Observations of Glastonbury 2019

Kylie was in the legends slot, not a headliner

What is it that elevates Glastonbury and Coachella in the states above all other music festivals, there’s loads on every year that basically have the same or similar enough lineup and the above mentioned cost an absolute fortune in comparison.

Deleted User wrote: »

I dunno, there's a sort of hipster "look at me, I'm so cool I listen to stuff that's not cool" vibe to it, you know? Actually didn't Cliff Richard headline one one those same rock festivals about 1982 or 83-ish? Maybe not Glastonbury, might have been Reading.

I always hated them btw. No matter how into a band you really are there's always at least 10,000 people either going for a p1ss or going for a burger in the middle of the other 70,000 people while they're on stage. Could be The Rolling Stones, could be your mate's garage band, you're still gonna be elbowed out of it by some shouty drunk who wants a fight.

I been to Glasto & Electric Picnic several times. I have never had a bad experience or met anyone shouty or aggressive.

JupiterKid wrote: »

Why is Kylie one of the headline acts? Isn’t Glastonbury supposed to be about rock music?

Kylie, Lauren Hill, Miley Cyrus, Janet Jackson, Hozier, Sigrid, Stormzy, Janelle Monae, Christine and the Queens, Tame Bloody Impala etc.

Glastonbury is not about rock music anymore.

JupiterKid wrote: »

So I can’t sleep a wink tonight and decided to go into the living room for a while and watch some telly.:o

Anyone here actually been to Glastonbury? What was it like? How does it compare to, say, Electric Picnic, Felie or Witness?

Comparing Glastonbury to Electric Picnic, Felie or Witness would be like comparing London to Dublin or Cork!

Glastonbury is massive, (on an industrial scale) while the events you quote (Electric Picnic, Felie & Witness) are "Boutique" festivals & tiny by comparison. So many stages @Glasto, and so many different groups and followers at different stages, so while all the fifty year olds are at the pyramid stage watching Kylie, all the twenty year olds are elsewhere!

I heard Emily Evis being interviewed, and their farm + surrounding farms are transformed into a medium sized city for three days & nights, Glastonbury is massive in more ways than one.

JupiterKid wrote: »

So I can’t sleep a wink tonight and decided to go into the living room for a while and watch some telly.:o

I flicked through the channels and on comes Glastonbury. A few observations:

Why is Kylie one of the headline acts? Isn’t Glastonbury supposed to be about rock music? Don’t get me wrong...I love rock music - especially 1990s grunge and classic rock and a bit of 2000s era Kylie is isn’t bad at all but Kylie is pop music. Surely Kylie has a place at Glastonbury but not as a headline act?

The Cure are are as great as ever. Really sad that I missed getting tickets to their recent gig in Malahide.

The audience at Glastonbury don’t seem as young as they used to be. In fact, many of them seem to be be as old as me or older. :eek: And why not? More power to them!

Anyone here actually been to Glastonbury? What was it like? How does it compare to, say, Electric Picnic, Felie or Witness?

I have been to Glastonbury 9 of the last 11 times. To answer some of your questions:

Glastonbury is NOT a rock festival. Glastonbury is a music and arts festival. I know you are just asking the question and not complaining but every year there are complaints about certain acts. You have that moron a few years ago on about Kanye West. Before that the uproar about Jay-Z.

Glastonbury has, for the last 20 years or so, catered to FAR more that traditional rock and is all the better for it.

Especially the Legends set: Kylie (Not my thing, didn't go but knew she would do VERY well. Fair play to her), Dolly Parton, Tom Jones, Lional Richie, Rolf Harris for God's sake (Although I bet they want to forget that). Cliff Richard, as was said.

Again, I know you are not complaining and this is NOT aimed at you but the people who always complain about the lineup not being rock are people who have never been and are ignorant about Glastonbury. They see the 8 or 9 acts that the BBC show: Typically the Other Stage Headlines and The Pyramid last 2 acts on each day. Something from The Park and the John Peel tent. But that's it. It is AMAZING the diversity of the music there.

