cannabisnews.com: Gimme Swelter: A Happening That's Almost Too Hot! Gimme Swelter: A Happening That's Almost Too Hot! Posted by FoM on July 24, 1999 at 07:01:10 PT By Alona Wartofsky, Washington Post Staff Writer Source: Washington Post ROME, N.Y., July 23—Woodstock '99, the three-day musical extravaganza marking the 30th anniversary of the generation-defining 1969 Woodstock festival, was supposed to start today, but performances actually began on Thursday. So, too, did the madness. Late Thursday night, Parliament-Funkadelic's George Clinton, looking both bizarre and regal in multicolored robes and a bright green caftan, led a massive audience in chants of "Oh yeah! Booty!" Drawn by the thumps and the cheers, thousands of kids streamed across the broad runways at what was once Griffiss Air Force Base to join in. More than a dozen people danced on the top of a parked van painted with psychedelic designs. Nearby, a shirtless boy threw up as his friends looked on, mortified. Meanwhile, at the body-piercing tent, a young woman with freshly pierced genitals was hoisted up in the air by her boyfriend, who held her legs spread so that all could admire her new fashion statement. This is Woodstock '99. As the event officially unfolded today, no one seemed sure whether this particular Woodstock is defining anything at all. What was clear is that this Woodstock is massive. And very, very hot."It's Africa hot," said Greg Aossa, 20, as he emerged from one of the many misting tents, where people went to cool off. "This helps, but just for a while.""The back of my neck is greasy with sweat and sunblock, which isn't working," said Brian Agosta, 20, as he poured a $4 bottle of water down his back. Shade was scarce, so people crawled under parked trucks for a break from the sun. Others covered themselves with spare clothing.Uchenna Egwuonwu, 23, sought relief by taking her clothing off. She strode the grounds wearing nothing but flip-flops and glittery eye shadow. "It's hot. Why not? The body is beautiful," she said. "I've always wanted to walk around in public nude. At Woodstock it's a tradition, so I feel like it's okay. I wouldn't feel safe doing this anywhere else." Egwuonwu posed for pictures, turned down a proffered balloon filed with nitrous oxide and attracted much attention--almost as much as the guy who wandered around dressed in long black pants, a black shirt and a long black trench coat. As the trench-coated boy drifted by, Eric Bonzar, 20, stared in amazement. "He's probably so geeked up on some drug that he thinks it's snowing," Bonzar said.By this afternoon, organizers said they had sold more than 200,000 tickets, but they weren't sure how many more. Fortunately, the enormous Griffiss Park seemed big enough to accommodate the crowds.For some, Griffiss seemed too big. A "People Find" tent aided concert-goers who had lost their companions. Wendy Yonda, 33, a Rochester, N.Y., mortgage originator, brought along her daughter's favorite Teletubby--La-La--impaled on a long stick. "It's a marker. It's hard to find someone in this crowd," she said. "And our daughter will be able to see La-La on pay-per-view.""They were supposed to have a shuttle," grumbled Drew Hart, 30, a Chicago stock trader with long blond hair. "I came to the last Woodstock, and it was awful. This one is more organized than '94, but for the price of the tickets--$170--we were supposed to have a shuttle between the two stages."The East Stage and the West Stage are situated more than a mile apart, and even if temperatures weren't well into the 90s, it would seem like a very long walk. "It's on cement and hard-packed, uneven ground," said Hart. He debated whether to walk to the East Stage to hear British soul revivalists Jamiroquai or stay near the West Stage for the grungier sounds of American alternative rockers Buckcherry and Lit. He opted to stay put. A few lucky festival-goers had brought along Rollerblades or skateboards, which alleviated the transportation problem.The East Stage was where James Brown opened today's performances, but Brown was not as well received as the comedians who followed him with jokes about Ecstacy and marijuana. Matt Wilkin, 14 and wearing a "South Park" T-shirt, was not impressed by the Godfather of Soul. "He's boring," said Matt. He was waiting for DMX and Limp Bizkit. "I like rap and heavy metal. I don't like this type of music. It's too