Bowie doing the rounds

[Wooderson]

yep he opened with Wild is the wind. He brought the house down with that, then into changes and I think china girl (might be wrong...). Amazing scenes

[russycarps]

He did play it in Dublin, yes, Russ. Both nights.

Dunno why it was cut.

Maybe he's still mortified by the dreadful little smile he gives the actress in the video after racially mocking her appearance.

A nadir for the man only equalled by the whole "streets of Brahzilll" stuff with Mick.

[russycarps]

Wild Is the Wind

China Girl

Changes

Stay

Life on Mars?

Absolute Beginners

Ashes to Ashes

Rebel Rebel

Little Wonder

Golden Years

Fame

All the Young Dudes

The Man Who Sold the World

Station to Station

Starman

Hallo Spaceboy

Under Pressure

(Queen & David Bowie cover)

Encore:

Ziggy Stardust

"Heroes"

Let's Dance

I'm Afraid of Americans

Helluvagig.

[Wooderson]

Bowie really "tied the festival together" that day - leaving to one side that there were 250K+ people on site...

- The Pyramid line up on the Sunday that year was a train-wreck with Bacharach cancelling. Jools, Embrace, fucking Sharon Shannon. Heinous bad-taste-in-the-mouth stuff.

- The Other Stage headliner was Basement Jaxx. Rubbish.

[russycarps]

Embrace! Gah I had forgotten those whoppers ever existed. Could have done without that reminder D:

[Wooderson]

do you think he actually did lance mick jagger?

[Wooderson]

If himself and Mick fooled around back in the day its no concern of mine. The video has ceased being funny years ago however. It. Is. Vahlgah.

[redmosquito]

why is Bowie, who hasn't done anything good for decades, held in such high esteem, when others of a similar (or higher) stature are condemned?

[eFestivals]

Bowie really "tied the festival together" that day - leaving to one side that there were 250K+ people on site...

As the years go by I believe that 250k number less and less.

I didn't go and see Bowie (I've been kicking myself ever since), but instead wandered around the site. It's something I've done at other times over the years when the headliner has been playing, and I've never seen it as quiet as i did that night (not by a long way), while the numbers at stages away from the Pyramid wasn't huge either, and the Pyramid crowd wasn't much different to how it is nowadays for a more-popular headliner.

[WillyVWade]

Well they failed on the email address. The glastonbury.co.uk domain they've faked for Emily's email has nothing to do with the festival, its used by the not-for-profit company that gives tourist information on the town and helps connect glastonbury charities, businesses and groups.

[Wooderson]

Interesting point Neil. The urban myth has spread far and wide. 300K has been touted before. Mate of mine from Ireland was there and said the place was mental. And scary.

How much do you think the estimates have over-egged it by? 50K? Is 200k more likely?

I wasnt there either (obv.) but would be surprised if you didnt notice the extra numbers on site. Not difficult for someone with experience like you chief. At all, really.

Lot of references here to there being safety issues on the Sunday:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/festivals/glastonbury/archive/2000/

From personal experience the Pyramid isnt difficult to clock when a "biggie" is in progress in terms of attendance (Amy Winehouse/Stevie) - with the opposite also being true (U2/The Who). Even in the daytime you can spot someone drawing a crowd bigger than usual. Specials, Brian Wilson are two other examples. You get an instant subconscious feeling for it with sensitivity honed over the years. Crowd leaving Amy was the only time ive genuinely felt fearful in 8 visits.

I don't hear of Basement Jaxx's perf in 2000 being spoken of in these terms, and you'd expect it to have registered somewhat, ye know? "Basement Jaxx play to biggest crowd in history of the Other Stage." N.b. Other stage also easy to clock the size of the crowd (Arcade Fire vs Panic/Disco for example).

Guess what I'm saying in a roundabout way, Neil is that you'd clearly _know_ if you'd visited those two arena and there were a quarter of a million people on site. It would be wedged and take an hour to get between the stages for a kickoff.

