Is Glasto too expensive?

[Teaboy]

Really not sure I agree with that. I still think it represents fair value for money myself, considering all you get.



Wre you completely overcrowded from seeing some acts then?



Was it that bad? We were working on the Info Desk next to the Other Stage the Sunday evening, and I wasn't aware of sound level problems ...

My beef was with the shortness of their set, they finished at least 20 mins earlier than they needed, but not with the sound.

Virtually every act I went to see was packed, if you didnt fancy sardines then you were miles from the stage. This is as bad as I've seen it since 2000. Also late night areas were great but often closed at night because they got too busy.

Prodigy were dreadful from where I was, not loud enough and all you got was the base. We were standing about level with the mixing desk and I know the other stage sound isnt great but there were loads of people not happy around us.

 

[pennimania]

Well when I was watching Glasvegas just before the Prodigy the crowd was really very small, they deserved better. But we were very near the front.


Noah and the Whale had a lamentable crowd at the Park on Fridayand the Horrors who were next had even less.

Which is nice cos you get a really good look at them, but must be dispiritng for the bands.

 

[Badgers]

it does have corporate logos on the site

I wore Nikes once

 

[paolo]

Never saw the late night areas close. Never heard anyone else report this either.

What night did they "close the late night areas" ?

 

[Looby]

The only scary crowds I saw all weekend were for Rolf and E17.

 

[Clint Iguana]

Showing your age.

When i were a lad it were just an empty field behind the pyramid

 

[Edie]

Never saw the late night areas close. Never heard anyone else report this either.

What night did they "close the late night areas" ?

Fucking EVERY night (i.e. Friday and Saturday). By this, I mean Shangri La (and at points, Trash City). Couldn't cope with volume of people. Basically, dance village finished and every fucker did the long tramp along the railway line towards shangri la. Only for many to be turned back.

Can only assume they just didn't predict the volume of people who'd want to continue partying all night TBF though, shangri la was by far and away, with no doubt, the best of glastonbury as far as I'm concerned.

Can't be arsed with bands on stages, me Live music in general is almost always disappointing, must be missing some gene.

I just want a dj, a dance tent, decent drugs, weird caberet, dark drinking places and friendly people. Glastonbury delivered on that this year. Next year they just need to up the capacity of the places people wanna go after dark.

 

[paolo]

Odd. I was there on Saturday and Sunday. Even after the headliners, didn't take more than 10 mins on the railway track. That was joining at Avalon.

These days they very much do know that the late night corner will be popular. In this photo, that I took in 2008 before kick off, the head of security is giving a briefing on pinch points.

The difficulty is expanding that area. They'd need to eat into Avalon, or abandon Williams as camping, and both of those would cause a stir.

Running late elsewhere on site I suspect is a license non starter. That corner has 'friendly neighbours' (i.e. they all make money from offering supplementary stuff like premium camping), and is furthest from the off site noise measurement points.

e2a: The number of silent disco venues expands every year, but I think they're a poor substitute for the real thing.

 

[Edie]

Well Friday for sure, as you walked along the railway track there were security blocking it and turning people back cos it was overcrowded. Sat we went early to get in, but other friends couldn't join us. It's possibly just for a really limited time (i.e. 10 mins every so often if the slopes/ paths are getting dangerously jammed?).

Fuck knows, but we camp with CTM each year and people were talking about it there too.

 

[paolo]

Well Friday for sure, as you walked along the railway track there were security blocking it and turning people back cos it was overcrowded. Sat we went early to get in, but other friends couldn't join us. It's possibly just for a really limited time (i.e. 10 mins every so often if the slopes/ paths are getting dangerously jammed?).

Fuck knows, but we camp with CTM each year and people were talking about it there too.

Ah ok. I didn't go on Friday.

I know some people see the one way system and describe it as "being closed", but that sounds like something different.

 

[bouncer_the_dog]

last couple of times I've been I have felt distinctly short changed by the event, especially given the enormous cost.

 

[bouncer_the_dog]

The NME stage

 

[Vider]

"Tesco as main stage sponser"

That made me LOL. Imagine that[/I. LOL.

 

[mysterygirl]

Prodigy were dreadful from where I was, not loud enough and all you got was the base. We were standing about level with the mixing desk and I know the other stage sound isnt great but there were loads of people not happy around us.

I was to the side of the mixing desk for Prodigy - got there a bit late -and although I wouldn't describe it as dreadful, I was disappointed with the sound. Obviously I wasn't in the best place to hear OR see, and I take that on board, but I'd seen Prodigy at Download 2 weeks earlier and I have to say that for me, 'Glasto Prodigy' weren't a patch on 'Download Prodigy'.

 

[Looby]

I'm really struggling with whether to go. We can pay the deposit in october and could probably scrape together the balance by the end of january.

My best mate is getting married in april in jersey so we will need to pay for hotels, ferry etc That doesn't give us the time we had last year to save spending money etc We need a new tent too.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I just know how gutted we will be if we're at home when it's all going on.

 

[free spirit]

These days they very much do know that the late night corner will be popular. In this photo, that I took in 2008 before kick off, the head of security is giving a briefing on pinch points.

fuck me things have changed... that was me doing that job one year, and I swear I didn't see any security other than those watching the fence all weekend. bet the stewards radios still don't talk to the security radios mind

wonder if he took on my tradition of trannying up for the sunday evening shift as well....

 

[smokedout]

i havent been since it stopped being (unofficially) free, is it really still any good

 

[paolo]

fuck me things have changed... that was me doing that job one year, and I swear I didn't see any security other than those watching the fence all weekend. bet the stewards radios still don't talk to the security radios mind

wonder if he took on my tradition of trannying up for the sunday evening shift as well....

This year I happened to be in Shangri-La crew area, as security (the full on ones, not the students) marched out of their area en-mass, to take up their railway track positions. Very organised.

Them and the stewards working the track do a great job. I always make a point of thanking one of the stewards on the junction. Without their hard work it would be an accident waiting to happen.

None of them seemed to be cross dressing though, so there's room for improvement

 

[free spirit]

This year I happened to be in Shangri-La crew area, as security (the full on ones, not the students) marched out of their area en-mass, to take up their railway track positions. Very organised.

Them and the stewards working the track do a great job. I always make a point of thanking one of the stewards on the junction. Without their hard work it would be an accident waiting to happen.

None of them seemed to be cross dressing though, so there's room for improvement

I remember when they introduced the compulsory steward training sessions in around 2000, the training guy was asking for examples of sensible steward type clothing to wear on shift, and turned to me for an answer.... 'gold sequinned dress'

had to be done

 

[david dissadent]

Which reminds me of a conversation I had with Paolo999 a couple of weeks back.

 

[Riklet]

It's too expensive but in terms of "value for money" it's probably worth it. It's quite hard to say tbh. I was working this year, and the money I was "paid" went the charity I worked through, but even with the shifts factored in, I still had "160quid worth of fun" if you can quantify it like that

The tickets are pushing £200 now, and yeah, I do reckon it's still worth it, although it does seem fucking loads. I think i'll probably try and work it again though. You get to go on tuesday and stay for almost a week, can't fuckin' complain! Hmm, not decided though, four days of wonderful freedom and craziness at glasto is worth a fair chunk.

As for transport/spending costing hundreds; that's a choice, not a necessity. My friend got a lift, took food/booze and spent £20 this year. Ok, she's a mean hippy, but still

 

[Tort]

Fucking EVERY night (i.e. Friday and Saturday). By this, I mean Shangri La (and at points, Trash City). Couldn't cope with volume of people. Basically, dance village finished and every fucker did the long tramp along the railway line towards shangri la. Only for many to be turned back.

Sorry but this isn't strictly true. I spent a good chunk of every night in the area and was camped in Williams so I had to to at least pass through Arcadia & Shangri-La just to get back to my tent & never had any problems with access. There may have been occassions when they restricted getting into Trash City from the railway track as a lot of people enter over the bridge from the Avalon Field but for Arcadia and Shangri-La they simply made it a one way system so you had to go to the far end of the railway track to get in. The western entrance was made exit only. It's been the same system for several years now and works fairly well for the muppets who simply horde through there at 2am and don't bother exploring all the little nooks & crannies that make Shangri-La such a fantastic place.

 

[jonajuna]

in reply to OP

yes, if you pay to go of course

hi tort

 

[Tort]

in reply to OP

yes, if you pay to go of course

hi tort

Greetings

 

[chemn]

I was to the side of the mixing desk for Prodigy - got there a bit late -and although I wouldn't describe it as dreadful, I was disappointed with the sound. Obviously I wasn't in the best place to hear OR see, and I take that on board, but I'd seen Prodigy at Download 2 weeks earlier and I have to say that for me, 'Glasto Prodigy' weren't a patch on 'Download Prodigy'.

I was next to you the whole time - I was behind the mix engineer on the desk ! I thought Prodigy was awesome!! But then that was my first ever festival... I guess you were part of the mini rave going on behind that gear case lid on it's side?

I was with the noise control team - the sound system was running at it's maximum limit - and sometimes a tiny bit over the limit. I thought it sounded pretty decent considering the distance between the stage and the desk ...

 

[Edie]

Sorry but this isn't strictly true. I spent a good chunk of every night in the area and was camped in Williams so I had to to at least pass through Arcadia & Shangri-La just to get back to my tent & never had any problems with access. There may have been occassions when they restricted getting into Trash City from the railway track as a lot of people enter over the bridge from the Avalon Field but for Arcadia and Shangri-La they simply made it a one way system so you had to go to the far end of the railway track to get in. The western entrance was made exit only. It's been the same system for several years now and works fairly well for the muppets who simply horde through there at 2am and don't bother exploring all the little nooks & crannies that make Shangri-La such a fantastic place.

Muppets Little bitta glasto snobbery going on there?

 

[trevhagl]

Is it time to scale back spending and make it more affordable for the masses?

the more expensive the better to teach rich kids with bad musical taste a lesson

 

[mysterygirl]

I was next to you the whole time - I was behind the mix engineer on the desk ! I thought Prodigy was awesome!! But then that was my first ever festival... I guess you were part of the mini rave going on behind that gear case lid on it's side?

I was with the noise control team - the sound system was running at it's maximum limit - and sometimes a tiny bit over the limit. I thought it sounded pretty decent considering the distance between the stage and the desk ...

Ah so that was you that kept coming out pointing & laughing.......

Yes Prodigy were good it's just that by comparison to Download I was disappointed - as I said though I wasn't in the best spot, both sight & sound were hindered by that platform you were standing on... - your spot was infinitely better, next time come drag me out of the crowd!!!

My spot at Download was awesome, smack bang in the middle right in front of the desk, with a slight hill going down to the stage so despite my lack of height I could see everything. It was always going to be hard to beat cos it's not often some tall person doesn't come & stand right in front of me..

 

[Tort]

Muppets Little bitta glasto snobbery going on there?

Perhaps

It does bug me that so many of the people who herd through there late at night just expect the entertainment to be laid on a plate for them rather than actually taking the time to explore the place at times when it isn’t so busy and, God forbid, actually participate & contribute rather than just consume. If they have a shit time then frankly they have nobody to blame but themselves.

 

[moose]

^but that's the essence of Glastonbury now. Most people don't know how to make their own entertainment and they expect it to be like telly, where you turn it on and sit back and gawp at it.