old."Today's performers included a variety of acts ranging from rappers DMX and the Roots to pretentious British grunge rockers Bush to Southern California's irreverent punks the Offspring. Upstate New York jam band moe. closed its set with what it referred to as "the national anthem." It was the Ramones's "I Wanna Be Sedated."Sedated, stoned, drunk--whatever. Maybe everyone was too high or too damned hot to think about the meaning behind Woodstock '99. Or maybe cultural dissections would have to wait. "It's too early to say," said Ryan Miller, vocalist and guitarist for the Boston trio Guster, which is scheduled to play Saturday afternoon. "Woodstock '94 was about mud and Green Day. I think Saturday's gonna be the day. The bands are more heavy this year. I'm waiting for the barely controlled chaos--everything teetering on the brink of anarchy. How often do you get this many people for an event? Maybe a sports event, maybe when the pope comes to town, or maybe the state fair in Ohio.""It's nicer than I imagined," said Agosta. "I was kind of scared. I was afraid it would be too rowdy, but it's not too bad. Everyone's very friendly. I don't know much about the first Woodstock, but it seems that this one's going the same way. Everyone's mellow and nice to each other for a change." Saturday, July 24, 1999; Page C01 © Copyright 1999 The Washington Post Company Cannabis News Wood Stock Related Articles: Wood Stock Rocks Again - 7/23/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread2169.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by FoM on July 24, 1999 at 15:07:36 PT: Heat Builds, Woodstock Fans Try To Stay Cool! 3.42 p.m. ET (1943 GMT) July 24, 1999By William Kates, Associated Press http://www.foxnews.com/ROME, N.Y. (AP) — At the original Woodstock, there were warnings about bad acid. At Woodstock '99, the admonishments are about water — drink lots of it. Organizers on Saturday tried to push H2O on more than 225,000 people sweltering in 90-degree-plus temperatures during the second day of the three-day megaconcert. "There's lots of free water here. There's water all over the site. We just have to get people to use it,'' promoter John Scher said. "Without being preachy or lecturing them, we are telling concertgoers to drink lots of water, wear hats and use sunscreen.'' On Friday, emergency medical crews treated more than 400 people for heat exhaustion and dehydration and that continued Saturday to be the top concern. Not crime. Not traffic. Not gatecrashers. Not the growing piles of garbage and overflowing portable toilets. Other than the heat, the 30th anniversary festival at an abandoned military base in upstate New York was running faily smoothly. There was one death: a 44-year-old man suffered a heart attack overnight at his campsite. The man had been in the hospital two weeks ago for heart surgery and state police believed his death was unrelated to the heat. A concertgoer also gave birth. The delivery came at a local hospital, not the festival site, officials said. No other information was available. The possibility of scattered showers in the forecast Saturday might afford concertgoers some relief. "It's almost unbearable,'' said Angela, an 18-year-old from New Hampshire, who didn't want to give her last name. She was sporting a serious sunburn around her neck and shoulders. "But a little heat and sunburn are nothing to put up with for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity like this.'' There were water fountains and "rain rooms'' — tents with sprinklers — set up throughout the site. At each stage, concert workers sprayed those in the front with hoses and passed jugs of water back into the crowd. "The rain rooms are hard to get into because of the lines,'' said Kirsty Dawson, 20, of Fishkill, N.Y. "If I get too hot, I'll roll in the mud.'' Even as the second day began, people continued streaming into the concert grounds. About 25,000 people arrived overnight Friday and Scher said organizers would continue to sell discounted tickets — now priced at $120 apiece — as long as people wanted to buy them. Six more people were arrested Friday night, bringing the total to nine since Thursday. Four of those arrested were driving drunk, one was charged with drug possession and another with shoplifting. "Quite frankly, we're astonished at how few arrests we've had,'' said New York State police Major James Parmley. Among the musicians performing Saturday were Counting Crows, Dave Matthews Band, Alanis Morissette and Metallica. comments newsdigital.com© 1999, News America Digital Publishing, Inc. Heat Builds, Woodstock Fans Try To Stay Cool! