Glastonbury 2023

AndyBoBandy

Just re-watching Queens of the Stone Age there and they are so tight…

it’s actually criminal that the 2 best sounding bands at Glastonbury were on at the same time… (QOTSA & Elton’s band)

youcancallmeal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120769316#Comment_120769316

They had to try draw some of the crowd away from Elton but it clearly didn't work. For qotsa fans it looked like a great opportunity to see them up close

Lucy8080

Just my opinion. I thought Rick Astley knocked it out of the park . In the 80's I thought he wasn't "Cool man", but he sang his "80's" set brilliantly. His performance of " The Smiths", later on, went up another level. I'll give second prize to The Pretenders" and Chrissie Hynde , her voice at 71 is something to be admired.

Elton, for me, is not a finishing headline act, maybe a warm up for the finishing headline act. Too many ballads, bit of a bed-time story! Just my two-cents!

Shank Williams

Sounds like it was dangerously crowded at times

derra

Watched loads over the last few days and i thought Måneskin were absolutely brilliant on Saturday.

First time hearing them and they rocked the place, really enjoyed watching them play.

CorkRed93

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120769482#Comment_120769482

astleys smiths performance looked like the most fun of the weekend anyway. genuinely brilliant and all their songs suit his voice so well.

CorkRed93

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120768942#Comment_120768942

this was doing the rounds on friday so there was at least some couple of people caught trying to snake in

Lucy8080

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120769799#Comment_120769799

Yup! If anyone hasn't watched it, treat yourself. He has a great singing voice and the fun/love between stage and audience broke through the screen! I reckon a lot of Smiths fans left Glasto' with a healthy respect for Rick Astley! Who could imagine that decades ago?

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120769819#Comment_120769819

Will have to get my inner ninja on for next year so :)

Toast

Last year three of us walking up to The Park via Pennards for the fireworks had jackets covering our wristbands. We got very abruptly asked by a large group of security where our wristbands were out of the blue. We showed them and they moved on but their manner certainly seemed to suggest they'd have escalated quickly had we not got them. I can only assume they'd had some people get in at that point to be acting that way.

Dreamweapon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120769819#Comment_120769819

Fair enough, i thought those days were long gone!

The modern youth really are stupid though, "Hey, lets film all our illegal endeavours". I did some pretty stupid **** when young but i certainly didn't want people to know about it. Not getting caught was the order of the day.

Last time i tried getting in for free was 2002, the first year of the big fence. After a day spent trying all sides of the perimeter to get in we had to concede defeat for Thursday. Got in on Friday, via some wristbands from people we knew working there. It was a weird year, the place seemed empty and much less vibe/atmosphere. Still enjoyed it though.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120769819#Comment_120769819

I worked security there before. It's even difficult to just get near the fence and gates. There's checkpoints at all roads leading to the festival.

I think very few people sneak in for free, although I'm sure people directly involved like traders and new age traveller types have their own ways.

Tunneling is difficult cos it's not just the fence you tunnel under but a metal track for SUVs too. Also there's another fence inside the superfence, so you can't camp right beside it like the article states, but I'm not certain that's true everywhere along the fence.

So the tunnel would need to be a few meters long - maybe 4m.

I've heard of people just legging it past security. Also hiding in vans or trucks of performers and traders.

Hiding in luggage also. There's videos of people sneaking in by a river which goes under the fence.

I think a rope ladder attached to grappling hook or a telescopic ladder would be your best bet, then run as fast as you can towards a crowd and change clothes quickly.

It's not impossible to get near the fence but it is difficult.

I think the festival organizers should consider doing it over two weekends cos it's gotten so popular and hard to buy tickets.

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120767058#Comment_120767058

It is BOTH the weekend after the Solstice and the last weekend in June. Glasto runs from Wed to Sun. Solstice next year is Thursday 20 June and thus the festival is the following Wed 26 to Sun 30.

CoffeeImpala

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120770969#Comment_120770969

Surely the weekend after Thursday the 20th is the 21/22/23. Which is not the last weekend in June.

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120767735#Comment_120767735

Fully agree. There’s no increase in tickets sold nor the allocation for artists, staff, stalls, etc. I assume it’s just the hype for the major Pyramid acts that make them unmissable for many. And the odd bit of bad scheduling like Wet Leg opening The Park last year with next to no competition on other stages.

No issues with food queues, getting about, etc. 1999/2000, now that felt bad, and heading towards a potential fatal crush.

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120770812#Comment_120770812

In 2007 two pals got in by bribing security (who obviously have lots of extra wristbands) with £50 each. It was pre-arranged via a contact and about eight on their group entered in this way. I wasn’t aware it was an option until they told me and tried to persuade me to travel from London on the Thursday where they’d arrange it for me also. I declined. And I’ve no idea if it continues to happen.

You’d have to assume that security are heavily scrutinised also but if they limit such a scam to a few people they trust and the associates of said people they it could be hard to spot. Definitely not widespread but could several hundred or 1k/2k be getting in this way? Possibly, but as before I’ve no idea in 2023.

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120770973#Comment_120770973

Glasto have their weekends from Wed to Sun. It’s a different world.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120770975#Comment_120770975

Lots of veterans have said last year felt crowded. I think there's been a gradual increase in tickets and staff and volunteers.

