Daily Star reports...

[Mike Patton]

In which case you'll have to learn to not believe all he tells you, cos my info is that that is not correct.

Call me wrong all you like. Only one of us has a very long record of getting these these things right.

[eFestivals]

I'd rather believe the man who owns 49% of Reading Festival myself.

Nothing personal like

Melvin certainly doesn't own 49% in Reading fest, in fact I'm pretty sure he now owns zero - he did used to have a smallish (5% or so) shareholding in MF, but I'm pretty sure he sold it.

Edited January 28, 2009 by eFestivals

[Mike Patton]

Melvin certainly doesn't own 49% in Reading fest, in fact I'm pretty sure he now owns zero - he did used to have a shareholding in MF, but I'm pretty sure he sold it.

[onthejazz]

So do you know who the third headliner is Neil? Or just that it’s not Greenday!

[eFestivals]

He sold a lot of Mean Fiddler venues to concentrate on festivals with Festival Republic, which as I understand owns 49% of Reading with Live Nation owning the other 51%.

You should know more anyway, this is your job, not mine bud

FR is owned by Hamsard or Hansard or something. Hamsard is owned 50.1% LN, and 49.9% MCD I believe (I might have got the shareholdings very slightly wrong). At the point Hamsard bought MF I'm pretty sure I read that Melvin had sold the small shareholding (about 5% I think) he had in MF.

But anyway ..... I have very strong belief in what I've heard that the headliners were not all booked a few days ago. And from that, Melvin must have told you porkies, for whatever reason.

I keep on checking my info in all sorts of directions, and everything is coming back the same. It appears that Green Day are not playing and the slot they were planned for is still to be filled.

Edited January 28, 2009 by eFestivals

[thomasowen]

No disrespect, but this is a load of utter crap and the most inaccurate post I've seen on here since I joined.

[eFestivals]

So do you know who the third headliner is Neil? Or just that it’s not Greenday!

nope. I'm digging and digging and finding nothing, which along with other info I'm hearing says to me that no one is booked into the slot they were planned for as yet.

[Mike Patton]

Thas amusing seeing as you have been posting the most inaccurate posts seen on here for months.

We'll have to disagree on that then.

They are not awful in my opinion, they have become so much better in songwriting and playing.

Kings of Leon aren't pop and you capitalizing ARE doesn't make you right, I suggest you look up your definition of pop music. Again being popular doesn't make them pop.

Also can't you keep all your ideas in one post instead of submitting post after post after post without any breaks? This is another olivavu/cultseeker thing you do... And surely if you spoke to Melvin wouldn't you have asked for the headliners names?

[sammysundae]

you guys both seem to be so ridiculously more into the inner workings of this festival than anyone else. why don't you just stop arguing about things that don't matter at all and join forces. to form a team, the likes have which have never been seen before. and you could call yourselves ABBA or something.

[Mike Patton]

you guys both seem to be so ridiculously more into the inner workings of this festival than anyone else. why don't you just stop arguing about things that don't matter at all and join forces. to form a team, the likes have which have never been seen before. and you could call yourselves ABBA or something.

Edited January 28, 2009 by Mike Patton

[Englishdragon]

He sold a lot of Mean Fiddler venues to concentrate on festivals with Festival Republic, which as I understand owns 49% of Reading with Live Nation owning the other 51%.

You should know more anyway, this is your job, not mine bud

[mblackhouse]

Neil, you are correct sir......

I work in a live nation venue, and having spoke to the divisional manager of UK venues (music) at the beginning of this week, Green Day were nailed on but then pulled out....no one booked to headline currently and there is a slight panic setting in. Names were banded around but the idea is to have someone exclusive and the options aren't massive.....

This was the state of play as of Monday this week.

[mblackhouse]

Neil, you are correct sir......

I work in a live nation venue, and having spoke to the divisional manager of UK venues (music) at the beginning of this week, Green Day were nailed on but then pulled out....no one booked to headline currently and there is a slight panic setting in. Names were banded around but the idea is to have someone exclusive and the options aren't massive.....

This was the state of play as of Monday this week.

