Best acts you have seen at the festival

[Tobyphilbin]

Only been the last two years

2015 Enter Shikari - John Peel

2016 LCD - Other 

will surely be saying Radiohead this year.

[scrippit]

Chic - ultimate party!

Arcade Fire - great crowd, great sound

QOTSA - perfect noisy antidote to Beyonce

Janelle Monae - stagecraft at it's best, mesmerising

Lionel - what a life affirming surprise!

[shuttlep]

THe Doves 2013 I think John peel tent , 

[Glastocat]

Loads of class sets over the years but a few of the best ones off the top of my head:

The Verve and massive attack in 2008 were class.

Ray Davies in the acoustic tent in 2009, possibly my favourite ever gig at Glastonbury, absolutely loved it.

Really enjoyed the stranglers in the scorching heat in 2010. Midlake headlining the park, it was the first time I'd heard them and it blew me away.

The Stones were excellent as were pulp, made even better by the fact they were 2 bands I thought I would never see.

Last year Sigur ros and hinds put on superb shows.

There's probably a lot more but my memory is crap.

[grumpyhack]

1 hour ago, Quark said:

Always love these threads (good and bad) because of the different thoughts on what constitutes a great or terrible act. The technical delivery, the set list, the crowd, a personal reason...all can elevate an act to legendary status in your own mind. 

 

A fascinating question - what makes for a great act. I used to teach people to be teachers and I would start the course by explaining that teaching (but actually life and certainly performing, as a whole) is 3Ps - Preparation, Passion and Practice.  

I would tell my students that I could help them with the Preparation and give them plenty of Practice but the one thing I couldn't give them was Passion.  That's something you've either got or you haven't, it's not something that can be learnt - though, hopefully, you can still manage to inspire people.

I think the same 3Ps certainly apply to a good festival performance and certainly to most of the standout acts that people have remembered so fondly.

 

[jparx]

Granted I've only been twice, but LCD last year was the greatest set I've ever seen, not just at Glastonbury, so that will take some beating. 

[Glastocat]

19 minutes ago, grumpyhack said:

A fascinating question - what makes for a great act. I used to teach people to be teachers and I would start the course by explaining that teaching (but actually life and certainly performing, as a whole) is 3Ps - Preparation, Passion and Practice.  

I would tell my students that I could help them with the Preparation and give them plenty of Practice but the one thing I couldn't give them was Passion.  That's something you've either got or you haven't, it's not something that can be learnt - though, hopefully, you can still manage to inspire people.

I think the same 3Ps certainly apply to a good festival performance and certainly to most of the standout acts that people have remembered so fondly.

 

As seen on the other thread about worst acts a lot depends on the condition or the situation a person finds themselves in at the time of the set as well.

Someone further up the thread mentioned ELO. I don't think you can doubt their performance in terms of hitting the correct notes and making the songs sound like they do on CD or record (or download). For me though it just lacked something, possibly the passion part of your 3Ps. It just seemed too clean and polished but again perhaps it's just me as at the end of the day every set means something different to each person who's watching it.

[sweetsounding]

Damien rice is still my fav set.

Last Year absolutely adored Foy Vance's set in Avalon, couple of hundred people singing along and a brill rendition of Purple Rain was a nice touch. Went to see him 6months later in Belfast and he had a couple of thousand people in his hand but it didn't feel as special as a lazy and intimate Sunday at glasto!

[H.M.V]

2014 - Reignwolf and was at the barrier for Royal Blood. Couldn't see it but you could feel how packed it was. Brilliant! 

2015 - Run the jewels

2016 - LCD Soundsystem. Wow. Thought glud had defeated me but that was special. Buzzing afterwards and went home with a smile although i was broken. 

[Nduja]

Arcade Fire

Tame Impala

Caribou

RTJ

 

LCD is the obvious one I missed. Up there with my very worst life choices

Edited April 17, 2017 by Nduja
.

[The Dawg]

Being a veteran of the festival (I think), first encounter being 1984, there are too many memories of superb performances that i'm really struggling to remember. Think I'll throw a quick list down.

Orbital - Pyramid 1995?

I am Kloot, Magic Numbers, British Sea Power 2005

Cherry Ghost, Mr Hudson & the Library Guillmots, Bonobo, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Bright Eyes, The Whip, Neville Staples Band, iii, James Blake, The Golden Silvers.

Crikey it's all coming back to me!

 

 

[waterfalls212434]

John fairhurst in 2015 on the glade, just blew me away, awesome guitarist and the sun was out and I had cold alcohol and it was just perfect to listen to some crunchy blues.........one of those `right place right time` moments.

As far as headliners go that had to be metallica, it may not have been there best setlist but they went over far better then expected and being right on the barrier hearing one of my all time favourite bands on the pyramid as more and more people got into it just gave me goosebumps....that was a moment I will never forget. 
 

this singalong........magic

Edited April 17, 2017 by waterfalls212434

[scrippit]

1 minute ago, waterfalls212434 said:

John fairhurst in 2015 on the glade, just blew me away, awesome guitarist and the sun was out and I had cold alcohol and it was just perfect to listen to some crunchy blues.........one of those `right place right time` moments.

 

Yeah! I'd forgotten about this. Definitely a very special moment with amazing bass player and drummer as well.

