket stub and shirts

I commented and left a Like just because you cracked the glowstick for us! Thanks for sharing your story

Cool story homeboy, awesome man, I love how polite you were throughout all the chaos, attaboy!!

Thankyou for telling your story. Absolutely loved watching. I would love to have been able to go to Woodstock! Sounds like carnage but also incredible!

Wow i cant believe that glowstick lit up! So cool mustve been a super fun experience. So many of my favorites growing up, korn, rage against the machine, metallica, offspring, bush. Wouldve loved to see those bands play. The documentary makes it seem like it wasnt a good time toward the end haha. Im sure its gonna be different for everyone.

Thank you for sharing your story. I really appreciate it. The Trainwreck documentary is good. But it's nice to hear an unfiltered take on it from a fellow Canadian. I was super shocked that, that glowstick still worked. Memories that'll last you a lifetime man. Peace and prosperity friend.

I would love to just sit and listen to your stories.

lovely video man!! you should post a video with your insights on the bands you watched perform. I believe woodstock 99 was a very historical and mytical concert with glorious performances. Michael Lang sure knew that those kids did the right thing in the end by burning the place down... Woodstock spirit at its finest...✌️

I stuck around. I actually smiled at the end. Thanks for making this man!!

This was so cool. Thanks for sharing your experience and omg the glowstick!

I'm 45yrs old and going to Woodstock '99 was the greatest experience of my life, so far nothing has topped it, not even close! This was before cell phones and social media and before music turned to sh!t, so it was just an amazing time.

great video! and WOW!! i could almost feel the energy coming through that glow stick! incredible

Wow, great story telling man, I've just been here sitting enjoy listening to you Woodstock 99' experience. You gave lots of details and told us a lot of stuff that wasnt shown on the documentary! I wish, I could've gone to an event like that, maybe they'll have another woodstock in the future!

❤❤❤❤ Thank you so much for sharing your story, with the crowd so big I wondered how far the camping area was away from the stage!!! I was 11 but I remember the buzz about it, loved the pictures and of course the glow stick!! You rock man 😊✌️!!

Very nice. Brings back a lot of memories of the '90s. Just a couple years older than you but I would have never gone even if I was close enough. Wow, I didn't realize how far the stages were apart and didn't think to realize where the camping area may be. The pictures were awesome. Thanks for sharing.

I went!! I just graduated high school. Sold my new playstation to get the money for the ticket. Me and my two nest friends drove from Eastern Kentucky to Rome Ny with a sheet of pink blotter, 4 cases of coors light, an oz of Kentucky homegrown, and 2 gallons of Jim Beam!! I truly had the time of my life!!!! ✌

Great Stories. Thanks to share this amazing experience you had and all those photos you took. Ps: That glow stick lighting up was incredible.

I’ve been so interested in learning about Woodstock 99. I was born in 2004 so this was before my time so this video gave me a better understanding of what happened. Especially since you stayed for the entire festival. Most of the other videos I watched the people left before Sundays events went down. Thank you for sharing!

I’ve found it fascinating learning about Woodstock 99. It all started with a random KZfaq video. Then I watched the documentary on Netflix. And now I have a bunch of videos of Woodstock 99 being the topic of interest. But I find it fitting to be taking all this in, because I’m going to Bonaroo next week. And I guess I wanted to hear how a big festival would go. But I don’t think at all this will go wrong like Woodstock. But it’s good to know where people missed the mark, and what could go wrong. So that way if something did, I’d be ready and prepared. But also love learning about history and people’s experiences. Thanks for the share! Oh and Red Hot Chili Peppers are a headliner one of the days too at bonaroo… lol

Damn, so many relics of the turn of the century, i was too young to go to a show like that but i was certainly into a lot of the bands at the time. The story about crossing the border, those were the good old days pre 9/11, canadians and americans could cross the border to and from as they wish, often without a passport.

I feel so jealous man, born in 95, one of my first impact memories was watching MTV news when this happened. sadly, there wont be an event like this ever

A somehow different view on Woodstock `99. So it wasn`t that chaotic all over the place but sure on some spots. Cool word`s and authentic pictures. Your 23 Year old neon light stick that still worked did put me back in those days for a while. Awsome. I celebrated all those bands, too. It was a somehow phantastic time back then.

I loved this vid so much. My wife and I, also from London Ontario but living in Windsor at the time, went to Woodstock ‘94 - mud fest- . Different experience but much the same as far a corporate over peace and love. Great experience though. Still talking about it today anytime it comes up. We Woodstock people are all brothers and sisters as far as I am concerned. Peace and love.

Duuude!! Nice story nice videos and that glow stick is awesome I can't believe it actually did that!!!

I was 7 years old in 1999 and my mom, aunt's , and my uncle's , and their wives went there. After watching that documentary I am jealous of them!!! Lmao

I was 16 when Woodstock happened and was following updates on MTV. People forget Woodstock 99 was so hyped up beforehand. There was a buzz in the air leading up to the show. So cool you got the chance to go. Great video man!

My best friend and I were there. Came up from WV. Our tickets were way different. Big yellow with a 70's van and flowers on it. I still have it. Nice hearing someone else's experience. 🤘

Great video🤘 special the glow stick at the end.

