Chair People 2015 ...

[johnomatic]

I have a very small, minimal amount of tolerance for people who sit on them fairly far back, but during Burt Bacharach I was at the barrier at the front of the Pyramid and a girl, I would guess mid to late teens, was sat on it. My friend and I (of a similar age I might add) were both stood right next to her with no problem. I appreciate it was one of the more chilled acts of the festival but to be sat down at the barrier at the biggest stage really is beyond the joke.

 

Speaking of people getting riled during Lionel I left early to watch Future Islands, was not too far in, and got the iciest reception ever as I left. I wholly appreciate people who get annoyed at those who think they push their way to the front of a tightly packed crowd, but you can't really stop someone trying to get out of one.

 

And yes, a lot of said people were sat on chairs. 

[DeanoL]

5 pairs of trousers/shorts?  I'm amazed.  I sat on bare floor all week in the same pair of shorts (I changed everything else every day) and when I threw them in the wash when I got home I was really surprised that they didn't look like I'd shat myself!

 

I think I doubled up shorts one day but yeah. I tend to favour stuff as light as possible so it's not much packing room/weight.

 

[budvar]

People bringing chairs into the front section of the Pyramid really is silly and they should know better.

There were noticeably more on the Sunday, presumably fuelled by the day trippers and general knackerdness of standard attendees.

[Luigi]

chairs at the back is fine imo.

[st dan]

chairs at the back is fine imo.

I agree, but the only problem is defining where the 'back' actually is for some acts. What may seem like the back for one act, soon becomes the middle for another - like from Patti to Lionel. Then this is where the real problems lie and common sense needs to come into play.

[sedra]

I think Sunday is the worst day as people tend to pack up and take most of stuff to car then head back with their back pack for the day and set up camp on the pyramid. Also all the day people. It's also a time when groups of friends /family say "let's all meet at the pyramid for Lionel"-and stake a space claim with chairs, blankets etc others will just decide to chill out in one place as too knackered to go anywhere. I leave my chair by the tent but do like to sit down on my jacket sometimes - but always get up once it starts to get busy- or someone kicks me! Chairs close to the stage are just dangerous but people "camp out" all day by the pyramid crush barriers. It's like there is nothing else on elsewhere to explore!!!

[Pinhead]

Viva the Acoustic Stage who took the step of excluding chairs from the marquee.

Those massive, almost backpack sized bags some had on their backs all day though which kept twatting me in the face at some gigs. I take everything I need with me for the day in just my pockets - money, fags, bog paper, Glasto phone - done.

[JoBalls]

For me, the annoyance wasn't really the fact that there were chairs/picnic blankets but the fact that people using them seemed to think they owned that space... At one point before Lionel there was a group near us with a picnic blanket and a guy was laying on it, and as people were pouring into the field he was getting really annoyed about people treading near him. We were near the sound stage so not even near the back!!

[blackred]

It would be nice if they politely asked people not to put chairs/blankets etc in front of the final set of repeaters at the pyramid. Should work out ok for all but the Sunday legend slot, and even then it would still be helpful if people knew in front of the repeaters they are more likely to find a standing space.

[myers]

Chair's don't bother me, picnic blankets do. I make a game of seeing how many I can tread on. It's like people try and reserve their own square metre of the field. 

 

I camp in Row Mead (above Pyramid) and it's a pain in the bum trying to navigate through that field as soon as we reach the Friday. 

i was in big ground, same! trying to get to the tent was tricky!  what time did you have too arrive to get a spot in row mead? that first row off tents had an amazing spot! 

[arcade fireman]

I definitely think there should be a blanket "no chairs in front of the soundstage" rule. Really at times this should be even further back, but at least it would eliminate some of the worst offenders. 

[adamg1602]

Ever thought its the likes of you that are ruining the festival with your selfish attitude ?

So parking a row of chairs in the middle of a big crowd, which is already to difficult to negotiate at times, isn't at all selfish is it?

It's easy to step over people on blankets or politely walk between people but chair people won't shift their arse

[amfy]

 

Speaking of people getting riled during Lionel I left early to watch Future Islands, was not too far in, and got the iciest reception ever as I left.

 

That is the thing that has no place at Glastonbury - icy receptions! It's not the chairs themselves, it's the attitude they seem to bring out in both those who sit in them and those who try to get past them.

In 2011 I was a chair person because I was with my 70.year old mother, who, due to the gloopy mud had pretty much had it by Sunday so we ended up just having to stay at The Pyramid all day. When it got crazily crowded for Paul Simon, we realised it had turned into a road block, so we shuffled a bit, got up, whilst kind of protecting the space to get the chairs back down again, and actively encouraged people to come our way to get through. Than once he started up and the movement mostly stopped, we sat back down again.

It was actually really nice letting people in, the hundreds of exchanges of little laughs and kind words turned out to be a better bit of Glastonbury than what turned out to be one of the dullest sets it has ever been my misfortune to witness there.

For The Chems on Sunday this year, we moved forward straight after Jamie T, and like many others who got quite near the front at that point, we sat on the floor. It was Sunday night - they weren't due on for another 35 minutes, and it was going to be a full on hour and a half of jumping. We needed the break! However, when it reached the point that every 2nd person coming through was kicking me in the back, I knew it was time to get up! Not time to start tutting and asking people to look where they were going - time to get up! I didn't get anyone saying 'What a stupid place to sit' (although we may have breached the point when people thought it) because we knew when it was time to stand up. The Chems are now on in 15 minutes, I am near the front, I needed a rest & I've ridden my luck but I also know that there are limits - COMMON SENSE - that's all you need.

