History Horrible / MusicFestivals

'''Important Note''': To ensure that the festival is judged with a clear mind and the hatred isn't just a knee-jerk reaction, as well as to allow opinions to properly form, '''[[Administrivia/NoRecentExamplesPlease examples should not be added until at least one month after release]]'''. This includes "sneaking" the entries onto the pages ahead of time by adding them and then just commenting them out.

'''Important Note''': To ensure that the festival is judged with a clear mind and the hatred isn't just a knee-jerk reaction, as well as to allow opinions to properly form, '''[[Administrivia/NoRecentExamplesPlease examples should not be added until at least one month after release]]'''.

* '''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock_1999 Woodstock '99]]''' ranks next to the Altamont disaster as one of the worst mass live events in UsefulNotes/{{America}}, and a complete disgrace to [[UsefulNotes/{{Woodstock}} its namesake]]. It was planned horribly from the get-go--staged late July at closed-down Griffiss Air Force Base, a former toxic waste site, during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The two main concert stages were ''a mile and a half apart'', with no natural shade in-between, causing hundreds of heat exhaustions[[note]][[https://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/woodstock_99_legacy_a_lawsuit.html and the one recorded death]][[/note]]. Few people left the shade of the hangars holding the Emerging Artists and rave stages. [[http://ultimateclassicrock.com/woodstock-99-riots/ In the hopes of turning a profit,]] they jacked prices and lowered expenses wherever they could. Toilet and washing facilities amounted to port-a-potties and a mere 100 showers; they broke in little time and [[NauseaFuel the resulting waste would flow directly into the camping area]]. Sanitation and security workers were overworked and underpaid, to the point of simply walking out on their posts. Meanwhile, outside food and drink were discouraged in favor of [[http://web.archive.org/web/20001012225457/http://www.usmusicvault.com/woodstock99.html gouged vendor fare.]] In response, attendees tore open water fountains and picked nearby grocery stores clean. Parking was so dismal that, in the ''three-mile'' traffic jam, cars were left abandoned as they overheated or ran out of gas idling. And yet the organizers paid through the nose for talent; Music/InsaneClownPosse alone got $100,000. It was scheduled horribly; on one stage, Music/TheTragicallyHip, Music/CountingCrows, and the Music/DaveMatthewsBand played right before Music/LimpBizkit and Music/RageAgainstTheMachine. A few performers handled themselves so poorly that it's not clear which of them drove the crowd to riot: Fred Durst ranted to the crowd and had [[Music/LimpBizkit his band]] play [[TemptingFate "Break Stuff."]] Music/KidRock demanded the audience to [[ProducePelting throw water bottles at the stage]]. Insane Clown Posse [[MoneyToThrowAway threw beach balls covered in hundred-dollar bills into the audience,]] causing fights. And Music/RedHotChiliPeppers, after covering Music/JimiHendrix's "Fire"[[note]]As a ''last-minute'' personal request by Jimi's sister for the Hendrix tribute; this was (coincidentally) the only one of his songs they knew[[/note]] [[IncendiaryExponent handed out candles]]. But no small part of it could be blamed on the crowd--fights broke out over who came to see who, even mid-concert, and ''TRL'''s staff was abused so badly they needed counseling. This escalated so quickly that state troopers and local police were overwhelmed. By the end, people were smashing [=ATMs=], booths, vehicles, a gallery, and audio equipment, stealing from one another nonstop, and lighting everything in sight on fire (including [[{{Irony}} the borderwall mural commemorating the original Woodstock]]). There were six serious injuries, and at least eight confirmed counts[[note]]beyond that, reports differ greatly[[/note]] of rape--including statutory, in a stolen truck that was driven through Music/FatBoySlim's audience. The final scheduled event, a midnight DJ set by [[Music/JanesAddiction Perry Farrell]], had to be cancelled, and the New York State Police had to be dragged in to clean up the mess.\\

* The '''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altamont_Free_Concert Altamont Free Concert]]''', or "UsefulNotes/{{Woodstock}} West", as infamously documented by the concert film ''Film/GimmeShelter1970''. Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}} booked and headlined this show, which took place on December 6, 1969 at the Altamont Speedway in Alameda County, UsefulNotes/{{California}}. It featured many of the big rock bands of '60s counterculture UsefulNotes/{{America}}... as well as four deaths, countless injuries, massive property damage, and an attempt on Music/MickJagger's life. Among the worse decisions: co-organizers Music/TheGratefulDead paid members of the wrong chapter of Hells Angels[[note]]The band accidentally hired members of the notoriously violent UsefulNotes/{{Oakland}} branch of the Hells Angels, rather than the much calmer UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco one which had staffed many a prior Grateful Dead concert without incident[[/note]] to stand guard, allegedly in $500 USD[[note]]Equivalent to around $3500 USD as of March 2021[[/note]] worth of cold beer. This decision resulted in countless fights with the audience, injuries to the talent, the one non-accidental death,[[note]]18-year-old Meredith Hunter, who approached the stage with a revolver while high as a kite and was stabbed by guard Alan Passaro[[/note]] and a Music/JeffersonAirplane set so catastrophic (one of them knocked singer-guitarist Marty Balin out partway through) that the Dead canceled their performance and fled out of fear. It served as the antithesis to the "peace and love" atmosphere of Woodstock, and on the heels of the [[UsefulNotes/CharlesManson Manson Family murders]], Altamont came to symbolize that the counterculture movements of TheSixties had [[EndOfAnAge ended with the '60s themselves]].

