Woodstock '99 was supposed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of "peace, love and happiness." Instead, the Rome, New York music festival earned the infamous distinction of "the day the Nineties died," the end of riding a magical wave which we didn't think would break.

While much of the chaos at Woodstock came before his appearance, Kid Rock planted the seeds of aggression during his early-afternoon set on the third day.

From Rolling Stone’s retrospective:

Sandwiched between slots by the Tragically Hip and Wycleaf Jean, Kid Rock took to the stage and, according to the San Francisco Examiner, "demanded that the kids pelt the stage with plastic water bottles," perhaps making a statement about vendors' price-gouging for water.

Woodstock '99 ultimately devolved fully into Lord of the Flies.

"Bonfires broke out throughout the crowd. Vehicles were flipped and set ablaze. Vendor booths and merch tents were destroyed and used as fuel. Eventually, the New York State Troopers were able to diffuse the riots, but Griffiss Air Force Base still ended up looking like a bomb hit it."

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The 77th United Nations General Assembly opened yesterday, with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres describing in his keynote remarks a world that has become "gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction."

"Our world is in peril and paralyzed. Geopolitical divides are undermining the work of the security council, undermining international law, undermining trust and people's faith in democratic institutions, undermining all forms of international cooperation.

We cannot go on like this."

Welcome to the new world disorder. Nearly everyone is trying to figure out how to deal with a new operating environment whose main features are complexity, interactivity, and high-velocity evolution. 

In the spirt of breaking out the mind rubble, Blue Spoon Consulting is making available a set of Executive Briefing Notes that use general systems theory to position novel strategic thinking, enable market innovation and spark the design of new economic systems (#ecosystems).

Download here, no registration required.

Because unfortunately Secretary General Guterres, we absolutely can go on like this. The gravitational pull of low-orbit thinking is a powerful thing 🤘

/ jgs

John G. Singer is Executive Director of Blue Spoon Consulting, a global leader in strategy and innovation at a system level. Blue Spoon was the first to apply systems theory to solve complex market access and integration challenges in the pharmaceutical industry.

P.S. Both HBO (Woodstock '99: Peace, Love, and Rage) and Netflix (Trainwreck: Woodstock '99) have recently-released documentaries revisiting "one of the most calamitous festivals of all time."