Flares or Not?

[DGrant261]

I don't like them but it does depend on the setting though. Some times they're cool if its dark, outside and it is a proper one and not the smoke ones it does provide an cool effect but they're normally held by twats who do it for no reason whatsoever. But I when I saw Kasabian last year at Manchester some dickhead set one off in the middle of the crowd as it just made everyone around him stop moving so they wouldn't get hurt by it and it didn't add to the experience whatsoever.

Also smoke flares are just shite and just smell really bad

Then the nobhead lobbed it forward and it landed inches from my arm! (The guy in front had to be taken to deal with the burns he got).

Basically if you're not a prick and don't lob them forward when you're done it's fine imo.

[Amy Lawn]

Seems there's an awful lot of moths on efests

When you're enjoying a great band, why does a big bright light add anything? Never seen much point in them, other than they could ruin somebody's night, weekend or even fucking life in certain circumstances.

[Lubic]

They looked great during Kasabian last year. Flares in every direction during Club Foot. Never seen anything like it. Everyone around me, old and young, just going for it!

Edited June 10, 2015 by Lubic87

[The Placid Casual]

even fucking life in certain circumstances.

I can't think of any cases where a life has been ruined by a flare off the top of my head, so the cases must be extremely rare.

Each to their own on the point about them not looking good, I think they look terrific.

Win Butler's also a moth.

[sheffieldlady]

I can't think of any cases where a life has been ruined by a flare off the top of my head, so the cases must be extremely rare.

I think it happened at Soundwave festival a couple of years back, someone smuggled in a flare and burned and disfigured someone.

Edit: But I do think they look great if done safety, I guess you can't guarantee that though.

Edited June 10, 2015 by sheffieldlady

[The Placid Casual]

I think it happened at Soundwave festival a couple of years back, someone smuggled in a flare and burned and disfigured someone.

That was an overreaction from the media. http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/news/35021/Soundwave-flare-victim-I-am-not-disfigured

[sheffieldlady]

That was an overreaction from the media. http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/news/35021/Soundwave-flare-victim-I-am-not-disfigured

My bad - I never followed anything up after reading the story years back! I guess you can trust the media to overreact with stuff like that.

[The Placid Casual]

My bad - I never followed anything up after reading the story years back! I guess you can trust the media to overreact with stuff like that.

Oh most certainly. The only cases I can think of where flares have perhaps ruined a life are at football matches (usually in South America) when they're used as weapons.

[FuzzyDunlop]

During queens of the stone age in 2011 someone got on someones shoulders and let one off when "Go with the Flow" came on. My favourite Queens song. I was just behind them

Some bastard threw a can at them.. which smashed me in the back of the head.

Luckily I was that fucked it didn't hurt. Til the next day when I had a comedown, hangover, a massive lump on the side of my head and Glastonbury monday blues.

[cham08]

I was in the middle of a ring of flares during Fire. I have to say normally I would be a no - but it was incredible, definitely added to the atmosphere on that occasion.

[mufcok]

During queens of the stone age in 2011 someone got on someones shoulders and let one off when "Go with the Flow" came on. My favourite Queens song. I was just behind them

Some bastard threw a can at them.. which smashed me in the back of the head.

Luckily I was that fucked it didn't hurt. Til the next day when I had a comedown, hangover, a massive lump on the side of my head and Glastonbury monday blues.

Whether they should be allowed or not, it's idiots like that that cause the problems as well

They last for 2 minutes absolute maximum, throwing stuff at people is gonna cause major problems

[reflekting]

https://www.buzzfeed.com/emilyashton/flares-will-be-banned-from-festivals-by-next-year?utm_term=.ji12rXOekR#.xh23ZopBO8 

Quite pleased with this. Hopefully people take notice this year.

