I couldn’t pass it up. A chance to see some of my favorite bands of all time, including the infamous Rage Against the Machine.

So the question wasn’t “Should I go to Woodstock ’99?” It was how the hell am I going to make it there with merely the modest savings of a college student?

When contemplating whether I should drive or fly to New York, I realized that after three days of sweating and no real shower, the last thing I’d want to do would be to sit in a car for a few more days.

I searched long and hard for the least expensive flight I could find, scoring a round trip ticket for $212. Not bad.

Next on the agenda — tickets. The total charge from Ticketmaster turned out to be around $180.

So there I was, walking toward the gates of Griffiss Air Force Base to experience Woodstock ’99, already down a cool $392. And that was just the beginning.

After setting up tent only a few inches from our new temporary neighbors, I decided to walk around the base and see where things were.

With the stages a few miles apart and nothing but vendors in-between, you can imagine the amount of walking that has to be done. And staying hydrated in the scorching heat while treading around all day proved to be a big challenge.

I went to buy something to drink to refresh myself. I asked how much Powerade was. The response: $4. How about a 20-ounce Coke? $4. Okay I guess I’ll just drink some water.

How much?

$4.

With one night gone and the music not started yet, my total was $396.

Friday morning, as I walked toward the main stage anticipating the music beginning at noon, I felt a strong grumbling in my stomach. A hot dog and Coke for breakfast put another dent in my food budget, as the total climbs to $403.

After four hours of music and another three bottles of water ($415) to compensate for the intense heat of 200,000 people standing together, it was time for lunch.

Of course they didn’t sell pizza by the slice. The only option is a 12″ pizza for the wonderful price of $12. Sharing a pizza with my brother and downing another Powerade boosted the total to $425.

For the rest of that day, I purchased more food and water, only to avoid starving to death. So by the end of Friday, I was up to $440.

As the weekend went on, I got smarter, filling empty water and pop bottles with the lukewarm water that was constantly flowing from the makeshift sinks.

After a few hours of holding on to water bottles while in the trenches, I was drinking water right out of a hot tub. Not very refreshing.

When thousands of people threw empty bottles into the air during The Offspring and Kid Rock, I couldn’t help but to dump the water out and join in the fun.

After spending $45 for food and water on Saturday ($485), I was looking for something different to do.

So I joined my 21-year-old friends in the beer garden, gaining admittance by using one of two IDs found on the ground (probably dropped by one of the many who smoked themselves silly).

Beer in the garden cost a whopping $5. Two beers later, the total is up to $495.

Money-wise, Sunday turned out to be a replay of the previous day.

Sick of waiting in line at the main vendors, I ventured over to a quiet independent hot dog stand and bought two hot dogs for $5 apiece. Then I realized why there was no line. The ketchup was out. Ten dollars for cotton-mouth and $4 to wash it down.

After the $45 spent in total on food, I still needed a souvenir from Woodstock ’99.

T-shirts cost a painful $35.

By the end of the festival I had spent nearly $600 for three days of peace, love and music.

And when the CD hits stores in September, I’ll be the first one in line.