"Line Up" Tedium

[Wooderson]

The OP wants to change how the festival has been running for decades no?

[Wooderson]

not really. He's nailed the point.

No matter how much some might find woody's words a good idea, the festival does what it does because that's what makes a festival of its size work.

It's all very well suggesting that it does something left field but that won't bring in the punters in the numbers that Glastonbury needs nowadays. People in general don't want experimental, they want tunes they know to dance or sing along to.

[Wooderson]

I think it was a quality post/thread. Far from having a moan. He also mentioned "Not just for Glasto but everywhere" in the first line.

And hes right. Progression/change should be discussed. We're at the stage now where people just want to see Radiohead play every year and the same names are being mentioned time after time. Another Radiohead thread? Its boring. Im expecting a "Coldplay?" thread any minute.

It didn't sell out in 08 did it? Whos to say it will next year when theres no fallow year? Nothing wrong with discussing option about how to improve the festie.

Some of my favourite Glasto performances have been the crazier ones - Primal Scream in 05 for example. And I loved the orchestra doing the Wagner stuff on the Pyramid. Think that was 05 too?

If you want to hear someone moaning properly, go to a Radiohead gig and listen to that pain in the arse Thom Yorke.

[Essex_George]

Think theres space (citing Africa Express as an example) for something a little out of the ordinary to occur now and then.

And I'm disappointed in you Mr. G, given your support for Africa Express. At no point have I suggested something be put on that wouldnt be quintessential populist fun. I don't want to see anything "experimental" at all. I'm suggesting a deviation away from the band / 30 minute break / band / 30 minute break / band routine that as the standards of the bands deteriorate, follows the same pattern.

[Wooderson]

But any deviation away from the norm of festivals would be "experimental" and the mainstream crowd will not like it and will stay away.

[Andy0808 v3.0]

Or they could go the complete other way... and broadcast Lady Gaga's headline set on the Saturday on the screens of every single stage just to piss everyone (including me) off and save money booking headline acts for all the other stages.

and just to make sure noone escapes have it playing out of speakers dotted around the whole site so nothing else can happen.

just a thought though

[The Nal]

But any deviation away from the norm of festivals would be "experimental" and the mainstream crowd will not like it and will stay away.

[Wooderson]

Can anyone post the "We fear change" clip from Waynes World?

- - -

I'll be down the front for Muse and Kasabian's trot through the hits on the Pyramid for the next decade or so.

If that doesnt work I'll be over at the JW for the last of the semi-obscure bluesmen that'll be on tour in the UK each June.

If _that_ doesnt work I'll be in the acoustic for the latest return to the well for whatever nondescript Hiberno-English troubadour they have on there.

If _that_ doesnt work of course I'll be up in the Park with 30K others waiting for the scene-stealing unannounced megastars to play an impromtu set unlike anything they'd normally do.

[Essex_George]

And if festivals continue on the same predictable route they have been the crowd wont like it and will stay away. Just look at the amount of festivals that have shut down over the last couple of years.

[eFestivals]

Think theres space (citing Africa Express as an example) for something a little out of the ordinary to occur now and then.

And I'm disappointed in you Mr. G, given your support for Africa Express. At no point have I suggested something be put on that wouldnt be quintessential populist fun. I don't want to see anything "experimental" at all. I'm suggesting a deviation away from the band / 30 minute break / band / 30 minute break / band routine that as the standards of the bands deteriorate, follows the same pattern.

yeah, there's space for it, but it's never going to become the big thing, and that will impact on who would want to get involved - because it's not just turn up and play. No superstar, or more specifically, wannabe-superstar, is going to want to stand up there and be doing stuff he doesn't know well because then he'll risk looking like a dick. And so he's going to want an amount of rehearsal time, which starts to make everything difficult logistically, etc.

It's one of those ideas which works much better in theory for today's world. I really can't see a 1970's style of just-turn-up-and-play working with today's musicians or today's audiences.

Edited November 16, 2012 by eFestivals

[Wooderson]

But the fact that festivals have been shut down over the last couple of years is due to the current economic crisis and that people have less money to spend rather than the festivals becoming boring.

[BlackHole2006]

They should have an open mic slot on The Pyramid, which means anyone, including a punter could come on and play some tunes Acoustically or on whatever instrument they can play. Maybe at the end of the evening when all the bands have finished or something.

I know this is a ridiculous idea but oh well I can dream.

[Bobs]

I try to avoid the Pyramid, it's iconic as you'll ever find, but i generally find the other being my favourite, but have massive soft spot for West Holts, The Park, Bandstand, always find amazing bands there

[Wooderson]

That theres amazing bands to be seen elsewhere was never my point.

[LondonTom]

And if festivals continue on the same predictable route they have been the crowd wont like it and will stay away. Just look at the amount of festivals that have shut down over the last couple of years.

Edited November 16, 2012 by LondonTom

[Essex_George]

Economic conditions will play a role, sure, but if you don't think theres less "freshness" out there about the whole festival scene youre kidding yourself. I really genuinely hope you are not representative of a broader base of people with this assessment.

[Wooderson]

yeah, there's space for it, but it's never going to become the big thing, and that will impact on who would want to get involved - because it's not just turn up and play. No superstar, or more specifically, wannabe-superstar, is going to want to stand up there and be doing stuff he doesn't know well because then he'll risk looking like a dick. And so he's going to want an amount of rehearsal time, which starts to make everything difficult logistically, etc.

It's one of those ideas which works much better in theory for today's world. I really can't see a 1970's style of just-turn-up-and-play working with today's musicians or today's audiences.

[The Nal]

That's just cos the masses are dying away from festivals atm, the masses don't want anything challenging or experimental in the slightest.