[Mezhyp1]

I'd quite like to see proof of the 'hundreds' of young people whom were maimed 

Personally, I say keep them, it wouldn't be me setting one off, but I think they add the to atmosphere, there was someone last year with a flare gun, firing signals right up in to the sky, that was fun 

 

[reflekting]

Just now, Mezhyp1 said:

I'd quite like to see proof of the 'hundreds' of young people whom were maimed 

Personally, I say keep them, it wouldn't be me setting one off, but I think they add the to atmosphere, there was someone last year with a flare gun, firing signals right up in to the sky, that was fun 

 

I don't really think it's worth the risk. People hammered out of their faces are really not the right individuals to safely manage a pyrotechnic. I don't want myself or one of my group to be on the receiving end of somebody being a tit with a flare. It's not as though Radiohead in 1997, 2003 or Bowie in 2000 was devalued in atmosphere because there were no flares. 

[Mezhyp1]

7 minutes ago, reflekting said:

I don't really think it's worth the risk. People hammered out of their faces are really not the right individuals to safely manage a pyrotechnic. I don't want myself or one of my group to be on the receiving end of somebody being a tit with a flare. It's not as though Radiohead in 1997, 2003 or Bowie in 2000 was devalued in atmosphere because there were no flares. 

I don't think getting rid of them would massively devalue the atmosphere, and I can hardly disagree with you on the safety aspect 

It's just a lot of good fun, and it would be another reason to tighten the security and make searches more strict and often, and that's not needed 

Edited May 19, 2016 by Mezhyp1

[emmett milbarge]

On ‎08‎/‎06‎/‎2015 at 2:34 PM, T-Mouse said:

I've never had the misfortune of being next to someone with a flare. As a result I think they can definitely add to the atmosphere. During Stevies set in 2010, he dropped Superstition and the crowd erupted with flares. It added something to what was already a perfect performance.

Unrelated to this thread, just wanted to say Tiny Rick!!!!

[DeanoL]

8 minutes ago, Mezhyp1 said:

I don't think getting rid of them would massively devalue the atmosphere, and I can hardly disagree with you on the safety aspect 

It's just a lot of good fun, and it would be another reason to tighten the security and make searches more strict and often, and that's not needed 

Not really - people just need to be told not to bring them. It worked for the chinese lanterns and various other things.

[FloorFiller]

Just now, DeanoL said:

Not really - people just need to be told not to bring them. It worked for the chinese lanterns and various other things.

yeah, i didn't see a single pill or powder last year!

[russycarps]

24 minutes ago, reflekting said:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/emilyashton/flares-will-be-banned-from-festivals-by-next-year?utm_term=.ji12rXOekR#.xh23ZopBO8 

Quite pleased with this. Hopefully people take notice this year.

Yes, thank goodness we have Tory MPs to regulate what we can and cant do at glastonbury.

What a brilliant, positive thing.

 

[johnomatic]

As with most things that are banned there's an argument that if you make them legal/allowed at festivals there's more scope to regulate them and make them safer, given safety is the only valid argument I can really see against them (other than the idiots who use them near the outside of tents etc) 

[djdavejohnson]

Genuinely thought this was a 1970's throwback when I saw the thread title.

[DeanoL]

16 minutes ago, FloorFiller said:

yeah, i didn't see a single pill or powder last year!

The organisers have never asked people to stop bringing them. On the other hand, last year they asked people to stop doing NOS at the stone circle and 90% of it stopped.

[Dave_c]

I hate them, but I hate Nitrous Oxide even more. Was trying to watch Ben Howard last year on other stage and a big group near me were filling up baloons every two seconds. Annoyed the fucking life out of me. I have no issue with people taking it but seriously don't do it in the middle of the crowd when a band is on!!

[FloorFiller]

Just now, DeanoL said:

The organisers have never asked people to stop bringing them. On the other hand, last year they asked people to stop doing NOS at the stone circle and 90% of it stopped.

yeah i wasn't being entirely serious  the lack of NOS being done up at Stone Circle was definitely noticeable last year, as it was over the whole site actually

[ogriff]

I was stood directly next to some massive (to my eyes at least) roided up dickheads at Chemical Brothers last year that kept letting off flares - with lots of hot debris falling on me and my friends with nowhere for us to go due to the size of the crowd.  Any attempts to ask them to stop were met with naked aggression.

Taken, that's more an issue that they were utter dickheads rather than their pyros, but it was pretty unpleasant and I ended up with a couple burns on my arm (through my t-shirt)