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Glasto 2020: Passing the torch?


kalifire
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Every year before I go I think "is it losing it's charm, this might be my last one" and regular as clockwork I come back thinking "I must go again". Sometimes you forget. A lot can change in 2 years too, when I think about how much of my life changed from 2011 to 2013. 

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FFS peeps!  Me and Mr mandolin have an average age of 60.  We walked, we partied, we had great conversations with people of our own age and much younger, we danced, we laughed, we revelled in the joy around us and had a wonderful time.  There are many reasons for not going to Glastonbury.  Age is definitely not one of them.

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Approaching 60 I might understand but I've not long entered the approaching 40 bracket and can't see myself wanting to stop anytime soon!

As for the complaints at the late night stages being heavily dance music orientated that might be legitimate if they weren't all rammed all night! 

I've only been going since 2003 and back then the majority of people were in bed by 1am. There'd be a few thousand up at at the stone circle waiting for the sun to rise, at least 90% (probably more like 99.9% tbh) of whom had consumed something illegal.

If you don't like dance music then fair enough, but there are more options for you now late at night than there ever have been. The array of music late at night hasn't been narrowed at all, if anything it's grown. 

 

Edited by Junglist1981
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The thing I loved about Glastonbury the first time I came as a 22 year old some was how I didn't need to get absolutely obliterated like you do at say Leeds Festival just to tolerate it. I didn't have to feel anxious about the piss and the shit and the aggro. I attributed that then as now to the inclusivity of Glastonbury and the esprit de corps - 'the Glastonbury way' - which I feel owes a lot to the older folk in attendance, as well as the families, the kids and everyone in between.

From some of the opinions expressed here after that festival, I'm concerned that some older folk would give it up. It becomes self defeating, if you say 'its gotten too young i'm not going next year' then that means the average age next year will be even lower.

Agreed with OP that the night time stuff could do more for people who aren't into SE corner. We go to glasto latino every year and love it because its fun and daft. Similarly the ska stuff on is always fun. I'm out until 7am like the best of em, but it'd be more fun to do it in some little daft karaoke bar or somewhere with some irish folk to jig about to or something. I can go to a rave any weekend back home, its so impersonal and unimaginative.

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6 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Being a pussy about it. @bennyhana22 is older than both @Hugh Jass and myself and certainly has far more stamina than I do.  Approaching 40 is no excuse at all.

To be clear, I woke up last Sunday with the words "I've had a good innings" going through my head, but I gave myself a stern talking to.

I'm not old, I'm unfit. Whilst obviously I don't know the specifics of anyone else's situation, I do know that being in your late thirties is a rubbish excuse for a body creaking too much for Glastonbury.

I'm 40 next year BTW.

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3 hours ago, kalifire said:

Thankfully the number of older people....

Blinkered effing agism!

At 51 I have witnessed the festival go from strength to strength.

The is no meaningfull passing of the batton to be desired  but there is great hope for opening the eyes of the younger generation to the sh*t in the world they live in and mobilise them towards change.

 The likes of Kate Tempest and RTJ give me great hope for the future.

Edited by HalfAnIdiot
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Its a little distressing to hear about people who think that being 40 (40?!?!?!?!?) is somehow a barrier to enjoying Glastonbury. I've now enjoyed 4 festivals in my 40s and find I love it more and more each year. I don't think we need any baton passing, the door is open to anyone (who can get tickets) and I want to see everyone from babes in arms to seniors at the festival.

And if you think you're getting too old, I'm taking my folks to their first festival this year (No 6 as we couldn't get tickets for G for them). They are far from what I call hard-core ravers, but they're going with the right spirit and I think they'll have a great time. The spirit of inclusivity is what makes these things so wonderful.

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42 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

To be clear, I woke up last Sunday with the words "I've had a good innings" going through my head, but I gave myself a stern talking to.

I'm not old, I'm unfit. Whilst obviously I don't know the specifics of anyone else's situation, I do know that being in your late thirties is a rubbish excuse for a body creaking too much for Glastonbury.

I'm 40 next year BTW.

I know full well that people carry on into their 50's, 60's and even 70's and good on them. It's fantastic that they do that. I just don't see myself carrying on that much longer. I'm 40 in 2020 and I really want to go to the 50th. That just seems the right time for me to bow out personally.

Of course this might just be post-festival fatigue talking.

Edited by Hugh Jass
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8 minutes ago, Hugh Jass said:

Of course this might just be post-festival fatigue talking.

It is. Very easy to deny 2021 Hugh a visit to the farm now, but you try living it. You might even skip a year, but you'll be back.