I think if anything rather than longer sets with various guests coming on to do new versions of stuff and create in the moment magic...what people really want, is any old shite, turning up to do one or two hits then fucking off. The masses don't have the attention span for John Williams and an Orchestra doing film scores all night or Muse being a backing band to all sort of new stars and legends. They would much rather see a dog dance for a few minutes, then fuck off for the next tortured soul to come along and be judged worthy or not by them.

[Wooderson]

Of course there is a need for freshness. But 90% of people that go to Glastonbury or most any other festival want to go get drunk stand at the main stages and watch current big name artists. It's not what most people on this forum want to do but we are a small percentage of the crowd at a festival.

[dingbat2]

I know this thread isn't really specific to Galsto, but Glasto is different to all the other festivals. Yes, they will always have the big acts headlining the Pyramid each night, and I like the idea that having those headliners there will mean there are 80000 less people at the other 70 odd stages at that time. All festivals need the big headliners to get the punters in, less so at Galsto because there is so much other stuff going on across the site. There is a lot of this sort of stuff going on everywhere albeit on a smaller scale. Its great that you can see random acoustic sets at Strummerville, Metronomy at the Crows Nest, and genuinely randon stuff almost everywhere (random for us, not the act) It really is what I love the most about the festival, just wandering around seeing stuff I haven't seen before. yes I will look at the lineup and pick out 4 or 5 big name acts to see over the weekend, but thats it, not least because I will never of heard of 99% of the 2000+ line-up. Thats the great thing for me, just wandering around with my ears and eyes open and see what happened. My personal highlight of nearly every festival I have been when I discovered something new on a smaller stage

It will be interesting to see how the other purely music festivals will do in the next few years. I can see a lot of them, including the larger festivals, struggling unless there is upturn in the music scene (headliner wise anyway) If they are still regurgitating Kasabian, KOL and the Killers in 3 years time, then I suspect most people will get bored and these festivals will struggle

[eFestivals]

Think youre selling musicians a little short here. Youre most certainly selling the punters short. If Albarn curated another Africa Express/Honest Jons Chop Up this year it'd be packed.

nah, it wouldn't be.

It would be more popular than it was last time, but that's because it's a more widely known thing now, so people would know more about what they'd be getting.

But they'd also be another 50 or so stages up against it. While AE might attract (say) a world music fan cos Baaba Maal might be there, that world music fan would possibly have something no less appealing (and possibly more appealing) on West Holts - and that same scenario works for musicians of every genre that might be involved.

When it comes down to it most people want something familiar, where they know the songs. They want that singalong experience. And while I know they'd get some of that from AE, they also want to hear their favourite bands - and AE is not their favourite band, it's a collective doinh whatever they choose to do that day.

There's people who would go an see it of course, but for the sorts who want to see (delete as appropriate) Killers / Kol / Coldplay / Beyonce / etc, etc as their Glastonbury experience (who are the vast majority there, don't forget) it would barely register as even happening.

[Mardy]

Anyone feel the festival "Line Up" structure is getting tedious? Not just for Glasto but everywhere?

Smaller & newer bands in the morning/Established indie & pop acts in the afternoon/big UK acts with successful album second last on/big established act as headliner.

Is this all getting tiresome as entertainment? When I look back on the Roger Waters surround sound comments people have made this gets me thinking. The festival's line up structure is in need of a serious update. Its got staid and unhealthy.

Bands/fests going through the motions with little difference between performances or line ups anymore. With a dearth of genuine quality coming through is it time for a change?

Are people really focussed on seeing a big band role out the hits with a sprinkling of the latest (shit) album or would people be interested in something a little riskier? Albarn has seen success and failure with this in recent years. The "Africa Express" night in 2007 seems to have been a resounding win - and remains the thing I'm most pissed off at having missed during my 8 visits to the farm. It was adventurous. Brave. The same could be said of the Gorillaz performance - despite really enjoying it - I can understand why others were let down.

But there are other options...

I look first to the 2009 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame gig for inspiration for example. Single larger act as "house band" for the evening, with various singers and performances throughout the evening. You could have themed evenings somewhere with a similar flavour being touched upon over a number of hours. Smaller more niche acts getting celebrated within a bigger performance.

Or even a more "curated" line up like Meltdown. Didnt Massive Attack take over a tent one Sunday for the whole day in the 1990's? Who wouldnt be interested to see Jack White bring a stable of acts to Glastonbury, with performances from him throughout the evening. Or Joshua Homme? Or Jarvis Cocker? Or *chance'd be a fine thing* Kate Bush? Really celebrate something. Revel in it. Do something individual and memorable FFS.

Reading over the line up threads every single year on here is interesting don't get me wrong... but I think with such a big festival like Glasters there is scope to return to a more unexpected, looser performance set up. Seeing as we've all paid for our tickets in advance would it make any difference if _no_ line up was announced. Would that do anything but prolong the excitement?

Ideas/suggestions/thoughts appreciated.

[abdoujaparov]

not really. He's nailed the point.

No matter how much some might find woody's words a good idea, the festival does what it does because that's what makes a festival of its size work.

It's all very well suggesting that it does something left field but that won't bring in the punters in the numbers that Glastonbury needs nowadays. People in general don't want experimental, they want tunes they know to dance or sing along to.

[Essex_George]

I'm not specifically talking about the main stages here chief. If the festival is brave enough (celebration of Bowie's career over the course of an evening for example then fine) but I think Jack White is a good example. Park stage, a loose collection of artists with no time limits or line up pressures.

[Kareneh]

The point he missed was to dismiss the whole discussion as a moan and suggesting that if people werent happy they should stay at home.