Woodstock '99 returns to the spotlight in a new documentary. This Windsor musician was at the fest
Kelly Hoppe played the infamous music festival Sunday, July 25, 1999, as part of Big Sugar
It was the event of the year for any alternative music fan.
Woodstock '99 lined up some of the biggest bands at the time, including Slipknot, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bush, to play at the summer music festival in Rome, N.Y. But it didn't play out like the August 1969 original.
Trainwreck: Woodstock '99, which recently debuted on Netflix, along with last year's Music Box: Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage, streaming on Crave, have brought the summer music festival back to the modern zeitgeist.
Kelly Hoppe, part of the band Big Sugar, played the music festival on Sunday night, July 25, 1999.
- WATCH | Kelly Hoppe checks out Woodstock '99:
Woodstock '99 had a few Canadian bands in the lineup, including the Tragically Hip, Alanis Morissette, Our Lady Peace, Serial Joe and Hoppe's band Big Sugar. But Hoppe wasn't sure what to expect when they took the stage.
- WATCH | How the Big Sugar concert went over at Woodstock '99:
In 1999, CBC News reported about people at the music festival going berserk overnight, setting fire to tents, booths, trailers, and sound equipment. The reasoning at the time was the riot started because of anger over long lineups and high food prices. Seven people were hurt and seven were arrested, including a 22-year-old man from Toronto. Hoppe said he learned about what was really happening at the festival when they turned on the TV at home.
- WATCH | Hoppe talks about the dichotomy between festivals weeks apart:
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