* 2017's '''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fyre_Festival Fyre Festival]]''', co-founded by Ja Rule and Billy [=McFarland=], was a promotional event for [=McFarland=]'s Fyre music booking app, selling tickets priced at an average of $1,200. Fyre promised a luxurious 3-day festival on a private resort in UsefulNotes/TheBahamas, with headliners like Music/Blink182, accommodations in "modern, eco-friendly, geodesic domes" and gourmet meals from chefs, and $1,500 wristbands in lieu of cash or credit. In reality, there was no lineup outside of some hastily-employed buskers, the wristbands were never issued (and wouldn't have worked), the accommodations were FEMA relief tents, open-faced cheese sandwiches, and undressed salad, there was no access to water... and all of this was on [[BlatantLies an aborted building site Fyre simply advertised as a private resort]]. On Great Exuma, which was already overcrowded due to the annual boat race.[[note]]The festival was originally meant to be held on Norman's Cay, but the rights were only given to them on the condition they not mention the island's history with the Medellin Cartel. When initial trailer for the festival name-dropped Pablo Escobar as the island's former owner, the rights were immediately revoked.[[/note]] The area was hopelessly understaffed, with a baggage crew given to stealing and outright ''destroying'' luggage. And to top it all off, all air traffic from the island stopped for hours on end, which left people locked in a hot building without food, water, or money. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism went so far as to publicly distance itself from the event. ''[[UsefulNotes/AmericanNewspapers The Washington Post]]'' has a pretty entertaining article on the affair [[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2017/04/28/the-complete-and-utter-disaster-that-was-fyre-festival-played-out-on-social-media-for-all-to-see/?utm_term=.29514362e8d0 here,]] and ''[[UsefulNotes/AmericanNewspapers New York Magazine]]''[='s=] [[http://nymag.com/thecut/2017/04/fyre-festival-exumas-bahamas-disaster.html article]] could offer an insider's viewpoint because ''nobody mandated an NDA''. WebVideo/DoubleToasted talk about it [[https://youtu.be/Iyd1YnEk_EM here]]. The organizers were sued ''eight times'', one for more than $100 million--the ensuing investigation got Billy [=McFarland=] [[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/arts/music/fyre-festival-organizer-sentenced-fraud.html put away for fraud, in relation to this and another racket.]] WebVideo/InternetHistorian and iiluminaughtii have their own [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBPg5ftCMv8 in-depth looks at the festival]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFhDId3t0rc&t=636s and how it all went so catastrophically wrong.]] ''Podcast/{{Swindled}}'' dedicated an episode to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skEVYr6youw Billy McFarland's fraudulent activity up to and during the festival]], while Creator/{{Netflix}} and Creator/{{Hulu}} premiered different documentaries on the disaster in 2019, respectively ''Film/{{Fyre}}'' and ''Film/FyreFraud''. Taking DuelingWorks up to eleven, both docs directly accuse the other of being [[DocumentaryOfLies ethically compromised]] in various ways.[[note]]''Fyre Fraud'' openly accuses ''Fyre'' of being being ethically compromised as it was produced by Jerry Media, one of the principal advertising agencies of Fyre Festival (''Fyre'' portrays the agency as not being informed at all of the wrongdoings), and the documentary takes multiple shots at it. In contrast, despite spending the entire film describing Billy [=McFarland=] as a criminal and a con man, ''Fyre Fraud'' actually features [=McFarland=] himself participating in interviews, having paid him an undisclosed but large (reportedly six-figure) sum for him to do so.[[/note]]