The age range at Glastonbury? Where to start: Seven weeks to seventy-seven years. The age range is VERY wide. It all depends on the acts that are on. Your typical Stormzy audience is going to be very different from your Cure audience. I have not noticed the age range changing other than the depressing fact that I am sliding higher up that age scale. Hah. But the age range is brilliantly wide. As long as you have an open mind (And can handle an open mind...... and the whole size and camping thing) then you are welcome.

As for:

Deleted User wrote:

I dunno, there's a sort of hipster "look at me, I'm so cool I listen to stuff that's not cool" vibe to it, you know? Actually didn't Cliff Richard headline one one those same rock festivals about 1982 or 83-ish? Maybe not Glastonbury, might have been Reading.

I always hated them btw. No matter how into a band you really are there's always at least 10,000 people either going for a p1ss or going for a burger in the middle of the other 70,000 people while they're on stage. Could be The Rolling Stones, could be your mate's garage band, you're still gonna be elbowed out of it by some shouty drunk who wants a fight.

No offence intended but this is actually almost 100% incorrect. Glasto is NOT Oxegen or even the picnic.

I was at Lional Richie (He was brilliantly cheezy fun) and there was a bunch of teenagers in front. Very hipster-looking. Obviously WAY too young for him. I asked them "Why are you here?" And they gave the best answer "Cos it's the legends slot, he's brilliant, the sun is out and we wanna have fun" And by God they did. They knew EVERY word of every song. Plus, you got to remember: There is a difference between headlining and headlining the Legends set. Legends set is usually the up-beat optimistic and fun set to drag you out of your tent, hungover and stinky and get you on your feet again.

Shouty drunken fights at Glastonbury?......... Just no. I have NEVER seen a single fight there. Arguments very occasionally but a drunken Oxegen-style fight? Not. Once!

So, tldr: Remember this for next year: Glasto is NOT a rock festival. It is a music and arts festival and anyone big enough to be there has a place there.

...... And it's not Oxegen.

I was at Glastonbury in 1999, 2000 and 2003. Absolutely amazing experiencing. You could spend the whole weekend there and not visit the two main stages at all, and still have the best time ever. I guess if you haven't been, or have only been to smaller festivals, you'd be forgiven for complaining that such-and-such is playing - as if they're taking up a valuable slot that someone more worthwhile could have, but Glastonbury is completely different, and if you'd been you'd understand that it makes no sense to even care who's on the lineup. There's so much going on (not just music) that it's just impossible to take it all in. While I like the BBC coverage, it in no way does the event justice. You just can't convey the feeling of 200,000 people on a farm for 3/4/5 days surrounded by thousands of performances of every type.

I used to go to Féile before (in Tipp an Cork) - you'd spend half your time dodging scumbags and hoping that your tent was still there when you got back in the evening (1994, we came back to a pristine patch of grass in an otherwise field of mud - some toerag had just randomly grabbed it walking past and dragged it 500 meters away. 1995 in Cork, we came across three local 12 year olds with big black bin bags that were casually cleaning out all the tents they could). I never once saw any trouble at Glastonbury.

Looking forward to when my kids are just a bit older to bring them over to it. That's another amazing thing about Glasto: You can have off-their-head 18 year olds abusing the freedom of their first weekend away, middle aged families with kids and empty-nesters reclaiming their freedom all at the same event, and each of them having an amazing time in their own (different) way.

Glastonbury has never been a rock festival more a performing arts one. There are long running rock festivals with Monsters of Rock/Download being the biggest in the UK.

Thrashssacre wrote: »

What is it that elevates Glastonbury and Coachella in the states above all other music festivals, there’s loads on every year that basically have the same or similar enough lineup and the above mentioned cost an absolute fortune in comparison.

Glastonbury because of its longevity and legacy, Coachella for it's celebrity endorsements

I went once not a wink of sleep for 4 nights and took drugs like ket and 2cb that id never even heard of on top of everything else. It's truly amazing in size. I barely went near the main stages there are so many acts to choose from.

blinding wrote: »

Just as well Stevie can’t see them ( or can he ) . He’d probably think he was at a Klan Meeting if he could see the members .

Its interesting how you can excuse people through financial means .

Black people don't like camping

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2010/jul/09/black-people-camp-holidays