Counting down the memories

[OG]

On 15/04/2017 at 7:48 AM, nikkic said:

2009 will forever stick in my memory as the year I chose Prodigy over Blur. Still sends shivers down my spine thinking about it. 

2009 will forever stick in my memory as the year I chose Blur over Prodigy. Still sends shivers down my spine thinking about it. 

[Trout Mask Replica]

2009 was a great year. First time in a motorhome shared with another couple (now sadly divorced). We all had a good festival though. Heard the traffic was shocking so we pitched up in Tewkesbury on the Weds and spent a beautiful summer evening by the Avon. Got onsite early Thursday, quick nap then on it. 

Explored the site on the Thursday, lovely cream tea and scones in the green fields, plenty of stone circle laughs with a guy looking for his mate Nigel and the crowd all calling for him. When Nigel eventually appeared he got a huge cheer from the circle crowd. He was completely bemused. Hilarious. 

Soaked in the Thunderstom. 

Friday we got onsite just in time to see an old mate of mine playing on a small stage in the T&C fields. Neither of knew we were going to be there, purely chance that we saw each other. His face as I popped up at the front of the stage and it was lovely to be reunited. 

Most of Friday spent at the Pyramid stage, Fleet Foxes, the girls watched Lilly Allen while we got stoned, The Specials, Neil Young. Brilliant. Old Neil crossed off my bucket list. Plenty laughs in the motorhome fields afterwards at a fat bloke who couldn't take his welly off and we couldn't help for laughing at him. He found it funny too. 

Saturday, bit of drinking round the JP tent then back to Pyramid for CSN, another bucket list tick, had a good spot to wait for the boss but that meant waiting through Kasabian. I wasn't bothered about them at all. Not long before they got going we randomly bumped into another lad from Newcastle who gave us a pill which my mate and I shared. It came on just as Kasabian played Fire. I loved that. Ended up enjoying their set. Then the Boss, another bucket list tick. 

Sunday I wanted to be nowhere near the Pyramid as I was beginning to tire of big crowds. The girls wanted to see Blur though so we parted ways. My mate and I headed up the park with a box of wine and a bag of goodies between us. Enjoyed Tunng there, down to the Avalon for a bit, Seth Lakeman. Then finished the night at the acoustic stage, Georgie Fame. A nice mellow folksy vibe to that day was just what we needed. The girls came back from Blur, said it was brilliant. 

Horrible traffic the next day for the drive home, bloody typical Glastonbury scorching hot Monday after. Loved it though, one of my best weekends music wise. Closely followed by 2014 as I'd also waited a lifetime to see Metallica and that made it for me. 

 

Heres the moment the pill kicked in. Brilliant 

 

Edited April 17, 2017 by Trout Mask Replica

[Divein]

2009 my debut year.

- took us 14 hours from Stoke due to traffics and getting lost

- pitched with my mate in pennards but only really knew him

- walked down through the markets at dusk on the Wednesday and I've never felt an atmosphere like. The buzz about the place was amazing

- sat on the hill that night and just remember being gobsmacked at the place

- Thursday I think I watched a couple of bands in Williams green, including golden silvers. Saw them 3 times that weekend

- went to watch east 17 and when we come out its when the MJ stuff started and we didn't believe it at 1st.

- I also remember checking my uni results on Thursday midnight watching filthy dukes

- met up with a girl from back hope and we got together for the 1st time, I marry the same girl next year.

- I remember Friday was really grey and drizzly to start. Saw a few bands finished with bloc party on my own

- had a great time watching lady gaga, lily Allen, gaslight with the boss and the actual boss amongst others.

- Finished with blur, I still get shivers thinking about tender.

- I remember a thunderstorm hitting Sunday night so I called it a day early.

 

what a way to kick off my Glastonbury obsession.

 

 

NB. TYPED ON MY IPAD SO APOLOGISES FOR THE ERRORS

 

 

 

 

 

 

[glasto-worker]

On 12/04/2017 at 8:28 PM, Simpo said:

I really enjoyed the memories and photographs conjured by the creation of *this topic*.

We currently have 9.95 weeks til the doors open, so what thoughts and pictures does anyone have from 2009, 1999, 1989, or even 1979? For time machine owners, please avoid 2019 spoilers.