* 2017's '''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fyre_Festival Fyre Festival]]''', co-founded by Ja Rule and Billy [=McFarland=], was a promotional event for [=McFarland=]'s Fyre music booking app, selling tickets priced at an average of $1,200. Fyre promised a luxurious 3-day festival on a private resort in UsefulNotes/TheBahamas, with headliners like Music/Blink182, accommodations in "modern, eco-friendly, geodesic domes" and gourmet meals from chefs, and $1,500 wristbands in lieu of cash or credit. In reality, there was no lineup outside of some hastily-employed buskers, the wristbands were never issued (and wouldn't have worked), the accommodations were FEMA relief tents, open-faced cheese sandwiches, and undressed salad, there was no access to water... and all of this was on [[BlatantLies an aborted building site Fyre simply advertised as a private resort]]. On Great Exuma, which was already overcrowded due to the annual boat race.[note]]The festival was originally meant to be held on Norman's Cay, but the rights were only given to them on the condition they not mention the island's history with the Medellin Cartel. When initial trailer for the festival name-dropped Pablo Escobar as the island's former owner, the rights were immediately revoked.[[/note]] The area was hopelessly understaffed, with a baggage crew given to stealing and outright ''destroying'' luggage. And to top it all off, all air traffic from the island stopped for hours on end, which left people locked in a hot building without food, water, or money. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism went so far as to publicly distance itself from the event. ''[[UsefulNotes/AmericanNewspapers The Washington Post]]'' has a pretty entertaining article on the affair [[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2017/04/28/the-complete-and-utter-disaster-that-was-fyre-festival-played-out-on-social-media-for-all-to-see/?utm_term=.29514362e8d0 here,]] and ''[[UsefulNotes/AmericanNewspapers New York Magazine]]''[='s=] [[http://nymag.com/thecut/2017/04/fyre-festival-exumas-bahamas-disaster.html article]] could offer an insider's viewpoint because ''nobody mandated an NDA''. WebVideo/DoubleToasted talk about it [[https://youtu.be/Iyd1YnEk_EM here]]. The organizers were sued ''eight times'', one for more than $100 million--the ensuing investigation got Billy [=McFarland=] [[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/arts/music/fyre-festival-organizer-sentenced-fraud.html put away for fraud, in relation to this and another racket.]] WebVideo/InternetHistorian and iiluminaughtii have their own [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBPg5ftCMv8 in-depth looks at the festival]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFhDId3t0rc&t=636s and how it all went so catastrophically wrong.]] ''Podcast/{{Swindled}}'' dedicated an episode to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skEVYr6youw Billy McFarland's fraudulent activity up to and during the festival]], while Creator/{{Netflix}} and Creator/{{Hulu}} premiered different documentaries on the disaster in 2019, respectively ''Film/{{Fyre}}'' and ''Film/FyreFraud''. Taking DuelingWorks up to eleven, both docs directly accuse the other of being [[DocumentaryOfLies ethically compromised]] in various ways.[[note]]''Fyre Fraud'' openly accuses ''Fyre'' of being being ethically compromised as it was produced by Jerry Media, one of the principal advertising agencies of Fyre Festival (''Fyre'' portrays the agency as not being informed at all of the wrongdoings), and the documentary takes multiple shots at it. In contrast, despite spending the entire film describing Billy [=McFarland=] as a criminal and a con man, ''Fyre Fraud'' actually features [=McFarland=] himself participating in interviews, having paid him an undisclosed but large (reportedly six-figure) sum for him to do so.[[/note]]

* 2017's '''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fyre_Festival Fyre Festival]]''', co-founded by Ja Rule and Billy [=McFarland=], was a promotional event for [=McFarland=]'s Fyre music booking app, selling tickets priced at an average of $1,200. Fyre promised a luxurious 3-day festival on a private resort in UsefulNotes/TheBahamas, with headliners like Music/Blink182, accommodations in "modern, eco-friendly, geodesic domes" and gourmet meals from chefs, and $1,500 wristbands in lieu of cash or credit. In reality, there was no lineup outside of some hastily-employed buskers, the wristbands were never issued (and wouldn't have worked), the accommodations were FEMA relief tents, open-faced cheese sandwiches, and undressed salad, there was no access to water... and all of this was on [[BlatantLies an aborted building site Fyre simply advertised as a private resort]]. On Great Exuma, which was already overcrowded due to the annual boat race. The area was hopelessly understaffed, with a baggage crew given to stealing and outright ''destroying'' luggage. And to top it all off, all air traffic from the island stopped for hours on end, which left people locked in a hot building without food, water, or money. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism went so far as to publicly distance itself from the event. ''[[UsefulNotes/AmericanNewspapers The Washington Post]]'' has a pretty entertaining article on the affair [[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2017/04/28/the-complete-and-utter-disaster-that-was-fyre-festival-played-out-on-social-media-for-all-to-see/?utm_term=.29514362e8d0 here,]] and ''[[UsefulNotes/AmericanNewspapers New York Magazine]]''[='s=] [[http://nymag.com/thecut/2017/04/fyre-festival-exumas-bahamas-disaster.html article]] could offer an insider's viewpoint because ''nobody mandated an NDA''. WebVideo/DoubleToasted talk about it [[https://youtu.be/Iyd1YnEk_EM here]]. The organizers were sued ''eight times'', one for more than $100 million--the ensuing investigation got Billy [=McFarland=] [[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/arts/music/fyre-festival-organizer-sentenced-fraud.html put away for fraud, in relation to this and another racket.]] WebVideo/InternetHistorian and iiluminaughtii have their own [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBPg5ftCMv8 in-depth looks at the festival]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFhDId3t0rc&t=636s and how it all went so catastrophically wrong.]] ''Podcast/{{Swindled}}'' dedicated an episode to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skEVYr6youw Billy McFarland's fraudulent activity up to and during the festival]], while Creator/{{Netflix}} and Creator/{{Hulu}} premiered different documentaries on the disaster in 2019, respectively ''Film/{{Fyre}}'' and ''Film/FyreFraud''. Taking DuelingWorks up to eleven, both docs directly accuse the other of being [[DocumentaryOfLies ethically compromised]] in various ways.[[note]]''Fyre Fraud'' openly accuses ''Fyre'' of being being ethically compromised as it was produced by Jerry Media, one of the principal advertising agencies of Fyre Festival (''Fyre'' portrays the agency as not being informed at all of the wrongdoings), and the documentary takes multiple shots at it. In contrast, despite spending the entire film describing Billy [=McFarland=] as a criminal and a con man, ''Fyre Fraud'' actually features [=McFarland=] himself participating in interviews, having paid him an undisclosed but large (reportedly six-figure) sum for him to do so.[[/note]]

