10 Most Shocking Moments In Rock Music History
3. Woodstock '99
At first glance, the idea of bringing back Woodstock in the early '90s seemed like a pipedream. Considering the era of alt-rock had little to nothing in common with the peace and love generation of 1969, the whole thing seemed slated to fail, only to go over like gangbusters in '94. However, you're playing with fire when you try to make lightning strike twice.
In the exact same spot it was in its heyday, the Woodstock festival of 1999 was a lot different than its predecessor, bringing with it acts of the nu metal genre like Korn and Limp Bizkit, along with familiar faces like Red Hot Chili Peppers. While the first night went off without a hitch, things took a turn for the worse during Limp Bizkit's set. During the song Break Stuff, Fred Durst called for the audience to let out all of their negative energy, which transformed into a near riot. Instead of just your traditional moshing, the crowd was tearing out parts of the stage, starting fires in the middle of the field, and even sexually assaulting other members of the audience.
It's not like Limp Bizkit did anything to nullify the situation either, with Durst surfing on one of the pieces of plywood that was torn down from the scaffolding. Where the original Woodstock may have been about peace and love, this kind of death and destruction was what snapped everyone out of alt-rock dream.