It's like the old question "Who on earth would want to live to 100?

A 99yr old.

Edited by stuartbert two hats
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24 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

It is. Very easy to deny 2021 Hugh a visit to the farm now, but you try living it. You might even skip a year, but you'll be back.

It's like the old question "Who on earth would want to live to 100?

A 99yr old.

True. Ask me again next October.

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Our extended group (3 families) is 16 strong and ages range from 58 - 23...

We camp in CV East with a mixture of Campervans, Caravan and tents.. From Tuesday through Thursday we eat drink and laugh together on what is ostensibly a camping holiday.. Friday - Sunday we go our separate ways and enjoy what we individually want to enjoy, often meeting up for mutually liked acts or drinks/food ..

I havent been in the SE Corner after dark since 2007 (and didnt think much of it then..).. but some of our group are there all night every night.. 

My birthday is mid-June and the next Glastonbury will be a 60th celebration.. (60 FFS..!!).. my knees are arthritic and ache like billyo, hangovers are not great.. but this Glastonbury was my best in 9 visits.. Age is just a number, do what you want to do not what everyone else is doing..

I cant wait for 2019.

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I have to be honest, before this year I always had it in the mind that there would be a point in life I'd hold up my hand and say 'that's enough for me, it's been fun, but it's goodbye forever', and that was possibly going to be the next fallow year after the forthcoming one.

But this year made me realise why that shouldn't be the case

I've been going since I was 12. I'm 25 now. How I've done Glastonbury has changed immeasurably over those years, and I know in its current guise, there's scope for me to adapt to it and still have a great time for a long time yet. 

Emily is the key I think to the festival's future. I trust her. But I know its not a given she'll be around running the festival as long as her dad has which has fair enough. 

The moment I feel the break has been made from what I believe both her and her dad believe the festival should be, will be the moment I stop wanting to go. 

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I came away from this years feeling something was missing for me that 'spark' I used to get from going...I wonder if its because i've been so many times now (done the last 12 in a row) that it's lost its zing for me?

Has anyone else reached a similar number and given it a miss for a couple of years or re-found their enthusiasm for it somehow?

I certinaly think its time for me to give the class-A drugs a massive scale down if I go in 2019, as that just seems to wipe me out until early afternoon the next day!

I'll be nearly 38 by the time the next one rolls around, has anyone else had to have a change in tactic/approach to the festival to be able to still enjoy it? 

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1 hour ago, Gozzynoko-Flow said:

I'm 44 and I want to keep on enjoying new fresh music as long as I can.

I've seen my parents hit a point where all new music from now on in is rubbish and I want to prevent that coming as long as possible. Pretty sure I've already beaten them.

I was in my late 40s the first time we went to Glastonbury.  8 festivals later I have no intention of stopping before I drop.  I couldn't agree more that it's not age but openness to new experiences which determines how old we are.  What I love about Glastonbury is that it's perfectly ok to like Royal Blood, Justice, Radiohead and Chic - because great music is great regardless of genre or when it was written. I've never been in the SE corner at night (and much of it probably isn't my thing)  but love the energy it radiates over the site after hours. There's something weirdly comforting about climbing into my nice bed in cv east with the steady thumping and general sounds of debauchery in the background.  

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Another 60 year old here, apparently staggering on despite being decrepit. OK I don't even begin to contemplate an all-nighter at the stone circle anymore (if I'm honest I only managed it once anyway), and find the SE corner way too busy after 11 (but perfectly happy with the music).

Absolutely no desire to quit on Glastonbury, this year one of my best, saw full or part sets of 38 bands across 14 stages, so there's no barriers for me still have an amazing time....and I'm not going to stop anytime soon.

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I've been going since 1983 (you do the maths!) and enjoyed it this year more then ever, albeit it was my first after a significant gap. There's no way I'm stopping again anytime soon.

With regards to the acts, I think the bookers do a great job in representing diversity in music. It's natural selection that the newer acts will have longevity at Glastonbury, and it's undoubtedly their future but there's room for the odd heritage act too - can't imagine many people complaining if the likes of the Stones or Madonna are booked for 2020.

Edited by henry bear
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14 hours ago, kalifire said:

At the moment there feels like such a disconnect between the daytime and night time. The day appeals to the array of musical talent, and the night bends towards people into a far more narrow band of musical appreciation, to the extent that if you're not into pounding, relentless dance music which is better to appreciate via substances, you might as well go to bed early.

