Mainer learns valuable lessons at Woodstock ’99

Editor’s Note: Anthony Saucier, a sophomore at the University of Maine in Orono and member of the rock group Bedlam, ventured to Woodstock ’99. He shares his experience of the festival.

ROME, N.Y. — Walking into the middle of 250,000 people was a little overwhelming for teen-ager from Bangor. I had never been to a festival as large as Woodstock ’99, so I was a little taken aback, to say the least. We were all there for the same reason — to experience the music — but my friend and I soon realized we didn’t know how we were going to make it through the weekend. Like most who attended, we learned as we went:

This isn’t a state fair. You can’t just park your car and walk in. In one of 50,000 cars entering the former Griffiss Air Force Base on Thursday, a two-mile ride in turned into a two-hour ride in the heat, followed by a mile-long walk with numerous backpacks and a cooler full of water.

Be patient when looking for shelter. There were countless fields for pitching a tent, yet little space was left. After an hour of searching, we found a place in a far corner of the 3,600-acre grounds and wasted no time in putting up our tent. At 11:30 that night — as we slept — a family from Alabama attempted to move our tent with us in it. Although we woke up a little ornery, it seemed sensible to make friends rather than enemies, so we moved the tent and went back to sleep. Come daylight, the field was overflowing with tents.

Festivals are expensive. On a humid Friday morning, we launched a search for cold water. There was plenty for sale — at $4 a bottle. The first bottle could then be refilled free at water stations — if you were willing to walk. Lunch brought the opportunity to purchase a small cheese pizza for $12. Surely, this is not a trap a well-prepared Boy Scout would have fallen into.

This would be a diverse crowd. James Brown, the “godfather of soul,” opened the show on the main stage. The thousands of people watching Brown boogie down included children as young as 9 or 10, and individuals who I am sure were old enough to have attended the first Woodstock 30 years ago. Mohawk haircuts, tattoos, love beads, neckties, bandanas, capes and sombreros were seen in great numbers. Everyone was groovin’ to the music and smiling — definitely a “warm fuzzy” moment.

Listen to your mother. My mother instructed me to drink copious amounts of water and put on sunblock ritually. I took her advice with a grain of salt, but did use some sunblock Friday morning. In a couple of hours, it had all but evaporated, and I quickly got a pretty nasty sunburn. From then on I applied sunblock hourly.

Respect your fellow concert-goers. With only 2,500 portable toilets — about one for every 100 people — it was quite a task to find one without a long wait. There was also a certain etiquette regarding nudity. When approached by a nude person seeking directions or offering fliers, it helped to remember that these people really do wear clothing when they’re not at Woodstock.

Everyone carries a message. Political messages were everywhere. Tibetan monks from Free Tibet promoted the emancipation of Tibet from Chinese control. A group called Pax urged concert-goers to sign a petition for world peace. Zach de La Rocha, front man for Rage Against the Machine, gave his vocal support to Leonard Peltier, whose imprisonment for murder years ago has given rise to a large movement of supporters who proclaim his innocence. Musicians, actors and activists took the stage daily.

Tease the performers. I had a wonderful experience meeting the Oregon-based band Everclear. Shaking hands with front man Art Alexakis, I struggled not to sound like a drooling fan. “I think you looked cooler with long hair,” I offered.

“Jerk,” he replied, then asked my age. Told I was 19, he said, “I’m 20 years older than you. How cool would it be for me to be running around with long hair? I’m old enough to be your father.” We both laughed. I made for the exit, turning to call out, “Goodbye, dad!” Art looked up and smiled.

Buy stuff. You’re only going to be there once, so it’s nice to have mementos. What better way to remember your trip than a pair of 100 percent hemp underwear or some new ink at one of the tattoo shops? I brought back something for my friends who wanted to go, and of course some purple Mardi Gras beads for Mom. If the prices are too high, wait and they’ll go down. That $30 T-shirt will only cost $10 on the last day.

Leave early. The trip that took seven hours to get there will take 14 on the way back. Those 250,000 people arrived at different times — but wanted to leave all at once. We missed the last acts — but also the looting, fires and riots that broke out at the end. So we had time for that stop at the emergency room for my friend with the worst sunburn, and for that little chat with the officer who pulled me over for speeding just before we left friendly New York. I thought about that as we drove by an ambulance crew hauling three people out of a crumpled heap of metal.

Despite the long days, overpriced food, multitudes of people and intense heat, Woodstock ’99 was one of the best events of my life.

I went into it thinking Woodstock was about experiencing the music. I now know it was about experiencing the experience. Even at $150 a ticket, it was well worth it.