Get ready for the postmodern meta-shiite...

Woodstock '99 was, ostensibly, the 30th anniversary celebration of a three-day weekend where a bunch of people crashed a concert, it rained, and for three days pseudo-hippies swam in their own feces, ran about nude and collectively decided that a pasty-faced sax player should lead the nation 25 years later: in short, Woodstock 69, the original, spoke volumes about the indescribable power for Baby Boomers and hippies to Ruin Everything.

[Except for Jimi Hendrix destroying (in a very, very, very, very good way) The Star-Spangled Banner - CBK]

Woodstock '99 became, on its Saturday night, Generation X's Altamont, where the double-dose of sonic power, started by Rage Against the Machine and continued by Limp Bizkit (capped by the Chili Peppers on Sunday) overwhelmed a crowd that was larger than view most Islamic stonings.

I know this not because I was there, but as I do for Big Events, remained glued to the television (PPV, as I recall) to watch it. I'll be honest, I don't remember the Friday night show when the DMB clip above happened. I do remember Rage tearing it up and the Chili Peppers playing in front of anarchy, but like most people who watched, I remember Limp Bizkit putting on the most thermonuclear show in the history of rock, or at least that history since Jerry Lee Lewis decided to light his piano on fire in a concert hall in New York in 1950something. In short, Fred Durst, the lead for LB, thought it wise to play "Break Stuff" in front of 200,000 drunk, riled up people who were tiring of $4 water and $20 sandwiches.

And then, as only peaceniks, hippies and other assorted human detritus incapable of short-sightedness are capable, they handed out candles - yes, candles - for the Chili Peppers show on Sunday night. Hilarity - or, from a different view, vandalism, theft, looting and boob-grabbage - ensued. 

DMB played on Friday night, and among other songs, played "Watchtower" and "Two Step," the subject of this early entry into today's/tomorrow's 14 Days series. I have no idea what "Two Step" is actually about, and so as not to ruin the mystery, I've never bothered to find out. It sounds like it's about indescribable love, but honestly, don't know, don't care. Of the "happy" DMB cuts, it is for me the happiest, and it's one of the draw to the music. The song is about unhinged celebration as I hear it, and the music matches the theme. Ergo, one of my favorites. 

As I noted in the piece about "Warehouse," "Two Step" wasn't popular as a studio cut. It was released off the Crash album, but never gained legs on the charts. Then, they started playing it live, and well, now, there it is as one of the most popular of live treats. Typically used as a show-closer (for reasons obvious), DMB opened their show at Busch Stadium in '08 with it (Live Traxx 13). The opening is of Tinsley playing the mandolin, which then segues into Matthews singing lyrics that - to me - make no sense and change from performance to performance. It is also noted that the drums and horns are as integral to the song's feel as the lyrics. It ends in a thunderstorm of sax, trumpet, drums and mandolin, and it's pretty much perfect. For my money, My Perfect Show would open with "Two Step."

If there is a tribal feel to DMB shows, it can be seen in "Two Step," as the crowd works itself into a masochistic frenzy waiting not-so-patiently for the music to explode. The intro varies in time as Matthews improvises the introductory lyrics, in the performance above you can see the first change happen at 2:20, then watch the cork pop at 2:37. 

Good, good stuff.