I fear for the future of Glasto

[Late]

There were some rude people there, but i would definatly not say it was one particular group or another.

[frankie boy]

I found the teenage crowd to be absolutely fine soemtimes a bit loud but never rude and definitly in the glasto spirit. the only stereotyped group that wasn't always pleasent wad the 'lads on tour' types that'd be better suited to a week in magaluf than Glastonbury.

[Adster]

I found this year much better than last, I'd put it down to the tickets selling out quickly this year so we didn't get huge gangs of "xxxxxx school 2010 graduation" hoodie wearers all over the site. Then again we made sure we were camped somewhere quiet so we weren't wakened during the night by kids off their head on ketamines threatening to kick our heads in because they had fallen on our tent and landed on my partner. On the flip side we also met some great teenagers both last year and this who really got the whole idea of having fun without ruining things for those around them.

What I did see this year were a lot of 20-30 something Ibiza types pitching their military organized encampments with slabs of lager/cider at the main stages and not moving all day. They caused no bother but seemed to create mini black holes that sucked the atmosphere from the festival.

The most friendly I've found people recently was 2007. I think the mud scared off most of those who were there to be cool.

[adjwholovesmusic]

I can understand people getting frustated when people barge past without having the manners to say excuse me but there were one or two people over the weekend that honestly thought they owned the field and were quite rude when you wanted to go past them. On the whole though people were very very friendly. To be honest we found the younger people at the festival to be great. They were a credit to their generation and long may they continue to go and embrace what we have been enjoying over the years.

There were one or two older people who had chips on their shoulders. There was one bald guy in the John Peel tent who was about 55 and he was lucky he didnt get a slap. He was chopsing about something being really obnoxious and totally unnecessary. I was just stood there minding my own business and he was having a go for no reason at all. I thought to myself is it worth me reacting and making myself look like an idiot, so i decided against doing anything as i didnt want to make a show. Had we been anywhere else other than Glastonbury the Yorkshire, Bald 4 eyed F$^ker would have had it 10 barrels.

Overall though everyone was brilliant. We met some fantastic people over the weekend and had an amazing time!!

adjwholovesmusic

[Bristol Boy]

Been to the last three festivals and feel that overall the standards and attitudes are ok but have deteriorated a little year on year.

The problems are not limited to any particular group but to the actual notion of a "group". Once people gather in larger numbers then their presence becomes more noticeable and potentially becomes intimidating or a problem. This applies equally to Guardian readers, rich kids or lads on tour and is a problem whether on a stage or a campsite. Watching Gorillaz we had a huge group of Welsh who thought it hilarious to shout "Oggy Oggy Oggy" or "Waaaaaales" at any given moment. Pointless and annoying but is anyone going to tell them to stop?

Of the three groups, I feel that the lads on tour group has grown most in the last two years.

Agree the best way is to avoid the Pyramid area, if you spend time at West Holts, Park or Acoustic there tend to be less groups and an all round more chilled atmosphere.

[windy_miller]

In a group of 180,000 people, you are always going to get some twats.

Saying that, I didn't see that many this year. The only annoying people were just behind us at Stevie Wonder. They were having a thoroughly good time, but being a bit too overly energetic and kept bumping and knocking into us every 2 minutes.

[lord stradmor]

I only had one issue, while sitting on a stool while watching reef at the back, and with a good ten foot circle around me clear, a group of teens came and stood directly in front of me.

They laid a blanket down, but then continued to stand there yakking for about ten minutes while my view was blocked by one lads arse, about ten inches away from my nose.

Then they walked off.

To be fair tho, I have teenage sons, and they have about as much spatial awareness themselves.

When you are that age, you are a young prince, and have no concept of fat old men wanting to watch rock bands.

Edited June 29, 2010 by lord stradmor

[The Pink Peril]

The only annoying people were just behind us at Stevie Wonder. They were having a thoroughly good time, but being a bit too overly energetic and kept bumping and knocking into us every 2 minutes.

[rubenz]

The only really anti social thing I saw was a young lad of about 16 who during Muses set felt it would be acceptable to drop to his knees remove his cock and start urinating vigoursly thus spraying those stood in front of him with piss! Apart from that it was all good, but as others have said the hot sun and big crowds meant things were a bit less chilled, next year I shall spend more time in the craft fields doing a bit of pottery and wood turning I think

[Josie's Cat]

I mananged to stand in front of a lady watching an open air curcus act! I just wandered in front, and then heard some calling out and she tapped my rucksack with her umbrella and said "excuse me I can't see!" cos I had plonked myself in front of her! I felt bad, but not too bad. She could have stood up.

And before you say maybe she couldn't, she did at the end of the act. Also she didn't join in with clapping and cheering, and spent much time on her phone. So actually now I feel better about standing in front of her.

But my point was I didn't do it to piss her off, I just stood where I could see, having no concept of a woman on a chair behind me. It happends to the best of us.

Edited June 29, 2010 by Josie's Cat

[frankie boy]

The only really anti social thing I saw was a young lad of about 16 who during Muses set felt it would be acceptable to drop to his knees remove his cock and start urinating vigoursly thus spraying those stood in front of him with piss! Apart from that it was all good, but as others have said the hot sun and big crowds meant things were a bit less chilled, next year I shall spend more time in the craft fields doing a bit of pottery and wood turning I think

[Sabcully]

I don't think there is any point in grouping people into 'Teenage Crowds, 'Guardian-Chair people' or giving peeps any other stupid label. There were quite a few people who I found inconsiderate only in as far as I would not have done what they did, either block people's view or put chairs up in the middle of a crowd or inconvenience people in any other way, which might have affected their experience of the fest. I could not have 'grouped' those people though as they did not have striking similarities or anything like that.

