There have been few music festivals or concerts that have a legacy as complicated as the disastrous Woodstock ’99. What was supposed to be an event celebrating the 30th anniversary of the iconic 1969 festival filled with peace, love, and music, devolved into a chaotic, dangerous, and overpriced weekend that some still consider the day the music died. And those three days that will forever live in infamy are now the subject of the 2022 Netflix series Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99.
If you have heard about the new documentary series, either from watching one of its trailers or noticing it on the Netflix homepage but want to know more about it, you’ve come to the right place because we’re about to break down a few things you should know before watching.
Trainwreck: Woodstock ‘99 Tells The Story Of The Infamous Music Festival
If you are looking for an in-depth look at Woodstock ’99 and how the event that was started with the best of intention descended into complete chaos and one of the darkest moments of the late 20th Century, you can’t go wrong with this docuseries. Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99 takes what other documentaries and news specials have done over the years and turned up the volume to provide an unprecedented look at the notorious event.
Each Of The Docuseries’ Three Episodes Focus On A Different Day Of Woodstock ‘99
Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99 is broken up into three episodes ranging anywhere from 45 to 51 minutes in length. Each of those three episodes focuses on a different day of the festival, which creates an incredibly engaging and straightforward narrative that helps better explain how everything went down.
Trainwreck: Woodstock ‘99 Takes More Of A ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ Approach To The Story
One of the most fascinating aspects of Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99 is the way in which it approaches the story of the festival and its big moments. Instead of having some talking head waxing poetic about the event, the documentary shows the viewer how it all played out, in some cases breaking it down minute by minute. This direction not only creates a more “in the moment” feel it also helps distance the new docuseries from the 2021 HBO documentary Woodstock ’99: Peace, Love, and Rage, which looked at the festival from a more modern view.
Festival Goers, Bands And Organizers All Share Personal Stories From The Event
Throughout Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99, attendees, organizers, and several of the artists that performed share their experiences from the festival. Near the end of the first episode, Korn lead singer Jonathan Davis describes his experience playing in front of hundreds of thousands of fans while footage from the pay-per-view event plays in the background, which helps illustrate the sheer size of the concert.
Trainwreck: Woodstock ‘99 Contains Adult Content Some May Find Upsetting
Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99 has a TV-MA rating, which should come as no surprise to anyone who has read about notorious music festival or remembers watching the around-the-clock news coverage that aired in its fallout. The documentary series features uncensored nudity, mentions of alleged sexual assault, violence, strong language, drug use, and the destructive riot that brought an abrupt end to the festival.
The Docuseries Was Originally Titled Clusterf**k: Woodstock ‘99 Until Shortly Before Its Release
In the lead-up to its release, the Netflix docuseries was titled Clusterf**k: Woodstock ’99 (as seen in the trailer for upcoming August Netflix titles, and this Facebook post), but the streaming service apparently changed it to Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99 shortly before it premiered. No reason has been given for the change in title.
