The inside story of the death, decay, and destruction that was Woodstock 1999 is told in a new documentary from HBO, Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, And Rage, available now on the streaming platform.
It was reported last year that Netflix was developing a documentary series about the doomed festival, but it now appears HBO has beaten the streaming giant to the punch. Per Collider, the film hosts interviews with those who experienced the event first hand, including organizers Michael Lang and John Scher; culture critics Wesley Morris, Maureen Callahan, and Steven Hyden; and musicians Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter (The Roots), Jonathon Davis (Korn), Moby, Jewel, The Offspring, Scott Stapp (Creed), and more.
A trailer for the documentary, shared on Tuesday, blends archival footage with first-hand accounts of the three-day festival. Beyond that, however, interview subjects examine how the pent-up rage that was brewing in the zeitgeist of American youth—highlighted by heavy, angry music—boiled over at the infamous event, which featured a headliner with a hit song titled “Break Stuff”. Some even go a step further to observe that this generational angst still exists today and simply carried over to chatrooms and subreddits.
Woodstock 99 is set to premiere as the first in HBO’s Music Box series of documentaries, featuring six films from executive producer Bill Simmons (30 for 30). The other five films will tackle such subjects as Alanis Morissette‘s Jagged Little Pill breakthrough album, a documentary on the late DMX chronicling his release from prison in 2019, a film about Kenny G, Mr. Saturday Night examining Robert Stigwood and his impact on the disco era, and finally a film about the late rapper Juice WRLD and his impact on the genre.
Watch the trailer for Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, And Rage below and stream the film now on HBO Max.
Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage (2021) | Official Trailer | HBO
[Video: HBO]
[H/T Collider]