I think congestion and crowding doesn't work linearly ie a 10% increase doesn't mean it will be 10% more crowded, but could be 30% more crowded. Same as traffic.

Ferris_Bueller

Anyone who was there is probably still deep in recovery mode at this stage. But would love to read a full review on the whole experience of travelling over from Ireland with costs etc. How did you get there, what day did you leave/arrive, how did you lug all the gear etc. As well as all of the highlights of the weekend at the festival itself. Looked amazing on the telly and truly jealous of anyone who got to experience it.

CoffeeImpala

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120770981#Comment_120770981

Explain this year's festival then. It included Wednesday the 21st which was the solstice.

If Glasto have their weekends from Wed to Sun and the festival is held the weekend after solstice should the dates not have been 28 June to 1st July.

crl84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120770969#Comment_120770969

Well then, if that's now your theory, then there should not have been any debate about which weekend it was. It would never have been 21st-23rd, as you proposed.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120768942#Comment_120768942

Its fact. I'd love to know how many get in each year but its significant. Loads of dodgy security guards about. Going rate is 450-500 quid. This year they were being brought in in groups of 10 or so.

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120771181#Comment_120771181

Last year we flew on the Thursday from Dublin to Bristol (Shannon and Knock also options) and paid €260 including tent/luggage as booked late. Flights available for circa €120-€140 if you book soon after securing a ticket. Possibly even cheaper. And the regional airports have better deals as the prices from the capital are hiked up that week.

We got the coach directly from the airport for £58/€67. It took circa 90 mins each way, even with traffic and delays. It’s all a matter of timing with the flights but we arrived at Bristol Airport circa 8.20 and had the coach (3/4 min walk) at 9am. It spared the hassle of going into Bristol city and then clambering onto the available coaches there which I imagine isn’t much fun. You’re dropped about 200 metres from the front gate and getting out is pretty painless also.

Thus you can do Irish airport to site for circa €220 though make allowances for €300-€350 depending on booking time. Don’t hesitate with booking the coaches either as the best times disappear quickly. No need to pay for a stay in Bristol if timed well and leaving my pal’s flat in Dublin to setting up tent took circa 7 hours which I thought was good going. Be aware also that we travelled on the Thursday morning which is far less chaotic than on Wednesday. Best of luck if trying for tickets in Oct.

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120770986#Comment_120770986

Last year was crowded for Paul McCartney and Wet Leg but not for anything else I attended or observed over the weekend. Space at Billie Eilish as I passed on the hill heading to the Mary Chain at the JPT. Plenty of room at Kendrick Lamar and all I attended at the Park, JPT, Acoustic, WH, WG, Glade and elsewhere. The SE corner gets very busy from pretty early and especially so after midnight.

The figures for attendees haven’t greatly increased over the past two decades, from 135k public tickets in 2002 to 142k today. Performer, security and staff are 63k. If there are any recent changes to those figures I’m happy to be corrected. The site is also greatly expanded. The issue is I guess that some areas get busy whilst others are underpopulated and the reports of overcrowding are anecdotal rather than factual.

1999 was worrying, an estimate of close to 300k on site (2000 the same but I wasn’t there) and worrying bottlenecks by the small bridge that used to be between the Pyramid and Other stage. Could easily have gone badly wrong, close to a bad crush when an enormous crowd was moving between Gomez and REM on the Sat night. The site is now pretty secure, the layout and security so much better than 23/24 years ago.

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120771202#Comment_120771202

As before, in 1971 they timed it to follow the solstice. Another poster suggested this may have changed in the 1990s but the local press and the V&A Museum who researched it for a Glasto exhibition are sticking with the Solstice timing. Seemingly the organisers are just a bit flexible with it.

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife/glastonbury-festival-2023-dates-glastonbury-8465788.amp

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120771357#Comment_120771357

I guess the organisers are more flexible with dates than for their first few decades. You can blame Emily Eavis for any changes, or confusion. 😄

https://www.history.co.uk/articles/the-history-of-glastonbury

rob316

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120769316#Comment_120769316

I saw them in Slane in 03 and they absolutely stole the show supporting the Foo Fighters and Chillies. I'd love to see them again

bodhrandude

Anyone ever see the footage of the fella hang-gliding into Glastonbury.

munchkin_utd

Slight tangent, but I was at the Smashing pumpkins gig in the Point where someone died during a crush caused allegedly by overcrowding allegedly by people from the seated areas above allegedly flooding the ground floor standing area.

My arse. I was at the back of the standing area and you could have played a full 11 a side football game there. The issue on that day was that a LOT of concert newcomers (I was in college and felt like a pensioner compared to a lot of the crowd) believed that everyone should be at the front and loads were trying to be as near the front as possible.

I wouldnt be surprised if the "overcrowding" at Glasto wasnt a million miles off what happened there. If you have a lot in the crowd happy to watch from a distance then you get everyone spread out nicely. If you have a festival packed with pop heads who have to see the main acts, who have barely been to a concert in their lives and are used to the lovely lines of sight you get on telly, well, it'll be very tight at the front.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120772455#Comment_120772455

The over crowding issues are site wide. Like every food stall with a massive queue. The actual gigs themselves are always fine. Before and after maybe not so much but there isnt any danger at the gigs themselves of a crush.