My clothes are so muddy they need a second wash. I’ve just put them back in the washing machine and will have to set them off again in the morning. Wow.
So yes then, Glastonbury. Just a brief rundown for now.
– Thursday.
Arrive pretty much on time. No problems on the train and I had a seat all the way down. This was good. Arrive to find myself unable to get in touch with the people I was to be camping with. Wandered around the site for about an hour trying to get through on mobile with no joy. Rang another friend and met up with him so I had some help to get my tent set-up. Not impressed and not how I wanted to start the festival. Anyway got set-up in an allright spot and was happy enough then.
Went off to meet up with Mr Watson by the Cider bus, my home away from home for much of the weekend. So we drank some warm cider, some whiskey, some schnapps and some lager and then managed to meet up with most of the rest of the V contingent. There was drinking and merriment till late.
– Friday
Caught a bit of Kasabian opening the Other Stage and they were not bad at all. The afternoon was quietish and I hung around the other stage with Ciaran for most of it. I am Kloot weren’t bad at all and I’ve just dropped their cd into my Amazon basket. The Rapture weren’t bad and Snow Patrol were a bland Ash. Then was Franz Ferdinand. It was an excellent set and the crowd were right there behind them…but the sound system was in trouble. It was fading in and out and spoiled the performance quite badly. May try and catch em live at some stage soon.
Then, the big hitters. Got around to the Pyramid Stage for The Kings of Leon. Excellent stuff. A lot of new tracks, not surprising given they had an hour on stage and only one 45 minute album out. Anyway liked the sound of the new stuff (I’m was already onboard for the new album) and the tracks from the current album were excellent. Enjoyed the hell out of ’em.
Oasis. Controversial already…for all the wrong reasons. It was a lacklustre set. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it and it was exactly the singalong I was hoping for but there was no energy coming from the stage and it was hard to tell if they actually gave a fuck. A decent setlist, it opened with Rock N’Roll Star and went on from there. Probably in the minority but I was very glad to have Songbird on there. Overall I enjoyed it, I wasn’t feeling very well at the time and considered leaving about 10 minutes into it and that took a bit away from my view too. Straight to bed afterwards and slept through till 11 or so the next morning.
– Saturday.
It rained.
It rained some more and it brought the mud.
That really did just set the tone for the rest of the weekend. I started the day with the 22-20’s on the second stage in the pissing rain. Good set, decent support from a wet crowd and good stuff. Glad I have some of their cd’s already. Then it was around to the main stage to check out Scissor Sisters. Not impressed. Not really my thing and not worth any of the hype around them. So I fucked off to meet Al at the cider bus. Ended up in the circus tent for a while and wandered around bumping into various other people. Back to the Other Stage for British Sea Power which was great. Really good set, lots of energy and a really enthusiastic crowd. Then the evening’s dashing began. Over to the New Tent to see Hope of the States. I’m going to deal with that in a whole other post and indeed I’m considering actually writing something about it and seeing if Robot Fist or the like would be interested. Suffice it to say one of the real highlights.
Anyway, a run back to the Other Stage (not fun in the mud, let me tell ya!) to catch Damien Rice already in progress. Timed really nicely so that I slide to the field as he covers Creep. Well pleased with my timing. Even more pleased that as I’d wandered with Al earlier in the day we had caught the last two tracks of an acoustic set on a small stage. Made me much happier about missing the first 25 minutes. Good set, got a cover of Hallelujah and an excellent Seven-Nation Army cello cover.
And then, figuring that as I was given the chance to see a Beatle, I should take it. I went around to the Pyramid Stage to see Paul McCartney. Arrived about 20 minutes into it and the audience seemed downright passive. There was nothing going on. There was a reaction for the Beatle’s tunes but that was really about it. Surprisingly, he looked very nervous and I’m sure it didn’t help that it looked as if he’d be struggling for the evening. I arrived a couple of tracks before he did The Long and Winding Road. This got the crowd and as I wasn’t really enjoying the rest I was thinking about heading off to see something else. But I ended up staying. I think it was just because I wanted Come Together and Hey Jude. A few tracks later we got Eleanor Rigby which was the turning point, that was followed by another two classic’s Drive My Car and the sheer joy of Penny Lane. Around the crowd you could see people eating their words. This was a good act, and a headlining act. A few songs later when we were treated to Live and Let Die complete with fireworks and pyrotechnics, the entire crowd was won over. It was just one of those moments and the evening became a fantastic success. Getting Hey Jude, Let it Be and a rare live Helter Skelter. It was a memorable experience and I never thought I’d be saying that.
More tomorrow, it’s sleep time. I’ll leave you with a moral dilemma to ponder.
Here’s a dilemma for you… With all your honor and dignity what would you do? This test only has one question, but it’s a very important one.
Please don’t answer it without giving it some serious thought. By giving an honest answer you will be able to test where you stand morally.
The test features an unlikely, completely fictional situation, where you will have to make a decision one way or the other. Remember that your answer needs to be honest, yet spontaneous. Please scroll down slowly and consider each line – this is important for the test to work accurately.
You’re in Florida…In Miami, to be exact. There is great chaos going on around you, caused by a hurricane and severe floods. There are huge masses of water all over you. You are a CNN photographer and you are in the middle of this great disaster. The situation is nearly hopeless. You’re trying to shoot very impressive photos. There are houses and people floating around you, disappearing into the water. Nature is showing all its destructive power and is ripping everything away with it.
Suddenly you see a man in the water, he is fighting for his life, trying not to be taken away by the masses of water and mud. You move closer. Somehow the man looks familiar.
Suddenly you know who it is — it’s George W. Bush!
At the same time you notice that the raging waters are about to take him away, forever. You have two options. You can save him or you can take the best photo of your life. So you can save the life of George W. Bush, or you can shoot a Pulitzer prize winning photo, a unique photo displaying the death of one of the world’s most powerful men.
And here’s the question (please give an honest answer):
Would you select color film, or rather go with the simplicity of classic black and white?