[eFestivals]

I didnt think Melvin had anything to do with booking the acts though, my understanding was the headliners and the rest of the bands are booked by the Booking agent and his panel, Melvin is just "kept informed"

That's my belief of how it works too, and could well be the reason why Melvin has apparently told some people that the headliners are all booked when my info is that they're not. From what I'm hearing it seems they thought they were sorted but then fairly recently they found out that they'd not got Green Day after all - that info might have taken a while to reach Melvin.

[sammysundae]

I think you've had enough of that....pass it round this way

[gazza_20]

so KOL are basically dead cert now for friday or sat, sunday has been confirmed needs sorting and don't have anyone yet.

realistically who can they get? prodigy/linkin park

manson is in talks to go back download and i think if we got

arctics monkeys

placebo

kol

lostprophets

linkin park

prodigy

thats a cracking set of headliners, considering placebo are headlining a few places and they are only really a 2nd band for the top major fests, shows everywhere isn't guna have the strongest they can

Edited January 28, 2009 by gazza_20

[Benj]

and touring with u2 has rubbed of on them.

[deegs]

They should get the Prodigy to take the Green Day slot, that'd be awesome.

[gazza_20]

They should get the Prodigy to take the Green Day slot, that'd be awesome.

[VCK]

i'm really not trying to be funny mate, but go into one of the old olivavu threads and i think you'll see not only why he got people's backs up, but why everyone thinks its you.

its not really my problem or anything, but basically, he too was the only one who came on and talked about soundgarden and pearl jam when theres no chance of them playing, and he was also the only one who seemed to know more about the inner working of the festival than anyone else. he was also the only one who would come on and start massive arguments with the efests moderators. who in my opinion, do a fantastic job of running a website which gives more accurate information to more people, quicker than all other sources put together, by far.

i come on here pretty often when i'm procrastinating to find out whats going on at reading this year, has anything been rumoured today, that kind of thing. and now all i ever see is people stressing out about it.

at the end of the day, it doesn't really even matter that much who's playing. we could still all go and have a great time.

it doesn't really matter about the state of the music industry today. sure, theres a load of bands out there who sell out, but this gets my back up. that everyone starts saying that theres no good usic out there. there is absolutely LOADS of great new music out there, all you have to do is look for it.

there, hopefully, that should settle all remaining issues that anyone:- mike patton, olivavu, cultseeker, or anyone else for that matter, feels like having an argument or a whinge about.

at the end of the day its music, it is there to be enjoyed. sure critiquing stuff is ok, but don't you think that in the time its taken me to wrote this i could have discovered 3-4 new artists via myspace/itunes radio/lastfm. stop me if i'm going on (i know i am).

i love music and i hate to see it going this way. i like these forums cos you can come on here and talk to like minded people about music you like. last year it got ruined by angry people getting way, way too into it. i'll be damned if i see that happen agin this year. its a waste of time, just like writjng this probably has been.

don't tell me to chill out, i just feel like laying down a new rule.

1. lifes there for enjoying, if you don't like it then change the channel.

cheers

p.s. thats really interesting about green day pulling out. its a shame for the people who would have liked them, i'm not a massive fan, but i've heard they're great live. really spices things up a bit this year tho doesn't it.

[deegs]

If they're a bit stuck though for a headliner, chances are I'd say it'll be someone along the lines of Prodigy/a band of equal size.

[Role Model]

Is Radiohead defo out then, no chance of them coming back in? I knew it would have been too good to be true them headlining...

[gazza_20]

well as much as i can say more ppl probably want prodigy, linkin park are bigger.

and to be fair if you cant be happy with one of the biggest british bands in the world by a mile and the most noticed international band of last year that people said shud have headlined in 2007 who can ya be happy with.

we all pretty much new radiohead was a long shot, muse wouldn't be happening or the strokes and such like ac/dc. guns and roses have a chance

Edited January 28, 2009 by gazza_20

[eFestivals]

Is Radiohead defo out then, no chance of them coming back in? I knew it would have been too good to be true them headlining...

They were defo out; I've no idea if there's a chance of them coming back in. I doubt it, but who knows?

[VCK]

If Green Day and AC/DC are out then my money's on GNR.