Although I don't think there will be many left there has to be some who was at 1979

to be honest I had never heard of Glastonbury Fayre { that is how it was spelt } - which is no big surprise as I lived in London  and there was more gap years { although they were not called gap years } in the 70's than any other decade.

in fact it all started at the Half Moon in Putney - My friends had a folk band and someone approached them - no fancy contract - they were asked if they could play at Glastonbury Fayre - in fact the instructions was scribbled on a half sheet of paper and it mentioned Pilton - trust me at the time you would be hard pushed to find Pilton on a road map.

I got dragged in because I was able to drive and owned my own car

Even to find it was a big achievement as there was very little road signs to direct us 

We had no fancy passes and we certainly did not have a letter to prove they were playing -

it was all very laid back - we drove down a lane - up a lane and there was this single barrier with what appeared to be a garden shed on the right -

Although the map does not make it clear - where the red dot is - we camped in that field with tents and a camper van - in fact we used that field for a few years.

for me I certainly did not think that it would still be running 38 years later

sadly out of that original mob { I am not even sure the number anymore } everyone { apart from myself } dropped out for various reasons - one who was there in 1979 I was able to contact recently via FB and he certainly is surprised I am still going.

I did try to tempt him back with a offer on my WBC Team but he is married with grandchildren and he just does not have the time anymore.

-------

after the event when we got back to London in conversation with others - they still  did not have a bloody clue what was Glastonbury Fayre.

we were very upset when we found out there was not going to be a event on 1980  so we were never sure if it was going to be held again but then it sprang back up in 1981 and that was the year it really took off due to CND getting involved

now this is long before the Internet and FB and twitter but word spread though CND all over the UK 

and that was the year they built a new  Pyramid stage - trust me the old one looked as if a good gust of wind could have blown it away 

I am sure if I had remained a ticket holder its unlikely that I would have been at so many - in fact I am only used to paper tickets bought from a CND shop.

You never know if I dont drop down dead I am going to try and get my friends who attended in 1979 back again although they will Not regonise it - that is for sure.

It wont happen this year but I will try my best. 

[Simpo]

I was hoping to get something from '79 from you @glasto-worker, fantastic!

[glasto-worker]

1 hour ago, Simpo said:

I was hoping to get something from '79 from you @glasto-worker, fantastic!

If I ever get time { I have a lot going on just now } I will try to sort out some images - not as easy with paper images because they don't have any dates on them but I Came across what had to be from 79 where my friends was getting their fiddles out of their VW Camper and I spotted another with us sitting around a Camp fire.

going on who was in that shot - it also had to be from 79 but where it gets more tricky is sorting out the 80's - I have tons but cant work out the year.

which reminds me of a story from a later year - say 1983 - we were sitting around a Camp fire when this guy walked up - and he said ' do you know where my tent is ?' - well funny enough we did not - one of my Mates asked ' well what colour is it ?  I think he said Green - which did not help much as half the tents would have been green - we sent him away as there was a few green tents - Wind Forward roughly 24 hours - we just could not believe it the same guy showed up and asked the same question - I said something like - hang on ' you lost it yesterday ? ' - yes he did lose it but he found it and now he had bloody lost it again - there is some people who should never dream about camping and he was one of them.

Now the campsite were far smaller then so the trick was to pick a car { that was parked next to the path } and then locate the tent from that car { as they would remain there } - it was far easier to do than what its like now .

Edited April 17, 2017 by glasto-worker

[Wanderlei]

2009 was my 2nd Glasto, and it was amazing. Neil Young provided the best gig i've ever seen (either at Glasto or anywhere else), and Bruce Springsteen was awesome too. Blur topped it all off nicely on the Sunday. Proper good year!!!

[PiltonPorking]

1999 was my first. I was 17 at sixth form, me and a mate had watched the 98 coverage on BBC and were determined to go. Tickets I think were £84, we rang the number off the advert in NME and booked them on my mum's credit card. Three of us went, we persuaded another lad to come purely because he had a tent.

 

We went down on the train from Shrewsbury on the thursday, I remember massive queues of festival goers at Bristol TM and then at Castle Cary waiting for the shuttle bus. The bus must have dropped off in Pilton somewhere as it was a hell of a walk into site, we got some orange squash and a book of psalms from a church group halfway up the hill to the farm. We came into site by the farm, with a decent view of the pyramid so just dropped our stuff and camped there.

 

That night we bought some weed off a big Rasta guy that was wondering round openly selling it and had a few beers by the tent too afraid to go anywhere and get lost.