Tw**s are Tw**s, whatever background they come from.

[bassface]

The only really anti social thing I saw was a young lad of about 16 who during Muses set felt it would be acceptable to drop to his knees remove his cock and start urinating vigoursly thus spraying those stood in front of him with piss!

[ImGonnaLive4eva]

It's inevitable that with that number of people there are always going to be some idiots. There were a couple of groups of lads that I saw who were being dicks during the second England game.

I was also disappointed with the group of teens that were camped near us. They were from Shepton Mallet and were able to leave the site every day for a shower, however this didn't prevent them from leaving their site looking like a bomb had hit it. I thought being local would make them respect the site a bit better, obviously not.

[ghandi]

I don't really see a problem with the teenagers, they show their excitement in less of a mature way the us older folk. Yes, they can be annoying. My worst dislike is when you are at a gig that people have bothered come to see and all they want to do is chat amoungst each other, nothing to do with what they were supposed to be watching and not even having the attention towards it. My message to anyone in a group. If you are going to just stand/sit around and chat then bugger off to a field or tent that is not by a stage.

[shedsounds]

Well others have put it far more eloquently than me, I really did not want to single out groups at all but it just so happened the ones I came across that were very antisocial and rude fell into those groups I mentioned. Make no mistake, I'm not anti youth or kid or guardian readers even and look forward to taking my kids in a few years.

As always we had a great time and the lack of our type of music meant we saw much more of the festival than normal and seeing the Drums up at Strummerville was just amazing

[fowls]

I think it's inevitable with larger crowds. When something is niche and unpopular, it's easy to get similar people together, but when the floodgates open and it's fashionable then you're bound to get all sorts. It's a common theme to festivals in general, not just Glastonbury. I only started going to festivals in 2003, but even in that time I've noticed a marked difference in festival crowds. The fun people were usually the people who were too laid back to get tickets straight away, so now people have to be dedicated and much more organised than they could before the mid-00s.

Personally, I'm hoping this rise in festival popularity will die down sometime so it isn't such a mission getting festival tickets, but it looks like the trend is only going up and up and up. For now we have to accept there will be all sorts and not all 175,000 can be pleasant easy-going people.

Edited June 29, 2010 by fowls

[ukslim]

I think the OP is getting old. It's been the way it is for as long as I can remember.

[Dunney77]

Glastonbury has the best people ever, if anything it is a minority of the older people with the stereotypical view of us youth being loud and rude which hinders the atmosphere as there is a general negative way in which they act around us

175,000 people in big field....not everyone is going to be in the Glasto mood, but most are!

[Oddone]

I did see a minor fight at the back of the Pyramiod field near the start of Stevie, I think one bloke had stumbled over someone else's kids. They grabbed each other by the neck and wrestled for a bit, then police and stewards came and sorted it.

[staggerlee]

I was very close to punching someone who wouldn't move their chair during the Stevie Wonder gig. Such a great week nearly ruined by selfish, lazy bastards.

Edited June 29, 2010 by staggerlee

[NeilVJ]

There was shed loads of abuse handed out to the flag holders during the second England game until they took them down

[scappaflow]

I'm not claiming I'ma Glasto veteran, my first Glasto was 1995 and have been on and off, mostly on since then. In the last four years I have seen the overall feel of the festival worsen. Where everyone you came accross used to be very friendly, very accomodating,very helpful, that is changing... Yes there are lots and lots of people still like that, we met some fab people but also lots of selfish ignorant and rude people and that group is growing each year.In my experience this year I saw more and more young teenagers and they were so selfish and rude and spoilt any number of the bands I went to see. I appreciate its a generalisation and there are many many out there who this would not apply to so I do apologise for tarring everyone with the same brush but the anti social element of youths we have all seen, the ones that care about nobody but themselves. Totally lacking in social skills, this gorup will grow and grow..

The next group is the Guardian readers, who bring their collapsable chairs and provide an impenetrable ring around stages and god forbid if you should stand on anything of theirs and have the audacity to turn around and apologise, you just get a faceful of venom. If they want to be comfortable and smuig then stay at home. OK rant over but does anyone know what I mean?

[sammysundae]

i didn't notice any problems specifically. but i'm a very friendly person and there wasn't enough random conversation making from the general crowd. its a silly complaint really cos its just a sign of the times, but i could imagien it beign an even more friendly festival 15 years ago. all in all a cracking atmosphere there this year i think though.

only complaint - older people in chairs not letting you walk past or round them.

"no i will not be helpful and move my chair 5 centimetres. what do you think i am? a druggy who likes music like you?"

GET OUT!!!!

[Porcelina]

It was my first Glastonbury, and two things bugged me throughout:

1) The lack of crowds singing along during the most anthemic of songs, like Starlight and Sweet Child O Mine

2) People sitting at stages (mostly the Pyramid) with a crate, a massive line of chairs and food all day. It wouldn't annoy me usually, but when they are sat BY THE SECOND BLOODY BARRIER DURING A HEADLINER, then it starts to make me want to swear very loudly.

People pushing through the crowds when there's obviously nowhere to go annoyed me a little too, but that was only really during Stevie. One guy literally rammed through me and my friend (who is a short girl) and sent us both flying, so I stopped him and gave him a right going at. Thought he was going to hit me to be honest, but he needed telling he was being a selfish arse.

Other than that I had a terrific time.