* 2017's '''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fyre_Festival Fyre Festival]]''', co-founded by Ja Rule and Billy [=McFarland=], was a promotional event for [=McFarland=]'s Fyre music booking app, selling tickets ran for an average of $1,200. Fyre promised a luxurious 3-day festival on a private resort in UsefulNotes/TheBahamas, with headliners like Music/Blink182, accommodations in "modern, eco-friendly, geodesic domes" and gourmet meals from chefs, and $1,500 wristbands in lieu of cash or credit. In reality, there was no lineup outside of some hastily-employed buskers, the wristbands were never issued (and wouldn't have worked), the accommodations were FEMA relief tents, open-faced cheese sandwiches, and undressed salad, there was no access to water... and all of this was on [[BlatantLies an aborted building site Fyre simply advertised as a private resort]]. On Great Exuma, which was already overcrowded due to the annual boat race. The area was hopelessly understaffed, with a baggage crew given to stealing and outright ''destroying'' luggage. And to top it all off, all air traffic from the island stopped for hours on end, which left people locked in a hot building without food, water, or money. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism went so far as to publicly distance itself from the event. ''[[UsefulNotes/AmericanNewspapers The Washington Post]]'' has a pretty entertaining article on the affair [[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2017/04/28/the-complete-and-utter-disaster-that-was-fyre-festival-played-out-on-social-media-for-all-to-see/?utm_term=.29514362e8d0 here,]] and ''[[UsefulNotes/AmericanNewspapers New York Magazine]]''[='s=] [[http://nymag.com/thecut/2017/04/fyre-festival-exumas-bahamas-disaster.html article]] could offer an insider's viewpoint because ''nobody mandated an NDA''. WebVideo/DoubleToasted talk about it [[https://youtu.be/Iyd1YnEk_EM here]]. The organizers were sued ''eight times'', one for more than $100 million--the ensuing investigation got Billy [=McFarland=] [[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/arts/music/fyre-festival-organizer-sentenced-fraud.html put away for fraud, in relation to this and another racket.]] WebVideo/InternetHistorian and iiluminaughtii have their own [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBPg5ftCMv8 in-depth looks at the festival]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFhDId3t0rc&t=636s and how it all went so catastrophically wrong.]] ''Podcast/{{Swindled}}'' dedicated an episode to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skEVYr6youw Billy McFarland's fraudulent activity up to and during the festival]], while Creator/{{Netflix}} and Creator/{{Hulu}} premiered different documentaries on the disaster in 2019, respectively ''Film/{{Fyre}}'' and ''Film/FyreFraud''. Taking DuelingWorks up to eleven, both docs directly accuse the other of being [[DocumentaryOfLies ethically compromised]] in various ways.[[note]]''Fyre Fraud'' openly accuses ''Fyre'' of being being ethically compromised as it was produced by Jerry Media, one of the principal advertising agencies of Fyre Festival (''Fyre'' portrays the agency as not being informed at all of the wrongdoings), and the documentary takes multiple shots at it. In contrast, despite spending the entire film describing Billy [=McFarland=] as a criminal and a con man, ''Fyre Fraud'' actually features [=McFarland=] himself participating in interviews, having paid him an undisclosed but large (reportedly six-figure) sum for him to do so.[[/note]]