Great video! I enjoyed it from home watching all the much music coverage hoping to catch glimpse of my favorite bands , Metallica, Korn, Limp Bitzkit at the time. I still have my vhs tape with all the interviews and coverage. Would have been right cool to be there. Rip to the poor fella who didn't make it. Completely disgusted with hearing about all the gropping and poor rape victims 😔. Definitely the truest unbelievable low point of the whole thing. One can only hope them girls are living a good life somewhere and have recovered from what they went through.

You’re a good man thank you for sharing

You’re a great guy, man. Thanks for sharing this

Great video! I remember seeing advertisements for Woodstock 99 in magazines and being so bummed I couldn’t go as I lived in the UK. I was 16 at the time and to be honest if I had gone it would have been my 1st concert and young naive me would have probably ended up in hospital or worse! Still I love watching the history of it all, thank you for sharing!

Great videos mannnn!!!! Woodstock lives on through great memories that were made !!! I really appreciate you sharing your Woodstock experience. 🎸

Thanks for sharing your story!

You seem to be a really cool guy Paulie! What an awesome video! I watched the netflix documentary and got fascinated by the woodstock 99 story, and being able to hear details from someone who actually attended is just amazing. Btw I loved the part where you loot the looters!!

I was 26, was hoping to go but my mate bailed on me. No responsibility in those days, 26 years old and could have gone and I wish I had. Great time the 90's. A much simpler time.

Great video Paul. Love the cat too. Glad people like you are out there to set the record straight. What kids today don't know is that we were a lot more peace and live back then, than anything else.

Thanks for the video man. I can tell you really enjoyed your self there and used up your glow for us. I love it. Can feel your emotions from here being a fellow Canadian who attends festivals in America

I grew up on all these bandz and I love how dmx was there ice cube was there that got overlooked in the Netflix documentary on the HB0 1 they focused a little more on hip hop connections an dmx performance in regards 2 wood stock He had the crowd going crazy god rest his soul

I don't consider Woodstock 99 as a failure. The riots happened when the last band left.

You're a good story teller man! At least as my naive eyes tell me no breaks. Chronological with woodstock artifacts is cool!

God bless you, good Sir. World could use more considerate people like you. Thanks for sharing.

Great video. Thanks for sharing your stories and memorabilia. I was 18 when i went and it changed my life. The Netflix doc was better than the terrible HBO max one by the Ringer but both of them are just banking on all the negative when there really was alot of love there. I met some amazing people and had an incredible time. I was there till monday morning as well and taking it all in throughout the chaos.

I was there. 19 years old. I was with a group of about 8-10 peers, all around the same age. There were 2 couples in our group, and the rest were dudes. I'll just list a few experiences I remember off the top of my head for any that care to read them! 1. We brought our own alcohol and other "substances", but there was plenty there to buy, and quite openly. I was able to easily buy hash, amd there was this one area where people were openly selling bags of shrooms ... Handmade signs and all ... No one cared ... Wild! And of course individual hustlers were everywhere. You could get anything you wanted. 2. We all slept in one huge tent. 3. It was quite a walk to get to the music stages ... The venue was huge. And the heat combined with all the young people and drugs ... Of course some shit was gonna pop off. 4. 1999 was one of the last years before camera phones became a thing, and there were naked girls everywhere. Heaven for a 19-year-old. Lol 5. The music, live performances, and overall energy and vibes was awesome. Never seen anything like it before or since. 6. Price gouging unfortunately was a thing from the very beginning. $5 for a bottled water. $10 for a hamburger. We did take the shuttle into town to eat at the local Burger King, but even the Burger King raised their prices to am insane level for the concert. You were getting ripped off everywhere you turned and people quickly realized it and were rightfully pissed off. 7. No showers. You had to wash in what were the same makeshift water fountains people drank from, but these were few and far between. 8. We left early Sunday morning when we sensed the vibes getting decidedly worse. 9. Overall an unforgettable experience.

31 years old here. I was about 6 or 7 years old when this happened. I always remembered 90s people being way more hardcore than my generation. Really fascinating, part of me wishes I’d been a little older to have been able to experience this.

Thanks for sharing your stories. MTV Brazil broadcasted the event live and I loved the bands, but then the narratives became terrifying. We knew what was going on. I'm glad everything was alright with you and you had a great time.

My cousin and my nephews lived in Rome NY during Woodstock 99! The nephews (poor young dudes) were assigned to “security” for the weekend. I got the WHOLE story from them! What a train wreck! By the year 2000, I was a festival owner/operator. A Bluesfest in London Ontario. It went on for nearly 20 years! It’s a huge challenge to run a successful three day festival. Peace

If you don't a Fred Durst pic on stage...You simply weren't a Woodstock 99 !!!

22:06 omg I was dying I knew EXACTLY where you were going with that 😂😂👏🏻💨🍃🔥

Paulie, I loved your video. Great storytelling and personal photos. Even your cat was impressed the glow stick still worked. I admire your honesty and ethics. I laughed at your question about whether its ok to steal from a robber. 😂 I would have done the same. Glowsticks are fun. 😂 Your video brought back memories of the only music festival I've attended (so far!) - Glastonbury in the UK. I think it was around 1984. I would have been 20. MUCH smaller scale compared to Woodstock. I drove through the main gate after dropping off my friends who sneaked through a fence and got in for free. I really liked the instrumental track you played behind your photo montage. I'd love to know the name of it. 😊🥰

omg I can’t believe the glow stick was alive after all this time!!!!!!!! wow!!!!!! also, your cat omggg what’s their name??? this was an interesting video, thank you for sharing your experience