 

Friday morning we went down to the pyramid and saw Bjorn Again kick things off and looking at the line up we were there most of the day. I remember Bare Naked Ladies and Blondie, must have had a wander and some food during Bush but definitely saw Hole. I've seen the performance panned in the 'Worst act you seen' thread recently but I loved it, the songs, the raw energy, dragging the audience up on stage, brilliant.

 

REM headlined that night. Wow. The only gig I had been to before Glasto was Idlewild at Wolverhampton civic hall, this was better. It was a stunning performance, a perfect set list and of course an incredible crowd, at the time it was the best night of my life.

 

On saturday morning I queued up for an hour to ring my mum on a payphone as promised. We saw Travis in the signing tent so got an autographed glasto poster then saw them on the Other. The rest of the day is a blur until Texas on the pyramid. My mates then went off to see Cast on the Other but I stayed to secure my barrier spot for the Manics. I was a big fan sporting my freshly spray-painted 'Fuck Queen and Country' t-shirt.

 

Sub-headline were Underworld, I'd never heard of them but I loved it, totally opened my mind to dance music which I had thought was all shite until then. It may have helped that a guy gave me a few swigs of his 'special cider' which in hindsight probably had some pills or speed in it.

The Manics were awesome but the mosh pit crush was pretty bad, the barrier collapsed and they had to stop for a bit till it calmed down. I lost a trainer somewhere in the mayhem, spent ages wandering round in the dark looking for it after the set.

 

On Sunday we saw Keanu Reeves' Dogstar for a laugh but agreed actually they were alright. By this point we had realised how many stages there were and spent the evening a the New Bands tent, but all I remember is the Sneaker Pimps headlining and that is hazy.

 

I think it was sunny all weekend, certainly sunday was nice and I was the only person going round in wellies having lost my trainer. I had to wear them all the way home on the train on monday too.

 

I couldn't wait to go back.

[Perks]

Love this thread.

2009 was my first year, I'd mentioned it to a few pals in 2008, but as soon as we saw Rage against the machine were headlining Leeds we went to that. But I said next year is Glastonbury.

It took 9 hours from Bham. But I remember not even being bothered and it actually didn't feel that long. We camped in Dairy and I just couldn't believe the size of the site.

Can remembered walking round the Thursday and I was just buzzing. The vibe, everything was like nothing I had ever felt before.

The Friday me and me pal hung out, it was amazing and became the start of the best friendship I could ever ask for. We knew each other for years, but that day we just clicked, he's my best pal now, we never go to any festivals without each other. I went off then to see Steel Pulse and The Streets on Jazzworld on the Friday, then tried to get to acoustic and meet my pals for Ray Davies. I never found it and ended up somewhere mental, which I can only presume was the alleys in Shangri la, smoked a joint with a wizard and met so many nice people, I was by myself that night and couldn't believe how friendly the place was. I saw some mad metal band and woke up in my tent with a sheet of A1 clipboard paper with bizarre lyrics on it.

I remember the Saturday night in shangrila, there was this microrave box, that you went it, pressed a button and rave music came on, after 30 seconds it beeped and we got out! Madness. Chilling at the stone circle. Falling in love with the Avalon field.

Sunday I choose prodigy as I'd seen blur before, I had a good dance, I don't regret it, I'd never seen the prodigy before. But blur did look stunning.

I cried leaving the Monday, but knew I'd found my new home. I couldn't wait to get back.

 

[Deadendfriends8]

On ‎15‎/‎04‎/‎2017 at 8:36 AM, Titters said:

I'm thinking of setting up a support group.

I was just an innocent 16 year old... So I was always gonna be at the prodigy haha

[Simpo]

I remember 2008 being one of the first Glastonburys to properly get my attention. Mainly because of the Jay-Z hoo-ha. I saw it as a bit of a relic, a bit tame in comparison to my beloved Leeds Festival.

I remember seeing this for example, and thinking "What does this old guy know about putting on a good festival?" How little I knew. I get the feeling quite a few of us in our late teens/early 20s had this perception though. Post-superfence, I sense the festival reputation took a battering from a few quarters, hence the tickets selling slowly.

It's been enjoyable looking into the archive photos I've been posting by the way, maybe we could post some of our favourites.

[Simpo]

This didn't kick off as I'd hoped!

But as we have a *cry cry cry* RATHER large gap til our next festival, it's as good a time as any to recall specific Glastonburys from yesteryear. Challenge yourself to recall memories from each particular one you've been to, starting as far back as you go! x