[Homer]

Brian Wilson in 2005. Basement Jaxx were rather good headlining later too.

[waterfalls212434]

Just now, scrippit said:

Yeah! I'd forgotten about this. Definitely a very special moment with amazing bass player and drummer as well.

I remember the bassist, just because he was a huge guy but he was moving around like nothing else, great performance 

[reflekting]

One from each year -

2011 - Queens of the Stone Age. Totally rocked my socks off

2013 - The Stones. Bucketlist stuff, a glorious 2 hours of music, they definitely still had it.

2014 - Arcade Fire. If you asked me before I ever went to Glastonbury who I would want to see headliner then these guys were always the one. I spent 3 or 4 months nervous that it wouldn't live up to expectations, Earls Court put those nerves to rest and gave me a massive 4 weeks of ear to ear grinning thinking about it. Then the night rolled around and it was absolutely incredible. Truly one of the best evenings of my life, one of those memories that will stick with me forever. 

2015 - not the best year but I thoroughly enjoyed Jungle on the friday, cracking set.

2016 - Toss up between M83 and LCD Soundsystem, two great nights and two cracking headline sets which more than made up for a slightly dour performance from Muse on the Friday. 

[Perks]

Patti Smith for me, 2015 (I think)

That really was wonderful.

[Quark]

2 hours ago, grumpyhack said:

A fascinating question - what makes for a great act. I used to teach people to be teachers and I would start the course by explaining that teaching (but actually life and certainly performing, as a whole) is 3Ps - Preparation, Passion and Practice.  

I would tell my students that I could help them with the Preparation and give them plenty of Practice but the one thing I couldn't give them was Passion.  That's something you've either got or you haven't, it's not something that can be learnt - though, hopefully, you can still manage to inspire people.

I think the same 3Ps certainly apply to a good festival performance and certainly to most of the standout acts that people have remembered so fondly.

 

The passion part wins for me. You can have a band that maybe aren't technically that tight, or don't have the greatest songs, but if they look and act like they're having a blast on stage it can make all the difference. 

Same is true if, as a punter, you have a particular love for the band or are in a certain frame of mind.

Need to add an edit to 2015 as well. Dub Pistols at the Glade; the r**n was starting to calm down but everyone was rammed under the awning and not a single fuck was being given. What a party.

[grumpyhack]

I think that Quark is right about the audience being in the right frame of mind too. It must be dreadful as a performer to come out and be confronted by an audience that really couldn't care about you.  So many unknown support acts must have had that experience.

I remember seeing a concert by Peter, Paul and Mary in Cardiff that was their farewell tour as Mary had cancer.  It was added onto the tour at the last minute and the hall was only half full.  But those that were there were really into things and willing them on.

We were all offered the chance to move at no cost to better seats closer to the front and everyone in the audience threw themselves into it, singing their hearts out when asked to.  It all came together in a memorable night of magic.

Edited April 17, 2017 by grumpyhack

[scaryclaireyfairy]

Blur '09 is my favourite gig anywhere ever.  Partly cos I toddled along expecting to be disappointed.

The Flaming Lips '10.  Laughing while sobbing is where its at.

Portishead '13.  Just magical.

[Wanderlei]

2009 - Neil Young. My favourite gig of all time. Perfection!

[fightoffyour]

3 hours ago, shuttlep said:

THe Doves 2013 I think John peel tent , 

2009??

[fightoffyour]

Doves, Bruce Springsteen (really) 2009

Stevie Wonder, Muse 2010

Bright Eyes, Morrissey, Coldplay (as above) 2011

Phoenix 2013

Arcade Fire, Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott 2014

Death Cab, Lionel Richie 2015

LCD, Sigur Ros, New Order, 2016

[Robster86]

2009 - Blur - Pyramid. Runners up - Bloc Party - Other, Florence & the Machine - John Peel

2011 - Elbow - Pyramid. Runners up - Coldplay - Pyramid, Jimmy Eat World - Other

2013 - Arctic Monkeys - Pyramid. Runners up - Bastille - John Peel, The Proclaimers - Acoustic

2014 - Arcade Fire - Pyramid. Runners up - Dolly Parton - Pyramid, Disclosure - West Holts

2015 - Hot Chip - West Holts. Runners up - Paloma Faith - Pyramid, Lionel Richie - Pyramid

2016 - Underworld, West Holts. Runners up - LCD Sound system - Other, Chvrches - Other

 

Prediction for this 2017: Unsure of order but Foo Fighters, Justice, Glass Animals. Lorde or Katy Perry could potentially appear too.

[Amy Lawn]

2013: Amanda Palmer, Dinosaur Jr, The Rolling Stones, The Smashing Pumpkins

2014: Metronomy (Thursday secret set on WG), Arcade Fire, Pixies, Massive Attack

2015: Mary J Blige, Hot Chip, Nadine Shah, Sleaford Mods, Todd Terje & The Olsens, Kanye West, Patti Smith

2016: Dakhabraka, Explosions In The Sky, Sigur Ros, Anna Meredith, Kamasi Washington, LCD Soundsystem

Remembering back to 2015, it's absolutely insane how many great bands I saw that weekend. It just seemed that every UK festival had amazing bands coming out of their ears that summer, the Latitude and Green Man bills were incredible as well.