Edited November 27, 2012 by Wooderson

[The Nal]

Interesting point Neil. The urban myth has spread far and wide. 300K has been touted before. Mate of mine from Ireland was there and said the place was mental. And scary.

How much do you think the estimates have over-egged it by? 50K? Is 200k more likely?

I wasnt there either (obv.) but would be surprised if you didnt notice the extra numbers on site. Not difficult for someone with experience like you chief. At all, really.

Lot of references here to there being safety issues on the Sunday:

http://www.bbc.co.uk...y/archive/2000/

From personal experience the Pyramid isnt difficult to clock when a "biggie" is in progress in terms of attendance (Amy Winehouse/Stevie) - with the opposite also being true (U2/The Who). Even in the daytime you can spot someone drawing a crowd bigger than usual. Specials, Brian Wilson are two other examples. You get an instant subconscious feeling for it with sensitivity honed over the years. Crowd leaving Amy was the only time ive genuinely felt fearful in 8 visits.

I don't hear of Basement Jaxx's perf in 2000 being spoken of in these terms, and you'd expect it to have registered somewhat, ye know? "Basement Jaxx play to biggest crowd in history of the Other Stage." N.b. Other stage also easy to clock the size of the crowd (Arcade Fire vs Panic/Disco for example).

Guess what I'm saying in a roundabout way, Neil is that you'd clearly _know_ if you'd visited those two arena and there were a quarter of a million people on site. It would be wedged and take an hour to get between the stages for a kickoff.

Edited November 27, 2012 by The Nal

[abdoujaparov]

Interesting point Neil. The urban myth has spread far and wide. 300K has been touted before. Mate of mine from Ireland was there and said the place was mental. And scary.

How much do you think the estimates have over-egged it by? 50K? Is 200k more likely?

I wasnt there either (obv.) but would be surprised if you didnt notice the extra numbers on site. Not difficult for someone with experience like you chief. At all, really.

Lot of references here to there being safety issues on the Sunday:

http://www.bbc.co.uk...y/archive/2000/

From personal experience the Pyramid isnt difficult to clock when a "biggie" is in progress in terms of attendance (Amy Winehouse/Stevie) - with the opposite also being true (U2/The Who). Even in the daytime you can spot someone drawing a crowd bigger than usual. Specials, Brian Wilson are two other examples. You get an instant subconscious feeling for it with sensitivity honed over the years. Crowd leaving Amy was the only time ive genuinely felt fearful in 8 visits.

I don't hear of Basement Jaxx's perf in 2000 being spoken of in these terms, and you'd expect it to have registered somewhat, ye know? "Basement Jaxx play to biggest crowd in history of the Other Stage." N.b. Other stage also easy to clock the size of the crowd (Arcade Fire vs Panic/Disco for example).

Guess what I'm saying in a roundabout way, Neil is that you'd clearly _know_ if you'd visited those two arena and there were a quarter of a million people on site. It would be wedged and take an hour to get between the stages for a kickoff.

[eFestivals]

Interesting point Neil. The urban myth has spread far and wide. 300K has been touted before. Mate of mine from Ireland was there and said the place was mental. And scary.

How much do you think the estimates have over-egged it by? 50K? Is 200k more likely?

if today's attendance numbers are as accurate as claimed i'd be very surprised if there were 200k on site in 2000. It's worth remembering that there was none of the naughty corner back then (not at any size, anyway) or The Park, so the crowds were less spread around than they are now.

Guess what I'm saying in a roundabout way, Neil is that you'd clearly _know_ if you'd visited those two arena and there were a quarter of a million people on site. It would be wedged and take an hour to get between the stages for a kickoff.

I didn't go into the crowds at all. Getting around the pathways was the easiest i've ever experienced it, and fewer people were wandering about than i've ever seen. I can remember that Jazzwiorld didn't have a huge crowd (smaller than for its more popular headliners) and that Pyramid crowd was very big (but not noticeably bigger than what happens sometimes now), but I don't have a memory of the Other Stage but I know I went past. I didn't get to the New Tent (JP as it is now) or Acoustic.

