Last Updated: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 Part 2: Woodstock '09? Feelin' Lucky, Sucker? Updated: Saturday, July 25, 2009 Photo: CMS c 2009 Sure, your local music critic may be waxing poetic about the legend of Woodstock (August15-17, 1969) , on its upcoming 40th anniversary--Jimi, The Who, Santana and all. Gosh, he or she might even have an interview with Michael Lane, one of the promoters behind the first Woodstock festival disaster in 1969. There will be others claiming credit for the myth that is Woodstock. But, most people around the world now understand the dirty little secret behind every Woodstock festival myth: 1969-94-99. They were rip-offs and disastrous events for host communities and treacherous for festivalgoers. Each festival, including the first, which was saved from complete disaster by the New York State national guard, has produced too many preventable first aid casualties (in the thousands), rapes and even deaths. While Mr. Lane and associates get the credit for creating Woodstock, they can also claim the credit for killing Woodstock as a pop culture beacon and a marketing success. Where's the proof of such an assertion? Mr. Lane can point to it better than anyone. Ask Mr. Lane, a consumate promoter and marketeer, why there is no 40th anniversay Woodstock festival. It is not because he didn't try. He did. Mr. Lane simply could not find a community in the US, or around the world, that would take on a Woodstock IV. It didn't have to be like this. Woodstock '94 and especially '99 could have been successful and safe festivals if crowd safety and security issues had been competently addressed. In fact, before the Woodstock '99 began, Crowd Management Strategies' Paul Wertheimer told the news media that the festival seating mosh area would be the festival's Achilles' heel and must be addressed. It was not. The public would later learn that the overwhelming number of serious injuries---in the thousands---and rapes of femaile concertgoers would come from this area. Four decades on, people have come to see Woodstock '69 and it's offspring events---with the help of Crowd Management Strategies/Crowdsafe.com---for what they really were: music festival disasters with great soundtracks. This is the second story in a two-part series. [ home ][ crowdcafe ][ new ][ crowdshop ][ contact ] Crowd Management Strategies © 1997 - 2006. All rights reserved. Crowdsafe is a registered trademark of Crowd Management Strategies © 2006.