Woodstock '99 opens today. The three-day outdoor festival of music and love (and lots and lots of corporate sponsorship and overrated bands) will mark the 30th anniversary of the original music fest that defined a generation.
This year's music lineup had gone through many changes. Festival organizers found such bands as Aerosmith and Guns N' Roses to be a bit too temperamental or greedy. And some artists just didn't want to bother with the predicted mud -- the past two Woodstock concerts were each highlighted by a day of rain.In fact, if it doesn't rain, it will be a historic moment in music history.
Anyway, for those of us who won't be attending, here is the current band lineup list (in alphabetical order) unless someone pulls an Aerosmith and demands more money and luxuries than they're worth:
James Brown, Buckcherry, Bush, the Chemical Brothers, Collective Soul, Elvis Costello, Counting Crows, Creed, Sheryl Crow, DMX, Everclear, Everlast, Fatboy Slim, Godsmack, Al Green, Guster, Mickey Hart's Planet Drum, Bruce Hornsby, Ice Cube, Insane Clown Posse, Jamiroquai, Wyclef Jean & the Refugee Allstars, Jewel, Kid Rock, Korn Limp Bizkit, Lit Live, Los Lobos, Dave Matthews Band, Megadeth, Metallica, Moby, moe., Alanis Morissette, Willie Nelson, Mike Ness, the Offspring, Oleander, Our Lady Peace, Parliament/Funkadelic, Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Roots, Rusted Root, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Sugar Ray, the Tragically Hip, Umbilical Brothers.
ATTENTION WOODSTOCK UNATTENDEES: You will still be able to at least interact with some of the action going on at Griffiss Park in Rome, N.Y. (Note that this second tribute, like the first tribute, isn't being held at the original site, Max Yasgur's farm.)
Kodak and Live On Line are supplying the digital cameras and photographers, respectively, to "capture each moment and upload pictures to the photo gallery on www.woodstock.com.
Can you imagine? Each moment of the three-day concert on the Web? That's 4,320 minutes.
Granted, there are a lot of Web browsers and Internet heads out there, but do they have time to look at 4,000-plus photos?
JUDGE, NOT! In other news, former Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee -- Mr. Pamela Anderson -- can finally go to establishments where liquor is sold.
As part of his three-month alcohol probation stemming from a spousal abuse conviction a few months ago, Lee was prohibited from entering even 7-Eleven stores because of the brew in the coolers.
A Malibu Municipal Court judge in Los Angeles said on Monday that since the troubled beat-keeper has been such a good boy he can frequent restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations and -- uh oh -- bars and clubs if it's for legitimate business.
Did the judge forget that Lee began his drinking because he was legitimately drumming in bars and clubs during the Crue's early "business" days?
RIP: Waterboys drummer Kevin Wilkinson -- who also played with such bands as Squeeze, Howard Jones, the Proclaim and Bonnie Raitt -- was found dead at his home in Wiltshire, England, last week, reported MTV News.
The drummer apparently hanged himself to escape personal and family problems. He was found by his wife, Marilyn, on July 18.
He is survived by his wife and three children. Rest easy, man.