In a new documentary released this week by Netflix (aptly called Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99) Korn frontman Jonathan Davis shares his own personal experiences as a main stage performer at the infamous event.
By the year 1999, nu metal had exploded into the mainstream, with Limp Bizkit and Korn incredulously becoming some of the biggest bands in the world at the time.
Korn‘s set in front of a frenzied crowd of 250,000 (!) is one for the history books, but also a sign that things were likely going to get out of control as the weekend progressed.
Limp Bizkit’s then-manager explains in the doc: “Korn had the crowd whipped up into a frenzy. Something’s gonna go wrong. What is it? When is it? They need to calm down.”
Davis himself then weighs in on what the experience was like through his own eyes and goes on to share his thoughts on Limp Bizkit (who infamously had the most raucous set of the whole fest, essentially unwillingly starting a massive audience meltdown that eventually crescendoed into a full-on riot).
As transcribed by The Pit:
“The atmosphere backstage was just kind of electric. I was excited. I remember going right into my dressing room, looking in the mirror and going ‘Oh My God, holy fuck.’ This is massive. I remembered the intro, we’re walking out… I come walking out and I see that fucking crowd.
And I’m like ‘what the flying fuck?’ When you see it with your own eyes, it’s just ten times more shocking. I looked over and I just saw waves as the sound traveled all the way to the back. There’s no drug, there’s nothing on this planet that can give you that fucking feeling of having a crowd in your hand like that.”
Davis then weighs in on Limp Bizkit’s set: “I loved how they [Limp Bizkit] just didn’t give a fuck, period. He [Fred Durst] was just like the ringleader. He’d always just get people to do the craziest shit.”
This isn’t the first time Davis commented on the Limp Bizkit set- in a previous HBO documentary about the Woodstock ’99 fiasco, he explained:
“They had the crowd going insane. But by that time, people were walking around in piss and shit, because all of the fucking porta potties overflowed. They were dehydrated, passing out. It was too many people for what the facilities they had, and then it just went from there.”
Wild times indeed. You can check out both band’s Woodstock ’99 sets below: