Is Glasto too expensive?

[ouchmonkey]

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

haven't you heard about the Oi! stage?
up in The Park, last two or three years.

^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.

that annoys me - and i've no doubt at all that the extensive TV coverage is too blame for it. I remember a lot of whingeing about Lost Vagueness wanting people to dress up, how it was enforced fun or elitist hipster bobbins - NO - it's you're not a spectator here, join the fuck in and be part of it or get back to the main stage where you can sit and watch and no-one is going to touch you, talk to you or otherwise suprise or alarm you



I'd say it's the best value ticket you can buy for any festival or in fact any kind of arts event all year - there is so so much on offer.
but then I get in free, and could maybe not afford it otherwise so i'll just shut my mouth about that eh?

 

[William of Walworth]

^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.

I'm by no means disagreeing altogether, but I do tend to think the 'passive enjoyment'/'expect to be entertained' thing has always been the case, at least to some extent.

Yes, we can go back to 'back in the day' days and we can both remember examples of truly creative and near spontaneous music/enterntainment/happenings at various places round the site.

But even then, I think all such happenings gathered a crowd of watchers. As often as not I and plenty of others were amongst that crowd.

The DIY thing has been great in the past -- and in my view can still be found in various places on site albeit less commonly perhaps -- but not everyone actively participated even back in the wild partying days.

 

[Tort]

^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.

Perhaps I've overplayed the contribute v consume card a bit on my previous post. What you describe was certainly the case in 2007 when Glastonbury was very much part of the "scene" and everybody sat in their camping chairs & got their Laura Ashley wellies full of gloop. Thankfully the last couple of years there has been a major and very obvious move back the other way to the extent that the line between performer & punter has become wonderfully blurred again. Long may it continue.

 

[moose]

That's good news - but do you think it's a real psychological shift, or just because it's not been too wet?
G2007 was the very worst festival I've been to, anywhere ever, in so many ways, which is saying something.

 

[William of Walworth]

The ultra mudbath conditions of 2007 did have a lot to do with that I'm convinced. I think Tort is right.

 

[Tort]

That's good news - but do you think it's a real psychological shift, or just because it's not been too wet?
G2007 was the very worst festival I've been to, anywhere ever, in so many ways, which is saying something.

Agreed, apart from Reading 1992 I can’t think of many that have been worse. And yes the more clement conditions the last couple of years has definitely added to everybody’s general joie de vivre. But 2007 was also most definitely a low insomuch as it was hyped to death, capacity was increased by 20,000 but tickets sold out within 2 hours and a lot of the people who turned up with their shit attitudes just expected it to be another Hyde Park jolly. Thankfully most of them haven’t bothered coming back the last couple of years and it was especially noticeable last year, what with all the negative Jay-Z press, that right from the word GO a far greater percentage of those who did come were determined to prove the naysayers wrong by having the party of their lives. I was all ready to jack it in myself after 2007 but I can honestly say that of the 9 Glastonbury’s I’ve now attended the last 2 have definitely been the most enjoyable.

 

[pennimania]

I would agree with Tort too.
These last 2 years have been wonderful in imo


and I'm not sure it was just down the weather, there just was something 'in the air' especially this summer. I don't know when I have laughed so much, often with complete strangers.

having said that, and despite what I voted in the poll, I am now wondering if I can afford to go.

it's such a lot of money if all 4 of us go.