Glastonbury 2011
- Thread starter Tort
- Start date
NVP said:
Yep, that right, only those three acts playing. None others at all, I've heard ...
We're right now getting our shit together to be Info Crewing again 
Looks like this time we'll be attending a three hour training session in late May, and compulsorily unlike before .... probably some legal/safety related requirement, but I don't know details yet.
Looks like this time we'll be attending a three hour training session in late May, and compulsorily unlike before .... probably some legal/safety related requirement, but I don't know details yet.
Voley
🐀
Yep, that right, only those three acts playing. None others at all, I've heard ...
That's not really the point, is it? The three acts chosen to headline Glastonbury this year, the three acts chosen to say 'this is what Glastonbury's all about' are U2, Coldplay and Beyonce. Beyonce could be pretty good live, I'd imagine, but I can't think of many acts worse than the other two. Very sad, imo.
I suppose it's ludicrously easy for me to agree with that because the non headliner/non main stage based approach to Glasto is the way I've gone there for ... well just about ever ...
Beyonce is a genuine star mind -- could well enjoy catching a slice of her set
Other two ... I agree with NVP about em, but I'll be 'elsewhere' on site
Gromit
International Man of Misery
It nearly didn't sell out in 2008 when JayZ headlined.
Only good weather leading to last minute sales led to a full house.
So it can have an effect.
The weather in 2007 fucked alot of people off. Urbs were saying they'd had enough well before Jay-Z was even rumoured.
My own mates who bailed after 2007 also said the weather had killed it for them and it was too big.
I've never met anyone in person who bailed because of a single headliner. Not one.
My own mates who bailed after 2007 also said the weather had killed it for them and it was too big.
I've never met anyone in person who bailed because of a single headliner. Not one.
Voley
🐀
That works for you. It's not the same for everyone. And saying
is nonsensical. Some of my favourite Glastonbury's have been ones where the headliners are my favourite bands - the Radiohead / Prodigy one, the one with Primal Scream / Blur / Pulp. These had headliners who were current and relevant (then, at least). When I first went to Glastonbury, it was headlined by The Cure and The Psychedelic Furs, two of my favourite bands at the time and Gil Scott-Heron who I'd never heard but became a huge fan within 5 minutes of him walking onstage. The headliners weren't seen as separate from the rest of the gig or aimed at your Mum and Dad, they were one of the reasons you were there.
The headliners have never been one of the reasons I've wanted to be at Glastonbury, in fact they were offputtingly predictable if anything. They were one of the reasons that I looked at Glasto as a festival for others for years - it was a festival for ludicrous juggling hippies, dads or fey, posh indie/Britpop kids with mockney accents or fake manchester swaggers. It took a determined better half to drag me down there and show me the error of my ways - I love it now.
I doubt I'm alone either - there's a whole world of people who spend pretty much their entire festival in the Green Fields/Shangri La/felching in the campervan fields who would barely bother to look at the Pyramid Stage programme.
I think I've probably averaged less than 1hour at the Pyramid stage each year.
I doubt I'm alone either - there's a whole world of people who spend pretty much their entire festival in the Green Fields/Shangri La/felching in the campervan fields who would barely bother to look at the Pyramid Stage programme.
I think I've probably averaged less than 1hour at the Pyramid stage each year.
AverageJoe
...
The thing is with the headliners is that they then attract a certain number of people that wouldnt normally go, and that in itself is good because it diversifies the audience and gives people the chance to see bands that they wouldnt see.
And its bad because then you also get an increase in problems associated with people who arent used to the sheer size, scale and hedonism on offer at Glastonbury.
I know what I am trying to say, but its hard to explain. All the times I went to Glastonbury, it wasnt just to see the headliner - all the acts were published in advance and we would sit there with our pens out going through the listing in NME or Melody Maker circling what we wanted to see. Outside of those bands there was loads and loads of other things to do.
People attending their first Glastonbury on the back of only knowing these three acts are playing might find the whole thing a little too much. Publishing all the bands again might be a way to correct the demographic and put the Glastonbury back in the hands of the people who want the whole experience and understand what its all about.
God, that really sounds hippyish, but I guess I am saying that Glastonbury should be a festival for music lovers and those who live or view their lifestyle as a little left of centre, not a load of people in green wellies going on a sightseeing tour of those people and then finishing the night wailing 'Crazy In Love' before their mums and dads pick them up. I stopped going when people started looking at going as a commercial enterprise and crime started increasing.
