CONCERT REPORT: Glastonbury (June 29)

Canada and Europe (May 11 - August 3, 2008). Concert reports, set lists, photos, media coverage, multimedia links, recollections...
Tim
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Re: Glastonbury (June 29)

Post by Tim »

Hmmm, interesting piece from Geoff Berner there, whoever he is, but somewhat unfair on the Glastonbury audience, who couldn't really be described as 'young and stupid', 'chavs', 'philistines', 'football hooligans', etc. At least none of my friends who go could be described as that, and I doubt anyone falling into those categories would be spending £160 on a festival ticket. Still, they're easy stereotypes for foreigners to use, and there's no denying that there's too many people in those categories in this country. Ho hum.
confetti
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Re: Glastonbury (June 29)

Post by confetti »

not sure if this has been mentioned if so please forgive me but there is a nice youtube clip on javier mas' myspace of dance me to the end of love at Glastonbury.
"I needed so much, to have nothing to touch - I've always been greedy that way"
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philjones
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Re: Glastonbury (June 29)

Post by philjones »

just got to say was so privledged to watch leonard at glasto with my daughter, how we laughed and cried it was the best moment of my life, thanks so much leonard. oh and the group hugs after just added to the love that filled the air!

if you wasn't there sorry but it was awesome, never to be forgotten! : D
scorp
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Re: Glastonbury (June 29)

Post by scorp »

Henning wrote:Geoff Berner's Newsletter:

Dear Everybody,

Well, I'm back from a lovely time in the UK, and the big (controversial) road trip out to Winnipeg Folk Fest. About to hit a couple of Scandinavian festivals, and the famous MIR in Oslo on Monday, before I head into the studio to work on the NEW ALBUM! I believe that it'll be called Klezmer Mongrels.

But first, a reflection on festivals.

I've had untold adventures at festivals, and without them, I wouldn't have a career at all, I think.

As far as I can tell, festivals are always crazy, stupid and beautiful.

Here's how you make a festival:

You generally gather thousands of people together in a place that's usually not considered fit for human habitation, like a farmer's field, or a park, or a race track, and then those people proceed to lay waste to the land and themselves for about 2-3 days. By the end, the people are exhausted, ravaged by the forces of nature and the forces of booze and drugs, and the land is a churned up wound full of garbage and shit. People die, people are concieved, marriages begin or collapse. And there's music!

Somehow, magic emerges from the process.

2 examples from the Glastonbury Festival--the UK's biggest, most ridiculous rock festival:

1.
At first, it seemed like a really bad idea to put Leonard Cohen in front of 150,000 drunk, druggy, muddy English people. You could have got a similar auditory experience by sitting at home, putting on a Leonard Cohen record, then phoning up a bunch of rowdy football hooligans and inviting them over for a keg of lager. "I've seen the future, brother, it is murder." intoned the Old Rabbi, and his young, stupid audience seemed to be there for some kind of jaunty illustration of the lyric.

Then, an odd thing happened. The band slowly summoned up (Cohen's band never could be described as "kicking in" to a song) the opening of "Hallelujah". I'd forgotten that mainstream English people love Jeff Buckley, for some reason, and that Buckley's one good song was a cover of that. Immediately, the chavs started to hoot and scream, as if "Wonderwall" was coming on the stereo. And they ALL sang along. Every last philistine, drugged out, ballcap backwards one of that enormous throng lifted their voices and swayed together for a cold, broken Hallelujah.

[snip]

Traitor bride group on Facebook
What a joke. sorry. the chavs at glasto aare always v few and far between, and at the cohen gig were, basically, just not there. glasto is, simply, not chav territory...and LC @ glasto is waaaaay not chav.

ah well...roflmao. those who sang along were *not* chavs, and many people were not drunk or drugged. as i say...a joke comment...imho.
scorp
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Re: Glastonbury (June 29)

Post by scorp »

Tim wrote:Hmmm, interesting piece from Geoff Berner there, whoever he is, but somewhat unfair on the Glastonbury audience, who couldn't really be described as 'young and stupid', 'chavs', 'philistines', 'football hooligans', etc. At least none of my friends who go could be described as that, and I doubt anyone falling into those categories would be spending £160 on a festival ticket. Still, they're easy stereotypes for foreigners to use, and there's no denying that there's too many people in those categories in this country. Ho hum.
just don't recognise it msyelf, either. maybe ... gasp ... he wasn't actually there. wouldn't be the first time someone has pretended to be at a place. dunno why they do it.

chavs and footy hooligans, at glasto..singing to LC? giss another one. i'll tell you what..as at the chill there were plenty of females from teens/early 20s thru to middle age. chavs and footy hools they haint, roflmao.
Ziyad
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Re: Glastonbury (June 29)

Post by Ziyad »

Couldn't agree with you more Scorp - by the way, do you agree that the Lenny experience was better at Glasto than The Big Chill?
1974 London RAH|1976 London RAH, London New Vic x 3|1979 Manchester|1985 London Hamm x 2|1988 London RAH x 3|1993 London RAH x 2|2008 Manchester x 2, Glastonbury, London O2 x 2, Big Chill, London RAH, Brighton|2009 Weybridge|2012 London Wembley|2013 London O2 x 2

"thanks for the trouble you took from her eyes, i thought it was there for good so i never tried"
scorp
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Re: Glastonbury (June 29)

Post by scorp »

Ziyad wrote:Couldn't agree with you more Scorp - by the way, do you agree that the Lenny experience was better at Glasto than The Big Chill?
Hmmmm...you pose a **** question, my friend :-) For me, each had its strengths; i really liked the way Big Chill crowd really got stuck into the chorus of So Long Marianne, and the final number, Anthem, at the chill was an extreme highlight of any fest i've ever been to, partly of course because it was the end of the tour and partly maybe because that under-rated song, which i've always loved, is beginning to grow on people. Overall, Glastonbury is a very special place and the crowd was larger - and the crowd in front of the stage seemed less inhibited than the crowd in front of the stage at the big chill'; or maybe that crowd at the chill was much closer to LC and felt more awe-struck or overwhelmed with awe and emotion.

Overall, I'D take Glasto, but with Big Chill highlights thrown in. Hallelujah, Suzanne, So Long Marianne and Tower of Song were parcticular masterpieces at Glasto, for me....but Anthem was pretty strong there, too, in the fading light of a colourful dusk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvcX5RMBwbk

Sorry, I cut it a bit short while 'filming' to save on memory space :-( That was bad planning; I bought 4 gig extra for the chill.

why did you think the experience was better at glasto than the chill?
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