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on July 24, 1999 at 12:23:09 PT: Happy Birthday! Glad you got to see some of Wood Stock!Happy Birthday To You! Happy Birthday To You! Happy Birthday Happy Birthday Dear Old Lady #4:20! LOL!Happy Birthday To You!Peace, FoM! [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by oldlady#420 on July 24, 1999 at 10:44:34 PT I saw some acts last night... A friend has access to free pay per view so we watched Woodstock '99 between about 1am and 4am EST...It was my birthday so I rather enjoyed the fact that it started on this day. I enjoyed a group called Moe. Of course Sheryl Crowe, and James Brown were excellent . Of course as a woman from the seventies I try to never judge another era's musichowever, I found some of the bands to be rather disturbing reflecting the troubled times of a violent society! Just a thought...However, I always enjoy Sheryl Crowe and JB!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on July 24, 1999 at 10:15:51 PT: Thousands Go Wild In Wood Stock Rgeneration! By Allen Salkin & Al Guart http://www.nypostonline.com/ More than 200,000 pot smokers, mud fighters, crowd surfers, tie-dye wearers and proud freaks of all kinds have now gathered for a gargantuan party in upstate New York, on land that not long ago housed crew-cut military men and the machinery of war. Woodstock '99 kicked into high gear yesterday on the grounds of the former Griffiss Air Force Base. It was like the prophecy of Joni Mitchell's 1970s song "Woodstock" had come to pass: "I dreamed I saw the bombers riding shotgun in the sky, turning to butterflies above our nation." Nothing seemed to slow the party - not half-mile-long lines for showers in the camp grounds, not blistering heat, not thick traffic heading off the Thruway into the former base in Rome. Because the line for women's showers was far longer than the men's, some young ladies showered with the men. None seemed to mind. And spending four hours driving the last 20 miles to the site didn't phase Patrick McCracken, 19, who drove here with three friends from Knoxville, Tenn. "It was all part of the experience," he said. The heat has been a problem, landing hundreds of people with heat exhaustion in first-aid tents. There have been rumors of breaks in the plywood "peace" wall which is supposed to keep out those who haven't paid $150-$180 for the three-day festival, but organizers deny it and everyone on the ground appeared to have the required bright green wristband. Promoter John Scher announced that a discounted two-day admission ticket would go on sale at 6 a.m. today for $120. As many as 350,000 people could show up, he said. The feds did their part to ensure that the latest Woodstock isn't too much like the original. Drug Enforcement Administration agents yesterday busted a 19-year-old man carrying 11,000 tabs of LSD, some of which was destined for Woodstock. Brooke Young, of Eugene, Ore., was charged with narcotics trafficking in upstate Rochester after agreeing to sell 6,000 hits of the hallucinogen to an undercover state trooper. He allegedly told the cop he planned to sell the remaining 5,000 tabs at the concert. The drugs had a street value of up to $55,000, agents said. Scher had no comment on the LSD bust. Meanwhile, revelers of all generations were ready to party. Paula Questa, 35, a nurse from Maspeth, brought her 11-year-old son to see his favorite band, Korn. "The wildest thing for me is when they get people in the air and pass them over the crowd," Brian Questa said. His mom said she had to cover her son's eyes a few times when some crowd surfers were showing a bit more flesh than might be seen on the streets of Maspeth. "I didn't think there would be so many people exposing themselves," she said, adding that she didn't really mind. No one else seemed to mind either. - NY Post: Jim Alcorn Pubdate: July 24, 1999 New York Post®, nypostonline.com™, nypost.com™ and newyorkpost.com™ are registered trademarks of NYP Holdings, Inc. Copyright 1999 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved. Thousands Go Wild In Wood Stock Rgeneration! 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