* '''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock_1999 Woodstock '99]]''' ranks next to the Altamont disaster as one of the worst mass live events in UsefulNotes/{{America}}, and a complete disgrace to [[UsefulNotes/{{Woodstock}} its namesake]]. It was planned horribly from the get-go--staged late July at closed-down Griffiss Air Force Base, a former toxic waste site, during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The two main concert stages were ''a mile and a half apart'', with no natural shade in-between, causing hundreds of heat exhaustions[[note]][[https://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/woodstock_99_legacy_a_lawsuit.html and the one recorded death]][[/note]]. Few people left the shade of the hangars holding the Emerging Artists and rave stages. [[http://ultimateclassicrock.com/woodstock-99-riots/ In the hopes of turning a profit,]] they jacked prices and lowered expenses wherever they could. Toilet and washing facilities amounted to port-a-potties and a mere 100 showers; they broke in little time and [[NauseaFuel the resulting waste would flow directly into the camping area]]. Sanitation and security workers were overworked and underpaid, to the point of simply walking out on their posts. Meanwhile, outside food and drink were discouraged in favor of [[http://web.archive.org/web/20001012225457/http://www.usmusicvault.com/woodstock99.html gouged vendor fare.]] In response, attendees tore open water fountains and picked nearby grocery stores clean. Parking was so dismal that, in the ''three-mile'' traffic jam, cars were left abandoned as they overheated or ran out of gas idling. And yet the organizers paid through the nose for talent; Music/InsaneClownPosse alone got $100,000. It was scheduled horribly; on one stage, Music/TheTragicallyHip, Music/CountingCrows, and the Music/DaveMatthewsBand played right before Music/LimpBizkit and Music/RageAgainstTheMachine. A few performers handled themselves so poorly that it's not clear which of them drove the crowd to riot: Fred Durst ranted to the crowd and had [[Music/LimpBizkit his band]] play [[TemptingFate "Break Stuff."]] Music/KidRock demanded the audience to [[ProducePelting throw water bottles at the stage]]. Insane Clown Posse [[MoneyToThrowAway threw beach balls covered in hundred-dollar bills into the audience,]] causing fights. And Music/RedHotChiliPeppers, after covering Music/JimiHendrix's "Fire"[[note]]As a ''last-minute'' personal request by Jimi's sister for the Hendrix tribute; this was (coincidentally) the only one of his songs they knew[[/note]] [[IncendiaryExponent handed out candles]]. But no small part of it could be blamed on the crowd--fights broke out over who came to see who, even mid-concert, and ''TRL'''s staff was abused so badly they needed counseling. This escalated so quickly that state troopers and local police were overwhelmed. By the end, people were smashing [=ATMs=], booths, vehicles, a gallery, and audio equipment, stealing from one another nonstop, and lighting everything in sight on fire (including [[{{Irony}} the borderwall mural commemorating the original Woodstock]]). There were six serious injuries, and at least eight confirmed counts[[note]]beyond that, reports differ greatly[[/note]] of rape--including statutory, in a stolen truck that was driven through Music/FatBoySlim's audience. The final scheduled event, A midnight DJ set by [[Music/JanesAddiction Perry Farrell]], had to be cancelled, and the New York State Police had to be dragged in to clean up the mess.\\

* During what was considered the height of the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic at the time, a festival called the '''[[https://loudwire.com/herd-immunity-festival-static-x-nonpoint-more/ Herd Immunity Fest]]''' (later renamed the '''July Mini Fest''') happened in Ringle, UsefulNotes/{{Wisconsin}} from July 16-18, 2020 in spite of repeated warnings against the festival occurring for three months straight. The perceived goal of the festival was to rock out to music during the weekend of July 17-19 while also making sure enough people potentially got immunized from COVID-19. However, its perceived goal immediately got undercut when city officials limited the amount of concert goers from a maximum crowd of 10,000 people to just 2,000 people total. Even with the smaller than anticipated crowd, however, the crowd of 2,000 people (maybe even 2,500 people according to ''The Oakland Press'') did not care for the CDC's social distancing rules of the time[[note]](the recommendation of social distancing of 6 feet away from another person was set to make sure people were safe from infection in case someone was infected with the virus, which was a complete unknown due to how long it could last inside of someone without them even knowing they were already infected beforehand)[[/note]], nor did the crowd bother to wear any face masks to prevent the spread of the virus in case they did have COVID-19. At least one band that initially signed up for the festival (Nonpoint) dropped out of the event due to the festival's name, two tribute bands for Music/{{Metallica}} and Music/{{ACDC}} respectively were listed as participants for this small event, and some people (including the lead singer of Music/Powerman5000) expressed their thoughts on the genuinely disturbing behavior of the festival going on during a pandemic back when the vaccine for the virus was months away from being released to the general public. Since it occurred during one of the highest points of the pandemic, it can be considered likely that some of the concert goers were infected by the virus when it was all said and done. [[https://loudwire.com/herd-immunity-fest-mini-fest-photos-videos-masks-social-distancing/ This link]] showcases how this was an event where [[CreatorsApathy the crowd and the organizers just did not care]] about their own health and safety during such a heated time in history.

