Sheryl Crow recalls “awful” Woodstock ’99: “It was debauched right from the beginning”

Sheryl Crow has reflected on her “awful” experience at Woodstock ’99, recalling the moment that forced her to cut her performance short.

The recent three-part Netflix documentary Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99 revealed details of the chaotic three days of looting, arson and sexual assault that ensued at the third incarnation of the legendary festival.

• READ MORE: “Down with Profitstock!”: Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99 shows festivals at their exploitative worst

The line-up at the festival held in Rome, New York featured the likes of Aerosmith, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Korn and Fatboy Slim.

Also on the bill was Crow, who spoke about her Woodstock experience on the latest episode of the Fly on the Wall podcast hosted by Saturday Night Live alumni David Spade and Dana Carvey.

“I watched part of [the documentary] on the airplane a couple of days ago, I had to turn it off. It was so disturbing and I remember it. I remember how awful it was,” Crow said (via The Independent).

“When you watch how everyone went bananas. I can’t believe who would stay, it was so bad,” Spade added, to which Crow responded: “It is interesting that people did stay. Almost felt like they couldn’t leave.”

“It was debauched from the beginning because we were on the first day. You could look out and see girls who were topless on guys’ shoulders, trying to get the MTV camera to sweep around in front of them and get on TV. And they were already throwing shit from the outhouses that were not set up right, that were leaking.

“At one point, some landed on my hand while I was playing bass during ‘My Favorite Mistake’. That’s when we stopped. We played about four songs and I remember saying, ‘Nah, not gonna do it.’”

She did, however, describe it as a “highlight” of her live performance stories.

This week the ‘All I Wanna Do’ singer’s new documentary Sheryl was released on digital platforms. In a four-star review, NME described it as an “illuminating” documentary with “twists and turns” but added that its “tough subject always stays the course”.

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