[Padgey]

So many more Chairy Marys this year it was unbelievable.  Is the nation really getting that unfit that they can't walk and stand all day.

 

Accidentally knocked someone's pint right out of their cup holder in the arm of the chair, they started going mental as I continued to walk on not giving one ounce of shit!

 

Got to agree with the comments about chairs right in front of the stage, saw this at the Pyramid in front of the barrier, ridiculous.

[nu-marc88]

Someone near me for Lionel had brought one of those fold out camping table with chairs set. Wish I'd of took a picture of it now.

[Sky_Fly]

Chairs are annoying - I get people might need to sit down between acts, but its time to get up when it starts filling up. If you are not physically able, then, well, that is sad, but you need to move to the back and not be a knob. 

 

Rucksacks are a fucking pain in the ass. I get why people carry them - water, booze, sun cream, jacket etc - BUT then should be worn on your front in busy areas and while dancing. Then you have some concept of how much space you are actually taking up rather than swing swign SMASH into the person behind you. FUCK. OFF. BACKPACK. TWATS.  But 95% of people at Glasto lack any kind of common sense or decency, but that goes for people in a crown pretty much any where any time. On mass we are not a good species. 

[mungo57]

I hate chair people but I did manage to replace mine with a nice one that was left in front of Pyramid and also bagged one for my GF's brother at the same time - they were left in a circle with a load f rubbish in the middle and I felt compelled to liberate them two - real problem for me.

We also amazed to bag a decent tent as well on Monday, the group camped next to them told us they'd left - in the tent was 2 cases of strongbow that were untouched, a gas stove thing and empty calorgas canisters too so we took the stove as well. Some people are animals

[sprigpod]

 as I continued to walk on not giving one ounce of shit!

 

 

Clever

[Grantspider]

Becoming a problem at The Park and John Peel stage too - probably time for festival to act with at least some guidelines on them. V Fest is bad in so many ways, but they ban chairs from the main arena

 

Yeah, I'd go with that. In the same way that gazebos were (almost) eliminated on the campsites I think chairs should be banned from the stage areas.

As Patti Smith's set came to a close it was incredible to see how the Pyramid stage area filled with groups racking out lines of chairs, usually four to six chairs long in their respective chains, in time for Lionel Richie.

The group who managed to encircle my wife and I, right of the disabled viewing platform, with four chairs and a groundsheet then cracked open a bottle of cava, which was very much of the glass persuasion.

Their ringleader (essentially Tubbs from The League of Gentlemen, but without the sex appeal), then proceeded to berate anyone of height who stood in front of her along the lines of "you're tall, and we've been sitting here such a long, long time", which, sadly, yielded the result of scaring them away.

The 'staff/volunteer' lanyards tangled around their necks suggested they should have known better, but obviously not!

Edited June 30, 2015 by Grantspider

[_daveyboy]

Thankfully wasn't as bad as The Stones this year, but still pretty annoying, and made leaving the Pyramid, especially after Lionel Richie much longer. Really think Chairs should be enforced to stay towards the back by the Tree. 

[Pitto]

Ever thought its the likes of you that are ruining the festival with your selfish attitude ?

The only people ruining the festival with a selfish attitude are some of the chair people (not all) not a 'chair person' by any chance are you?

[The Nal]

Apart from the normal Pyramid chair crew I saw two scandalous examples this year. Both on Sunday.

 

First one was after Hozier, trying to get in for Patti. there was a big squeeze and then 5 minutes of no movement whatsoever just at the crossroads at the boulevard bar/milk/Glasto water place. Where the tree is. Turns out it was due to 7-8 people sitting in chairs right in the middle of the road. And they never moved. They were even looking pissed off that people were squeezing by them.

 

Second was in the pit for The Who. Two people sitting down on their chairs for the entire gig, smack bang in the middle of the pit.

[Magma]

I actually thought it was markedly better than two years ago. The odd pair of chairs isn't much of a problem tbh, it's when people set up rows of 8 or 9 that it causes issues in the crowd. I think I only saw that once and it was on Sunday, so assumed it was day-ticketers.

 

Now rucksacks in crowd crushes and moshpits... there's a conversation...

Edited July 1, 2015 by Magma

[Vacant0]

Yeah, it was getting very annoying! We were actually chatting about it before The Who came on...

I think that if they banned chairs (and rucksacks, for that matter! What's wrong with pockets and keeping it light?) in a certain area for each of the main stages, then it could work. I have no problem with people sat down at the back... But sat on a char 12 rows from the front, right in the middle? Come off it.

The area I suggested to my mate would be between the delay speakers down to the barrier... Not a big space, but I think a fair space.

Ban rucksacks? How big are your pockets?!

[Magma]

Ban rucksacks? How big are your pockets?!

 

I wore pretty standard cargo shorts all weekend and managed to carry everything I needed. Waterproof, wallet, phone, hand sanitiser, tissues, water bottle and smokes in pockets; hoodie round waist. 

 

Banning rucksacks would be silly though, I just wish people would remember to take them off when they settle in the crowd... you'd think their shoulders would enjoy the rest!