* '''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock_1999 Woodstock '99]]''' ranks next to the Altamont disaster as one of the worst mass live events in UsefulNotes/{{America}}, and a complete disgrace to [[UsefulNotes/{{Woodstock}} its namesake]]. It was planned horribly from the get-go--staged late July at closed-down Griffiss Air Force Base, a former toxic waste site, during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The two main concert stages were ''a mile and a half apart'', with no natural shade in-between, causing hundreds of heat exhaustions[[note]][[https://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/woodstock_99_legacy_a_lawsuit.html and the one recorded death]][[/note]]. Few people left the shade of the hangars holding the Emerging Artists and rave stages. [[http://ultimateclassicrock.com/woodstock-99-riots/ In the hopes of turning a profit,]] they jacked prices and lowered expenses wherever they could. Toilet and washing facilities amounted to port-a-potties and a mere 100 showers; they broke in little time and [[NauseaFuel the resulting waste would flow directly into the camping area]]. Sanitation and security workers were overworked and underpaid, to the point of simply walking out on their posts. Meanwhile, outside food and drink were discouraged in favor of [[http://web.archive.org/web/20001012225457/http://www.usmusicvault.com/woodstock99.html gouged vendor fare.]] In response, attendees tore open water fountains and picked nearby grocery stores clean. Parking was so dismal that, in the ''three-mile'' traffic jam, cars were left abandoned as they overheated or ran out of gas idling. And yet the organizers paid through the nose for talent--Music/InsaneClownPosse alone got $100,000. It was scheduled horribly; on one stage, Music/TheTragicallyHip, Music/CountingCrows, and the Music/DaveMatthewsBand played right before Music/LimpBizkit and Music/RageAgainstTheMachine. A few performers handled themselves so poorly that it's not clear which of them drove the crowd to riot: Fred Durst ranted to the crowd and had [[Music/LimpBizkit his band]] play [[TemptingFate "Break Stuff."]] Music/KidRock demanded the audience to [[ProducePelting throw water bottles at the stage]]. Music/InsaneClownPosse [[MoneyToThrowAway threw hundred-dollar bills into the audience,]] causing fights. And Music/RedHotChiliPeppers, after covering Music/JimiHendrix's "Fire"[[note]]As a ''last-minute'' personal request by Jimi's sister for the Hendrix tribute; this was (coincidentally) the only one of his songs they knew[[/note]] [[IncendiaryExponent handed out candles]]. But no small part of it could be blamed on the crowd--fights broke out over who came to see who, even mid-concert, and ''TRL'''s staff was abused so badly they needed counseling. This escalated so quickly that state troopers and local police were overwhelmed. By the end, people were smashing [=ATMs=], booths, vehicles, a gallery, and audio equipment, stealing from one another nonstop, and lighting everything in sight on fire (including [[{{Irony}} the borderwall mural commemorating the original Woodstock]]). There were six serious injuries, and at least eight confirmed counts[[note]]beyond that, reports differ greatly[[/note]] of rape--including statutory, in a stolen truck that was driven through Music/FatBoySlim's audience. The final scheduled event, A midnight DJ set by [[Music/JanesAddiction Perry Farrell]], had to be cancelled, and the New York State Police had to be dragged in to clean up the mess.\\

[[http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/19-worst-things-about-woodstock-99-20140731 More than]] [[http://www.sfgate.com/style/article/Woodstock-99-The-day-the-music-died-3073934.php one]] report made the requisite [[Music/DonMcLean "Ms. American Pie"]] reference, while [[Music/RedHotChiliPeppers Anthony Kiedis]] compared it to ''Film/ApocalypseNow''. Creator/{{MTV}} evacuated its entire crew for their safety--Kurt Loder, an Army veteran, likened the scene to an all-out war. ''Spin'' also did a [[https://books.google.com/books?id=ygXnnzAlaNQC&lpg=PA101&dq=woodstock%2099%20spin&pg=PA100#v=onepage&q=woodstock%2099%20spin&f=false post-mortem feature on the festival,]] and ''[[Magazine/{{Mad}} MAD Magazine]]'' responded with a [[https://readcomicsonline.ru/uploads/manga/mad-magazine-2018/chapters/13/24.jpg hilarious, merciless send-up]] by way of the original 1969 Woodstock poster. Festival organizer and Woodstock co-founder Michael Lang declared that there would [[FranchiseKiller be no further Woodstock events]]; true to his (initial) word, he could not get another one booked before he died, despite attempts to do so. In 2022, [[Series/TrainwreckWoodstock99 a documentary]] was released on Creator/{{Netflix}} detailing just how bad it got.

* '''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_Open_Air Metal Open Air]]''', in 2012, was styled after festivals like Wacken and meant to bring high-end metal bands such as Music/{{Megadeth}}, Music/BlindGuardian and Music/{{Anthrax}} to the huge metal scene in UsefulNotes/{{Brazil}}. Unfortunately, it went down as a spectacle of potential wasted by lousy decisions. For one, they hosted it not in a major city like UsefulNotes/SaoPaulo, UsefulNotes/RioDeJaneiro, or Brasília, but at a fairgrounds in Maranhão, a region of Brazil known for poverty, violent crime, low population, and very high temperatures. Well below half the talent even made it, due to careless handling of visas, nonstop clerical errors, and a complete failure to accommodate many of them for the trip. Those who did found themselves playing on deeply faulty equipment (through constant electrical blackouts), to a crowd deprived of food, water, or toiletries. In lieu of the advertised food court and bars, the organizer simply hired a couple food trucks at a steep markup. Reporters found themselves in a room with no Wi-Fi, phone reception, air conditioning, or basic security; predictably, much of their equipment was stolen. The festival was cancelled on its final day, after police involvement--and the audience and musicians alike had to sue the people in charge in an effort to get anywhere near what they were promised.