That's not sustainable, in my opinion. It's not holistic and doesn't bring one culture into another in the way that the festival needs to in order to include everybody and live by its ethos.

As it stands, there is an enormous demand for dance music, which lends itself naturally to the night time, like it or not. I don't particularly agree that it's disjointed from the day time - how many stage headliners are more upbeat than the daytime acts? Besides, a lot of people do the same thing in the day: have you ever been to the Beat Hotel at 3pm? The Glade? Moreover, frankly, you do not need to take substances to appreciate the artistry - if you don't like the music or the vibe, you don't like it. Don't belittle those for whom this constitutes a massive part of the weekend, thanks.

I'm sorry to say, but the way you phrase sounds very much like grumpy-man-who-doesn't-like-dance-music. ("Relentless dance music" :lol: get over yourself) Now, that might not be the case, but you haven't even really suggested any kind of alternative. Perhaps I'd take you more seriously if your demands were more in line with "I wish there was more of an alternative" or "why can't there be more live acts playing until 3am away from the SE corner?" 
 

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18 minutes ago, Tuna said:

As it stands, there is an enormous demand for dance music, which lends itself naturally to the night time, like it or not. I don't particularly agree that it's disjointed from the day time - how many stage headliners are more upbeat than the daytime acts? Besides, a lot of people do the same thing in the day: have you ever been to the Beat Hotel at 3pm? The Glade? Moreover, frankly, you do not need to take substances to appreciate the artistry - if you don't like the music or the vibe, you don't like it. Don't belittle those for whom this constitutes a massive part of the weekend, thanks.

I'm sorry to say, but the way you phrase sounds very much like grumpy-man-who-doesn't-like-dance-music. ("Relentless dance music" :lol: get over yourself) Now, that might not be the case, but you haven't even really suggested any kind of alternative. Perhaps I'd take you more seriously if your demands were more in line with "I wish there was more of an alternative" or "why can't there be more live acts playing until 3am away from the SE corner?" 
 

yep, the OP comes across as the very 'ugly little coldsore' that he's criticising :lol:

Does he expect the late night area to be banging out the greatest hits of Leonard Cohen?

How laughably out of touch.

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I have to admit, when the line-up was announced I did think grime/British hip-hop was slightly over-represented and having gone to watch Wiley, Stormzy and BBK - the latter being my final act of the weekend, I do stand by my belief that they were all perhaps a bit high-up the bill. BBK and Wiley in particular had pretty small audiences given their slots. There's definitely appetite for them but not convinced they have the pull to compete in such positions.

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10 hours ago, gooner1990 said:

I came away from this years feeling something was missing for me that 'spark' I used to get from going...I wonder if its because i've been so many times now (done the last 12 in a row) that it's lost its zing for me?

Has anyone else reached a similar number and given it a miss for a couple of years or re-found their enthusiasm for it somehow?

I certinaly think its time for me to give the class-A drugs a massive scale down if I go in 2019, as that just seems to wipe me out until early afternoon the next day!

I'll be nearly 38 by the time the next one rolls around, has anyone else had to have a change in tactic/approach to the festival to be able to still enjoy it? 

We got that in about 2011 having only missed one since 2004 (2005 due to not being able to get tickets).

We decided to go less often and since then have done 2013 and 2015 together (In 2015 we left our arrival to Thursday evening), and I did this year on my own by working for Shelter. Working was hard but did somehow refresh it for me by changing my festival in more ways that I expected. It wasn't just missing stuff during shifts, but needing to rationalise the off-duty time a bit in order to survive the tiredness, whilst also really making the most of my time off.

This meant, surprisingly, that I didn't end up trying to see as many of the acts I'd planned as I could in the gaps, it meant I chose something that sounded interesting that was a bit nearer, and therefore I did more that was new to me and experimental rather than what I knew I liked already. It made it a very different festival.

As for giving up at 40, I'm 53, Glastonbury seriously hurts me now, I only stopped aching yesterday (the Saturday after), but we are dead a long time & it is worth the effort.

Edited by amfy
To add my age
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I love my dance and electronic music but I have to agree to some extent - there's too stark a night/day thing at the moment and it would be better to forge a middle ground than have the festival so split.

But most of all I agree with the three newer band headliners thing. The festival used to make trends not follow them, and currently daytimes feel a little taken over with reminiscing the youth of an older generation of festival goers which with their respective audiences probably splits the festival further.

I'm all for variety but at the same time it's exactly that mix that makes Glasto the great bringer-together that it can be, once it starts separating out too much it loses something. Be braver Glasto basically.

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