Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 13, 1995 TAG: 9508110086
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAVID BAUDER ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: SAUGERTIES, N.Y. LENGTH: Long
Ironically, the music is almost overlooked. Yet it's becoming clearer with each passing month: Woodstock '94 was a heck of a concert.
In fact, the three-day festival on an upstate New York farm already rivals its fabled predecessor from 25 years earlier as a career maker for some of its stars.
Such Woodstock '94 veterans as Nine Inch Nails, Sheryl Crow, Live, Melissa Etheridge, Green Day, Blues Traveler and Candlebox have all exploded in popularity in the 12 months since the last notes faded.
The success was by no means universal. Bassist Rob Wasserman, who broke his arm stepping off the stage, probably wishes he never came to Saugerties. Still, Woodstock '94 proved a potent launching pad.
``It's too much of a coincidence to say all of these acts just happened to happen,'' said John Scher, the promoter responsible for booking the show's acts.
Moderately successful artists such as Green Day used the event to stamp themselves into pop culture. New acts exposed their music to millions. Even grizzled veteran Bob Dylan began a critical comeback with a focused Woodstock performance.
But few captured the moment quite like Trent Reznor and his band, Nine Inch Nails. His music already had made inroads with a disaffected college-aged audience, but after he rolled in the mud before a rage-filled Woodstock performance, thousands of sodden fans instantly identified with him.
Then David Letterman adopted Nine Inch Nails as a catch phrase on his show for weeks more of priceless publicity.
Green Day's snotty, catchy punk rock was captured visually in a Woodstock show that degenerated into a mud fight. The band subsequently watched its record sales soar.
``The grass fight on stage was one of the main video bites seen all over the country. It was perfect for the audience they appealed to - 14- to 20-year-old boys,'' said promoter Jim Koplik, Scher's partner.
Etheridge's typically incendiary performance featured a medley of Janis Joplin songs, a tip of the cap to the first Woodstock. The show, together with the strong reception given to her album, ``Yes I Am,'' established Etheridge beyond her vocal cult. Her version of ``I'm the Only One'' was the most frequently played song on the ``Woodstock '94'' album.
Woodstock's Friday bill proved a potent make-or-break moment for young acts.
The opening-day performances were designed to entertain an audience drifting in for the ``official'' Saturday concert opener. Instead, the bulk of the audience arrived early and ready to rock. Friday's acts were also the only ones broadcast on free television, by MTV.
``It fast-forwarded their careers and exposed them to millions of people,'' Scher said.
Among the beneficiaries were Live and Candlebox, bands that subsequently broke through to mass success. Blues Traveler's fourth album put them in the top 10.
Sheryl Crow, whose ``Tuesday Night Music Club'' album was just beginning to take off, said her prime-time performance at Woodstock was a key moment for her.
``When you walk out in front of 300,000 people and pull it off, it validates you,'' Crow said a few months later.
There was a keen sense of competition among the bands at Woodstock who recognized the importance of the venue, said Larry Hamby, an executive at A&M Records. Hamby spent Woodstock weekend in a recording truck backstage, taping hours of music.
Not everyone benefited. Spin Doctors, whose star fell as fast as it rose, didn't help themselves with a lackluster performance. Neither did Blind Melon. Del Amitri and King's X largely were ignored.
And Jackyl, whose lead singer spouted obscenities, pulled down his pants, set fire to a prop and brandished a chain saw, saw little benefit from the desperate bid for attention.
Then there's the luckless Wasserman. He was one of the guest stars to play with the Band, whose performance coincided with a driving rainstorm. After he stepped off stage, Wasserman slipped and broke his arm.
He subsequently sued the promoters, saying the broken arm prevented him from touring last fall to promote his ``Trios'' album.
``It really affected me and my career and it was unjustified,'' Wasserman said.
Oddly, the success of Woodstock '94's alumni came even though the event itself has yet to resonate quite like the initial Woodstock in 1969. The first Woodstock became a touchstone for a generation and was a boon to people like Crosby, Stills and Nash; Richie Havens; and Jimi Hendrix.
The Woodstock '94 album generated lackluster reviews and never became a top-seller. The two-disc set has sold 428,000 copies since its release last fall, according to Soundscan.
Plans for subsequent release of more Woodstock music still are up in the air, Hamby said.
It's also not certain whether the planned Woodstock '94 movie will be released, according to several people close to festival organization. Most see the movie as a key to fusing the second festival into pop culture.
``I think as time goes on, people will appreciate this event more,'' Hamby said.
by CNB