* '''Blue Ridge Rock Festival''', a metal festival located in Southern Virginia, always had its share of controversies surrounding logistical problems in the past, and after several complaints about the 2021 and 2022 editions, the main promoter promised major improvements for the 2023 edition... Unfortunately, the exact opposite happened, to the point it has become one of the main contenders for the worst festivals of 2023. The festival actually started well on its first day, until a weather alert during the afternoon put an end to it. Festivalgoers immediately discovered that there was no actual evacuation plan despite a massive storm hitting the festival grounds. Not only that, but the shuttle service quickly became overwhelmed because there were not enough coaches for the number of people to evacuate, let alone to attend the festival at all. There has been accounts of people waiting in line up to '''5 hours''', not to mention the campsite being literally obliterated by the storm, with several tents torn apart. The next day went through without a hitch, despite the cancellation of Till Lindemann[[note]]Lead singer of Rammstein, who was supposed to perform with is solo band at Blue Ridge as an US exclusive[[/note]] and a heated weather. However, the last two days were abruptly cancelled due to weather issues. This was the final straw for festivalgoers and crew, as accounts of bad experience of the festival immediately started to flock. ''A Facebook group was even created just for that.'' Almost every accounts showcased the same problems at the festival: overpriced food and water, lack of basic accomodations, lack of access to water [[note]]only two waterstations, with just one being general admission[[/note]], long waiting lines just to get into the festival grounds to the point people left cars several miles away, an overall unsanitary environment with dirty showers, dirty porta-potties and trash laying around the festival grounds, little to no assistance to injured or sick people, and overall poor planning. The festival crew themselves also denounced these appaling conditions and lack of accomodations, to the point the staff reportedly walked out of the festival hours before it was permanently cancelled. The Health Department of Virginia even investigated the festival grounds because of the unsanitary situation and noted many violations, though they clarified they did not shut Blue Ridge down. Even a few bands that had to chance to play at the festival came forward with their experience at the festival. You can watch TanktheTech's video [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=604iHUhK1Ac here]][[note]]He was managing Electric Callboy during their North American tour, which included a date at Blue Ridge[[/note]], were he outright says Blue Ridge was his worst working experience ever.

