TheDifrntDrmr

From Woodstock to Vancouver: A Family Story in Nine Inch Nails

Mud, music, and memories: Nine Inch Nails ties together three generations, from Woodstock ’94 to a moving night in Vancouver.

“Take the skin and peel it back.

Now doesn’t that make you feel better?”

– Trent Reznor, “March of the Pigs”

My father was a reluctant participant in our trip to Woodstock ’94. His contemporaries may have been practicing peace and love at Max Yasgur’s farm in 1969, but he was musically stuck in an earlier era. The more modern acts at the Woodstock sequel were even more foreign to him. Still, he made the most of it, even claiming a patch of land for three generations of Petersens — including my daughter, just shy of two years old.

On Saturday, we found a good spot at the North Stage where we could watch the bands without getting caught in the crush of the crowd. My Dad enjoyed Joe Cocker and Blind Melon, but Cypress Hill pushed him past his comfort zone. We split up — my parents went back to camp, my daughter and I to the South Stage. After enduring a downpour and catching Primus, I headed back to see Nine Inch…