[The Nal]

Well however many people were there, lucky lucky bastards.

Certainly never seen the Pyramid Field as rammed as this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6YTMSXGo-g

[Wooderson]

Don't wanna be too negative, but Glasto dodged a serious curveball in 2000.

A genuine, human catastrophe was avoided following the stampede away from Keanu Reeves.

[Vieuphoria]

Also wouldn't it be to Emily from Mitch, not the other way round.

[glasto-worker]

Interesting point Neil. The urban myth has spread far and wide. 300K has been touted before. Mate of mine from Ireland was there and said the place was mental. And scary.

How much do you think the estimates have over-egged it by? 50K? Is 200k more likely?

I wasnt there either (obv.) but would be surprised if you didnt notice the extra numbers on site. Not difficult for someone with experience like you chief. At all, really.

Lot of references here to there being safety issues on the Sunday:

http://www.bbc.co.uk...y/archive/2000/

From personal experience the Pyramid isnt difficult to clock when a "biggie" is in progress in terms of attendance (Amy Winehouse/Stevie) - with the opposite also being true (U2/The Who). Even in the daytime you can spot someone drawing a crowd bigger than usual. Specials, Brian Wilson are two other examples. You get an instant subconscious feeling for it with sensitivity honed over the years. Crowd leaving Amy was the only time ive genuinely felt fearful in 8 visits.

I don't hear of Basement Jaxx's perf in 2000 being spoken of in these terms, and you'd expect it to have registered somewhat, ye know? "Basement Jaxx play to biggest crowd in history of the Other Stage." N.b. Other stage also easy to clock the size of the crowd (Arcade Fire vs Panic/Disco for example).

Guess what I'm saying in a roundabout way, Neil is that you'd clearly _know_ if you'd visited those two arena and there were a quarter of a million people on site. It would be wedged and take an hour to get between the stages for a kickoff.

[Wooderson]

so your bringing up a situation when you were not there yourself ?

[Wooderson]

Mendip Council are the source of my original mention of 250K.

http://www.mendip.gov.uk/NewsArticleM.asp?id=SX9452-A78328D1

[eFestivals]

Mendip Council are the source of my original mention of 250K.

http://www.mendip.go...SX9452-A78328D1

yeah, I'm aware of them using that number.

There could be an awful lot of things in the mix fort them to come up with that - including hints from Glasto that it was that number, which has been used as leverage against the council since, to get the licenced number increased - I know it's been used as leverage.

After all, if the site handled 250k people and there were no incidents despite it being severely understaffed for that number, it gets to prove that a massive increase in numbers against what was a much lower number could happen without problems.

[Wooderson]

That implies of course that the festival has always wanted to be bigger. Wonder what the ceiling on this is?

[Triton]

This is long before social media such as twitter so word did not spread that quickly.

[glasto-worker]

It does when some silly bint announces on Radio 1 that there's a hole in the fence.

[fatyeti24]

2000 was the third consecutive year i got in without a ticket. it wasn't an off-chance. it was guaranteed.

we drove down each time from Lancashire - 5 hours or so, so not just a short journey. nearby fields (which these days are most probably part of the festival site or car parks) were used for (unofficial) parking. there was lots of that, usually for a few quid.

i didn't get there until saturday morning in 2000 (thursday in 98/99 i think), but by that time there was no fence of any note. so no hanging around waiting to jump over or whatever. i just walked in. it was that easy. in 98/99 we used the scousers, who 'ran' the carparks. they weren't attendants, or there officially with the festival, but as you walked towards the gates they would approach you with an offer. for £10 they would stamp your hand with the UV stamp (that was all you needed to get back to your car in those days) and you'd take your chances at the gate. for £20 they would walk you in and you'd pay them on the inside. the people on the gates were obviously in on it. this was their job for the weekend.

having said all that, i struggle to believe that 100,000 people or so did that. the site seems very busy to me these days, with the superfence and increased capacity. some parts were very busy in 2000, but not necessarily more so than it can get in recent times, imo.

Edited November 28, 2012 by fatyeti24