* Music/TravisScott's 2021 '''Astroworld Festival''' was intended as the yearly festival's grand return after the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic. Travis had high hopes for it, including a live recording of his concert on Apple TV. Unfortunately, as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroworld_Festival_crowd_crush detailed]] on [[Website/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]], the festival went so disastrously that it was cancelled on the first day. The problems began before even the festival itself--the whole thing was understaffed and underplanned. Security consisted of 100 or so people off the street, who answered an online ad and were immediately posted at the gate without background checks nor training. No plan existed to prepare for a crowd rush. Thus, a crowd a mere quarter of what UsefulNotes/{{Houston}}'s NRG Park was equipped for easily overwhelmed the staff. The first reports of overdoses, injuries and arrests came ''before the festival actually started''. Scott's reputation for encouraging reckless behavior at his concerts came to a head when the crowd promptly rushed the stage, causing a massive crowd crush. He ignored the ensuing panic and cries to stop the show, only pausing three times to acknowledge when someone passed out. Not even the staff bothered to step in. All in all, 10 people died, 23 were hospitalized, and over 300 were sent to the field medic. Scott later apologized and promised to help out, but the damage was already done, not just to his reputation but to the many plans made for after the festival. He and the other festival organizers were sued for creating a one-man Altamont.
* '''[[https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frostbite_Metalfest Frostbite Metalfest]]''', held in Lahti, Finland on 6-7 February 2009, was organized by an 18-year-old boy with no prior experience of planning a music festival. The event promised several big names in metal music, such as Music/LambOfGod, Music/ArchEnemy, Music/CradleOfFilth, {{Music/Gorgoroth}}, and, most notably, {{Music/Mayhem}}. Unfortunately, all but two of the above had to cancel when the organizer slacked off on paying (or in two cases, outright ''didn't'') the talent's travel expenses. Even the bands that could make it found that he'd completely failed to meet basic promises of accommodation. This lackadaisical treatment extended towards the audience; what little information they were provided turned out to be inaccurate. The announcement that Mayhem wouldn't play, [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mayhem_peruttu.jpg a single piece of printer paper taped to a wall]] with "MAYHEM CANCELED" handwritten in Finnish, [[MemeticMutation became an internet meme in Finland]]. The event also functionally bankrupted its organizer, who was left €190,000 in debt. Otto Levijärvi, youth journalist for the Finnish Broadcasting Company, covers the story of Frostbite Metalfest [[http://vintti.yle.fi/yle.fi/pop/otto-levijarvi/2009-02-23/tragikoominen-frostbite-metalfest.html here]].
* 2017's '''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fyre_Festival Fyre Festival]]''', co-founded by Ja Rule and Billy [=McFarland=], was a promotional event for [=McFarland=]'s Fyre music booking app, selling tickets ran for an average of $1,200. Fyre promised a luxurious 3-day festival on a private resort in UsefulNotes/TheBahamas, with headliners like Music/Blink182, accommodations in "modern, eco-friendly, geodesic domes" and gourmet meals from chefs, and $1,500 wristbands in lieu of cash or credit. In reality, there was no lineup outside of some hastily-employed buskers, the wristbands were never issued (and wouldn't have worked), the accommodations were FEMA relief tents, open-faced cheese sandwiches, and undressed salad, there was no access to water... and all of this was on [[BlatantLies an aborted building site Fyre simply advertised as a private resort]]. On Great Exuma, which was already overcrowded due to the annual boat race. The area was hopelessly understaffed, with a baggage crew given to stealing and outright ''destroying'' luggage. And to top it all off, all air traffic from the island stopped for hours on end, which left people locked in a hot building without food, water, or money. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism went so far as to publicly distance itself from the event. ''The Washington Post'' has a pretty entertaining article on the affair [[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2017/04/28/the-complete-and-utter-disaster-that-was-fyre-festival-played-out-on-social-media-for-all-to-see/?utm_term=.29514362e8d0 here,]] and ''New York Magazine''[='s=] [[http://nymag.com/thecut/2017/04/fyre-festival-exumas-bahamas-disaster.html article]] could offer an insider's viewpoint because ''nobody mandated an NDA''. WebVideo/DoubleToasted talk about it [[https://youtu.be/Iyd1YnEk_EM here]]. The organizers were sued ''eight times'', one for more than $100 million--the ensuing investigation got Billy [=McFarland=] [[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/arts/music/fyre-festival-organizer-sentenced-fraud.html put away for fraud, in relation to this and another racket.]] WebVideo/InternetHistorian and iiluminaughtii have their own [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBPg5ftCMv8 in-depth looks at the festival]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFhDId3t0rc&t=636s and how it all went so catastrophically wrong.]] ''Podcast/{{Swindled}}'' dedicated an episode to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skEVYr6youw Billy McFarland's fraudulent activity up to and during the festival]], while Creator/{{Netflix}} and Creator/{{Hulu}} premiered different documentaries on the disaster in 2019, respectively ''Film/{{Fyre}}'' and ''Film/FyreFraud''. Taking DuelingWorks up to eleven, both docs directly accuse the other of being [[DocumentaryOfLies ethically compromised]] in various ways.[[note]]''Fyre Fraud'' openly accuses ''Fyre'' of being being ethically compromised as it was produced by Jerry Media, one of the principal advertising agencies of Fyre Festival (''Fyre'' portrays the agency as not being informed at all of the wrongdoings), and the documentary takes multiple shots at it. In contrast, despite spending the entire film describing Billy [=McFarland=] as a criminal and a con man, ''Fyre Fraud'' actually features [=McFarland=] himself participating in interviews, having paid him an undisclosed but large (reportedly six-figure) sum for him to do so.[[/note]]
* During what was considered the height of the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic at the time, a festival called the '''[[https://loudwire.com/herd-immunity-festival-static-x-nonpoint-more/ Herd Immunity Fest]]''' (later renamed the '''July Mini Fest''') happened in Ringle, Wisconsin from July 16-18, 2020 in spite of repeated warnings against the festival occurring for three months straight. The perceived goal of the festival was to rock out to music during the weekend of July 17-19 while also making sure enough people potentially got immunized from COVID-19. However, its perceived goal immediately got undercut when city officials limited the amount of concert goers from a maximum crowd of 10,000 people to just 2,000 people total. Even with the smaller than anticipated crowd, however, the crowd of 2,000 people (maybe even 2,500 people according to ''The Oakland Press'') did not care for the CDC's social distancing rules of the time[[note]](the recommendation of social distancing of 6 feet away from another person was set to make sure people were safe from infection in case someone was infected with the virus, which was a complete unknown due to how long it could last inside of someone without them even knowing they were already infected beforehand)[[/note]], nor did the crowd bother to wear any face masks to prevent the spread of the virus in case they did have COVID-19. At least one band that initially signed up for the festival (Nonpoint) dropped out of the event due to the festival's name, two tribute bands for Music/{{Metallica}} and Music/{{ACDC}} respectively were listed as participants for this small event, and some people (including the lead singer of Music/Powerman5000) expressed their thoughts on the genuinely disturbing behavior of the festival going on during a pandemic back when the vaccine for the virus was months away from being released to the general public. Since it occurred during one of the highest points of the pandemic, it can be considered likely that some of the concert goers were infected by the virus when it was all said and done. [[https://loudwire.com/herd-immunity-fest-mini-fest-photos-videos-masks-social-distancing/ This link]] showcases how this was an event where [[CreatorsApathy the crowd and the organizers just did not care]] about their own health and safety during such a heated time in history.

* '''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_Open_Air Metal Open Air]]''', in 2012, was styled after festivals like Wacken and meant to bring high-end metal bands such as Music/{{Megadeth}}, Music/BlindGuardian and Music/{{Anthrax}} to the huge metal scene in UsefulNotes/{{Brazil}}. Unfortunately, it went down as a spectacle of potential wasted by lousy decisions. For one, they hosted it not in a major city like São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, or Brasília, but at a fairgrounds in Maranhão, a region of Brazil known for poverty, violent crime, low population, and very high temperatures. Well below half the talent even made it, due to careless handling of visas, nonstop clerical errors, and a complete failure to accommodate many of them for the trip. Those who did found themselves playing on deeply faulty equipment (through constant electrical blackouts), to a crowd deprived of food, water, or toiletries. In lieu of the advertised food court and bars, the organizer simply hired a couple food trucks at a steep markup. Reporters found themselves in a room with no wi-fi, phone reception, air conditioning, or basic security; predictably, much of their equipment was stolen. The festival was cancelled on its final day, after police involvement--and the audience and musicians alike had to sue the people in charge in an effort to get anywhere near what they were promised.