Review: Trainwreck Woodstock '99

Working in big events is rewarding and at the same time super painful. Whenever we recover from extreme post-event fatigue, we laugh among ourselves and say that being an event professional is like a “cacha?a" (a distilled brazilian spirit made from sugarcane juice), that is, it is addictive. I am one of those professionals who love to watch and closely follow any festival or event. When you can't see it up close, the option is to watch it from home, on TV or streaming via cell phone, tablet, etc. In 1999, since there was still no streaming technology, the option was MTV. I remember that I was just another teenager, an absolute fan of heavy metal, hardcore, hard rock and the like, watching the festival live on MTV in Brazil. At 14 years old, my eyes glazed over watching some of my favorite bands at the time, like Offspring, Korn, Limp Bizkit and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Teenager, full of energy and curious, I watched it all from my sofa, commenting with friends and brothers, enjoying the comfort of home. And I had no idea of the chaos that was taking place live among the spectators. I saw all that movement and herd effect happening, but I thought it was all controlled, or that it was normal to be happening. After all, people on TV seemed to be enjoying it (and in fact they should be). Young, mostly male, white and with the feeling of being far away in the nest, out of the reach of parental control, being at Woodstock '99 was a dream of a generation. At least it was what it should be. I grew up hearing from my father about the event in 1969, despite him never having been there, but having lived the counterculture in Brazil, in the midst of the military regime (yes it existed). Going back to 1999, I confess that only in a few moments did I suspect that something was wrong there. Especially at the RHCP concert, you could see flames in the middle of the audience. But at the time I thought it would be a calculated move, after all it was RHCP playing the song “Fire” by Jimi Hendrix. I remember that I could only think: - “Wow! How cool and crazy it must be to be there!”. After 23 years, and now 37 years old, working with events, I would say that my madness at the time passes very far.

The documentary Trainwreck: Woodstock '99, which is available on Netflix, organized in 03 episodes, shows the backstage of the planning, operation and consequences of the event that should be a mirror of the legendary festival that took place in 1969, also in the USA. With the participation of its original creator Michael Lang, Woodstock '99 was totally different from the one remembered by the counterculture generation, with 03 days of peace, music and love. Chaos and anarchy turned the festival into a real battleground. Budget cuts, incoherent strategic plan, communication failures between organizers, broadcast and press, minimal concern with guest services & fan experience, bizarre failure in waste management, poor safety plan and abusive pricing in F&B culminated in the fatal end. Over than that, the complete omission to make decisions in emergency cases, the complete lack of a contingency plan and basic training in crowd management + health and safety procedures were the last straw for the operation to spill. Having outlined the combination of errors which contributed to the problematic opening of Woodstock 99', the following recommendations for crowd events can be made:

? Thorough testing of all systems and equipment is essential. Moreover, systems should not be tested in isolation, but as an integrated system, as they would be functioning at the actual event.

? Contingency planning is vital and must consider a wide range of issues. ? The knock-on effects of incidents must be given particular consideration during event preparation and contingency planning. The impact that events occurring in succession or combination can have should not be underestimated.

? There must be adequate flexibility built into plans, to accommodate the specific factors which could arise prior to and during the event.

? Good industrial relations between all parties involved are critical. All parties must work together in harmony, as a united team working towards mutually agreed goals.

? It is essential to listen to the first-hand knowledge and experience of front-line employees, who are most familiar with the systems and processes used on a daily basis.

? End-user involvement throughout the process is critical.

? Thorough training for all staff is vital, to ensure that everyone involved is familiar with – and confident in using – all the systems involved.

? All events should be considered using a socio-technical systems approach, to ensure social, technical and organizational aspects are all given equal consideration and jointly optimized.

? It is important to avoid becoming heavily reliant on technology, and to ensure that personnel are capable of manually over-riding systems if necessary.

? Lessons should be identified from previous events of a similar nature, both successful and disastrous ones

In short, the documentary is NECESSARY for professionals in the event area. Working in the area is learning from past mistakes and keeping up to date to reduce the risk of incidents in present and future events. May we continue to learn, listen and read whenever possible. Watch Trainwreck: Woodstock '99, simply unmissable. The official trailer can be watched below: