Former MTV host Carson Daly compares Woodstock ’99 to ‘military conflict’: ‘I thought I was going to die’

‘I just remember feeling like I was in another country during military conflict,’ Daly said

Carson Daly has addressed his “insane” experience at Woodstock ‘99, saying he thought he was “going to die”.

The now-49-year-old was covering the 1999 Upstate New York music festival for MTV when things turned disastrous. He was 26 at the time.

In a recent Instagram post, Daly responded to questions about the disturbing true story behind Netflix’s recent three-part docuseries, Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99, which “goes behind the scenes to reveal the egos, greed, and music that fueled three days of utter chaos”.

“I’ve been getting asked about #woodstock99 a ton recently due to the @netflix doc that’s out,” Daly began. “All I can say is I thought I was going to die.”

He continued: “It started off great, TRL live from the side of main stage interviewing all the bands (like Jay from Jamiroquai) & then started getting pelted with bottles, rocks, lighters, all of it.

“It got insane, fast. Nightfall, Limp plays ‘Break Stuff’ & the prisoners were officially running the prison. My boss @MTV Dave says to our staff/crew backstage, ‘We can no longer guarantee your safety, it’s time to go!’”

Held in Rome, New York, the four-day event was an attempt to replicate the historic harmony of 1969’s “three days of peace, love and music”.

With an estimated 400,000 people on site, temperatures reaching nearly 40 degrees, a lack of available water and a feisty lineup (Rage Against The Machine, Limp Bizkit, Red Hot Chilli Peppers), things started to get violent.

Fires and sexual assault were also part of the picture.

“I remember being in a production van driving recklessly through corn fields to get to safety. It was so crazy & a blur now. I just remember feeling like I was in another country during military conflict,” Daly added.

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“I have so many fun memories from that era, this was not one of them. Needless to say, I haven’t taken the fam back to Rome, NY for a vacation.”

Read The Independent’s Leonie Cooper on how Netflix’s docuseries “proves we’ve learnt little from the toxic horrors of Woodstock ’99”.

Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99 is available to stream on Netflix.