*awaits outraged music fans with pitchforks and flaming torches*
And its bad because then you also get an increase in problems associated with people who arent used to the sheer size, scale and hedonism on offer at Glastonbury.
I know what I am trying to say, but its hard to explain. All the times I went to Glastonbury, it wasnt just to see the headliner - all the acts were published in advance and we would sit there with our pens out going through the listing in NME or Melody Maker circling what we wanted to see. Outside of those bands there was loads and loads of other things to do.
People attending their first Glastonbury on the back of only knowing these three acts are playing might find the whole thing a little too much. Publishing all the bands again might be a way to correct the demographic and put the Glastonbury back in the hands of the people who want the whole experience and understand what its all about.
God, that really sounds hippyish, but I guess I am saying that Glastonbury should be a festival for music lovers and those who live or view their lifestyle as a little left of centre, not a load of people in green wellies going on a sightseeing tour of those people and then finishing the night wailing 'Crazy In Love' before their mums and dads pick them up. I stopped going when people started looking at going as a commercial enterprise and crime started increasing.
*awaits outraged music fans with pitchforks and flaming torches*
Looby
Well-Known Member
People can't decide to go based on who is headlining though because the tickets go on sale several months before any acts are confirmed. Remember that now deposits are paid in October.
You can't find out in April your favourite band is playing and pop to hmv to see if they've got any tickets in and haven't been able to for many years.
The exception this year is U2 because it was pretty clear they would be re-booked for this year.
I probably spend a bit more time at the pyramid stage than many here but it's never influenced whether I'd buy a ticket. Like Tarranau, I don't know anyone who decides to go based on who might or might not play.
As others have said 2008 nearly didn't sell out because 05 and 07 were fucking hard work. The rain in 07 was relentless. Right up to ticket day we really weren't sure if we could be arsed again.
Glastonbury is our only holiday so the thought of spending several hundred quid on another mudbath was pretty galling.
It pissed down on the Thursday night in 08 and my heart sank. I sat in the rain in a leaky coat and cried. : o
It turned out to be one of my favourite years.
You can't find out in April your favourite band is playing and pop to hmv to see if they've got any tickets in and haven't been able to for many years.
The exception this year is U2 because it was pretty clear they would be re-booked for this year.
I probably spend a bit more time at the pyramid stage than many here but it's never influenced whether I'd buy a ticket. Like Tarranau, I don't know anyone who decides to go based on who might or might not play.
As others have said 2008 nearly didn't sell out because 05 and 07 were fucking hard work. The rain in 07 was relentless. Right up to ticket day we really weren't sure if we could be arsed again.
Glastonbury is our only holiday so the thought of spending several hundred quid on another mudbath was pretty galling.
It pissed down on the Thursday night in 08 and my heart sank. I sat in the rain in a leaky coat and cried. : o
It turned out to be one of my favourite years.
I've carried on going well after Average Joe stopped but I reckon his post is an excellent summary of the way I see it too.
I'm not in any way disputing NVP's point that different people go for different reasons though, that what it's all about </hippy wibbling .. >.
I'm not in any way disputing NVP's point that different people go for different reasons though, that what it's all about </hippy wibbling ..
>.
19sixtysix
Life as viewed from a Gay Gorbals Garret
The sign of a maturing Glastonaught. Give it couple of years and you'll spend a whole festival in one tent in the green fields
AverageJoe
...
I've carried on going well after Average Joe stopped but I reckon his post is an excellent summary of the way I see it too.
I'm not in any way disputing NVP's point that different people go for different reasons though, that what it's all about </hippy wibbling ..
Thank you Mr Walworth
I've carried on going well after Average Joe stopped but I reckon his post is an excellent summary of the way I see it too.
I'm not in any way disputing NVP's point that different people go for different reasons though, that what it's all about </hippy wibbling ..
Indeed. People going for different reasons is the beauty.
A few years ago, someone here said that it's as much about a bunch of crew cut blokes sat in a sea of empty Stella cans, as it is about {the other stuff}.
Personally, I reckon, it's one of the least snobbish festivals we have. There's just too many tribes for any one 'type' to dominate.
