Comment by thinkingkong | Hacker News Reader

Comment by thinkingkong | Hacker News Reader

Woodstock 99 was my very first concert. Ever. I was 17 and quite anxious but I would have done anything for my high school crush so off we went. Weeks of working in a grocery store to pay for this event I had absolutely no expectations around, beyond maybe being able to see some great bands.

This all happened in a time of my life before I was “awake” due to other life circumstances, but what a slap to the face. Our tent was trampled. Everyone was filthy. The limp bizkit show caused absolute chaos. There wasnt enough food or water but I barely noticed because I couldnt afford anything. They had minimal security. No cell phones. Friends fully separated. Total and absolute madness. I dont even remember leaving or getting home. Must have fully disassociated by that point.

My parents would have been angry but I got home in one piece and I think their relief overrode any negative feelings. Pretty sure I spent a solid month inside on my computer after that.

>Our tent was trampled. Everyone was filthy. The limp bizkit show caused absolute chaos. There wasnt enough food or water but I barely noticed because I couldnt afford anything. They had minimal security. No cell phones. Friends fully separated. Total and absolute madness.

All of the above sound as intended part of the fun for a rock festival, and would have been seeked and cherished back in the day! I know I and friends did.

Including the: "I dont even remember leaving or getting home." which people who try to achieve on purpose by getting drunk/stoned/high (and even be proud of it, like the saying: "If you can remember Woodstock, you weren't there!").

Yeah I think at this point in my life Id appreciate an intentional bout of chaos but at the time I was just in a stupor.

I guess it makes sense to ease in to those kinds of things (go to simpler local shows first, progress to more chaotic ones, etc).

Maybe 20-22 is the better age for those bigger events.

Is your username the way to ask for beer after-hours in Chinatown?

I might be missing something obvious but what do you mean by “awake”?

Possibly a reference to: Helen Keller on her life before self-consciousness (1908) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40466814

I cannot speak to the above comments intent, but felt their words deeply. I assume they meant living with self-awareness. Consciousness of one’s own place in the world contextual beyond oneself. Becoming suddenly and irrevocably aware of one’s own inevitable mortality, rather than continued enjoyment of adolescent bliss. Evolving beyond liminal, secondhand awareness of suffering and injustice to an instant and innate understanding of the brutality and brevity of life itself.

reality came knocking.

So you’re describing what sounds to me to be an amazing concert.

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