And at this point, I too am drifting into hippy wibble
Leaving aside the practical point that you have to buy a ticket way before any of the line-up is known, when did you start going in terms of crime? I've found that the last 9 years since they sorted out the whole fence-jumping free for all (which I did take part in at the time) the amount of mass tent-robbing and even mugging has almost disappeared. While some may lament the passing of the days when you could get in for free, it seems to have largely also eliminated the gangs of cnuts who went there solely to rob everything that they could, however they could, and take advantage of the happily relaxed people at every opportunity. Which is no bad thing, IMO.
I don't think many people just go there for the day to see "the headliners" and then get picked up by their folks. Especially compared with other festivals where people can tickets for the day.
Giles..
Looby
Well-Known Member
I'd agree with that. Even though my tent was robbed in 09 I still feel far safer now than in 99/00 (my first 2 years) both in terms of crime and crowd volume.
sim667
All aboard the 303 bus.
We're right now getting our shit together to be Info Crewing again
Looks like this time we'll be attending a three hour training session in late May, and compulsorily unlike before .... probably some legal/safety related requirement, but I don't know details yet.
Do you do that through an organisation??
Oxfams training at the moment is really basic, they sit you in front of a projector and blabber on whilst you glaze over. It might have improved, but I cant imagine it has.
The green stewards are trying to train up their stewards, but I think they're finding the logistics of putting loadsa people through a distance learning NVQ level 2 which then has to be written up, posted in, then sent to the invidulators at cirencester college really difficult. They'd have been much better off running the training camp and then making the stuff available through an e-learning environrment, with submission online.
sim667
All aboard the 303 bus.
The queues at the gates were caused by the security team searching everyone for booze afaik, i think the green stewards weren't actually meant to be doing the gates, but had to lend some stewards because it was such a cock up, they were asking stewards who finished for the weekend to lend a hand too....... I remember some exceptionally pissed of supervisors about the whole fiasco. I worked all my shifts before the festival started, and under the circumstances we worked in, think we did pretty well considering the organisers seemed to have sent a lot of wrong info out to people. Security had been breifed to search everyone to make sure they weren't breaking the booze limits. I dont think it was even a license condition, rumor was it had been asked for by the people running the bars.
Tbh the whole running of SGP is shambolic imo, the running off that event relies on name dropping....... People with normal punter wristbands kept trying to get into places they weren't allowed too, but it was ok because "Do you know who <insertnamehere> is, he's an organiser, and told me it was ok". At which point you'd refuse, off they'd go, but then you'd later get a bollocking from another organiser with some kind of weird nickname that you hadn't let them in...... All in all the staff facilities and organisation of SGP was god awful.
On the flipside I've sat in some epic queues for buses and gates at glasto, both of which were being done by oxfam
Mapped
London town
This happens at Glasto too. I was running a backstage gate for an evening last year and we were told to let people in with the wrong wristbands who asked for <insertnamehere> There were quite a few of them as well.
My mate tried to stop Michael Eavis from going backstage as he had no wristband. It was really, really busy and loads of buggers were trying to sneak in. He was so fixated on looking at wristbands so didn't clock Eavis' face and blocked him from coming in. Everyone laughing made him figure out what he had done
sim667
All aboard the 303 bus.
This happens at Glasto too. I was running a backstage gate for an evening last year and we were told to let people in with the wrong wristbands who asked for <insertnamehere> There were quite a few of them as well.
My mate tried to stop Michael Eavis from going backstage as he had no wristband. It was really, really busy and loads of buggers were trying to sneak in. He was so fixated on looking at wristbands so didn't clock Eavis' face and blocked him from coming in. Everyone laughing made him figure out what he had done
I did this to the land owner at glade, he didnt make a fuss and said I'd done the right thing and was cool about it....... I hadnt put 2 and 2together that he was driving around the site with a dog in the car.........
Info points are run by Mid-Somerset CND under the guise of “Festival Information Services”. The year I worked for them (2007) training was non-obligatory and consisted of a pep talk from Michael & Stephen (Infoman) where they went through all the major changes since the previous festival. You found out your shifts, met your team leaders and then went through a quick question and answer session to cover some of the more common queries you were likely to be asked at the festival. To be honest most people just used it as an excuse for a good snoop around the farm. Well I did anyway!
Gerry1time
Did a wee in Dirac's toilet
I never did find out, can you take drink into the arena?
sim667 : Looks like Tort has given the answer to your question that I would have done ...
Anyway, looks like they're making sure the basic training/legal/safety stuff is going on for everyone who's crewing now ...
