Glastonbury 2000 memories...20 years ago this month!

[gooner1990]

Thought I’d do a nostalgia thread.

2000 was one that I didn’t attend but probably should have.

lots of my mates went, tried to get me to go and I just couldn’t afford it, a couple of them were stewarding and I nearly did it with them to do it on the cheap but never followed it up and ultimately just stayed at home.

I watched a lot of it on TV over the weekend....I had a part time job at Tesco back then and on the radio in the canteen on the Friday afternoon someone from Radio 1 said the fence was down and it was a big free party.

a fair few of my co-workers finished their shift, grabbed some clothes and went straight down, another two car loads of my mates went down on the Sunday morning specifically to see David Bowie...think they said they just walked straight in! 

I know this was the one that finally went too far with the fence jumping but lots of performances were great too Chemical Brothers, OCS, Moby etc.

Anyone who went or watched it at home have any memories? Scary to think that it was 20 years ago now!

 

 

 

 

 

[Cooter]

I was there and it was great, not so for many others I understand, but generally the atmosphere that I experienced was amazing and will probably never be repeated. It really was a nonstop 5 day arnarchic party and I loved it. It was so crowded that literally every couple of steps I took I'd be chatting and partying with some different folk. Apart from anything else it was just impossible to get a purposeful walk on to anywhere quickly. It was also quite tough to find the time for any sleep whatsoever or indeed find somewhere suitably quiet to sleep.

When people say it's too busy and crowded nowadays I just have a little giggle to myself and think they've actually got no idea.

Having said all that if it had gone on any longer then there would've been some serious multiple casualties scattered about. It was a one-off festival, great while it lasted but thank the gods Monday morning finally rose from the ashes!

Edited June 8, 2020 by Cooter

[gooner1990]

@Cooter Was it getting in and out of the Other Stage field for Moby that caused quite a dangerous crush?

[DJL]

2000 was my first year. Paid for my ticket but didn't it was during the only extended period of my adult life that I didn't drink. With two sober friends, we had fun but probably weren't ready for the anarchy of it - we were there for the bands, don't really remember the green fields and the bits I love now. Whenever there wasn't anybody I liked (or probably more accurately hadn't heard of) we just hung out at the New Bands Tent/John Peel. I don't mind crowds but it was crazy busy.

Took me 11 years to go back (and haven't missed once since).

[Barney McGrew]

Took and impromptu half day from work as had a bit of a chest infection and planned to head over on Tuesday morning but got a bit excited Monday evening and instead got dropped off Monday night at around 10pm I think (it was dark), blagged a guy on a gate that we were stewarding in the Dance Tent, said we had a meeting with someone at 10am to get passes, guy on the gate said "what, phil...?", "aye, that's the fella" one of us replied, "in you go" he says ( I can't remember the exact name so, Phil, or John or summat) - A couple of the lads had stewarded the Dance Tent in 99 so that was our pre-prepared blag.

Got in, set up camp, had a mooch, got loads and loads of firewood and got absolutely wasted.

Tuesday we just chilled, explored and got loads more wood... fire went 24/7!

Wednesday the rest of our posse arrived with tickets and loads of goodies, got on it all day. At about 10pm we discovered a sound system laid on by Kodak to sell disposable cameras, there was a guy urging people to buy cameras as he'd blagged his bosses that this would be a goldmine, I reckon he was a bit worried about his job. The Kodak Sound Stage ran 24/7 (I think) and was nothing short of kicking all of the time. I've never seen that stage since so I reckon maybe they didn't flog many cameras and matey got fired, or maybe digital took over, who knows?

A bit later in the evening/early hours two of our lot, who, to be fair, we hadn't noticed were missing, turned up, one had had a massive bad one in a Turdis and was only saved from calling an ambulance by the other guy (imagine the call, Glasto virgin, 999, "I'm in a portaloo at the Glastonbury Festival, I think I’m dying!"), it was a bit of a downer for us all because he did go on a bit (all week), "how can you do this..." blah, blah, blah. Obviously we were sympathetic (to start) but, well, we were on a mission and he'd failed boot camp.

Thursday, can't remember, went to the Kodak Stage, left at about 7am I think, it was certainly warmish and well in to daylight.

Friday, watched Macy Gray, she was ok, a weird looking naked bird and her bloke walked right past us through the crowd and scaled a speaker tower, which was a highlight. Stayed for the Chemical Brothers who I was fairly underwhelmed by, hit Kodak, left around 8am, again I think, it was definitely not night time and it had warmed up.

Back to camp feeling pretty spangled, tried various medications to try and smooth things out, eventually fell asleep after sweating in me tent for hours, woke at 5pm, freaked out, went to payphone and got my missis to pick me up... I was in a bad way!

Home, shower, food, turned the tele on to watch footage, turns to missis " I think I may have been a bit hasty..."

Back on site by 9.30, met a couple mates outside, we paid some scousers a diver each (each of us not them) to get through their hole in the fence, found the posse (usual spot next to the yellow Wolves flag) got a loada jip for buggering off, got on it, watched Travis (enjoyed 'em come the end), hit Kodak, left in daylight again and can remember no more.

Went home Sunday I reckon as I remember watching Bowie on the tele, had to have two weeks off work (chest infection and brain malfunction) and forever regretted missing Bowie in the flesh.

Was it good, maybe, not sure really, it was very messy and in the words of Jarvis (sort of)... I seemed to have lost an important part of my brain, somewhere, somewhere in a field in Somerset... not alright!

 

 

 

[sedra]

2000 was a bit scary. We camped in kidney mead for the first time having previously camped in Cockmill family camping next door. ( and apart from 2002 have camped in KM ever since). I knew it was going to be a bit stressful when we woke up on the Thursday to find the people we had camped by on the Weds were wondering around trying to find their tent. The whole tent had been moved and chucked away by a bunch of drug dealers and we found ourselves surrounded by them for the rest of the weekend! 
It was packed tight, soooo many people as  the fence went down and everyone piled in. The site was smaller then so it was mental. The atmosphere was static - you felt something could go off at any moment and it was the only time I really didn’t feel safe out of the 20 times I have been. The weather was good which helped. We still didn’t get anything stolen even though loads of people did ( including whole tents as people arrived over the fence without their own!) 
Travis headlined the Saturday night and Bowie Sunday night. 
it was even busier on Sunday as in those days you could just walk through the gates on Sunday night! 
Bowie was amazing- walking on to one of my favourites which set it up nicely. My niece wasn’t really that bothered up until he came on and started doing all his hits and everyone sang along. I remember her saying- omg he is really good! ( 🙄) 

walking back up to the car Sunday night afterwards to get back home the crowd shouting “ where’s Alan ?” “ I’m Alan “  “no, I am Alan”!!  “ no I’m Alan” 😂

 

[Cooter]

6 hours ago, gooner1990 said:

@Cooter Was it getting in and out of the Other Stage field for Moby that caused quite a dangerous crush?

All I remember about the Moby hour or so is that me and the Mrs had to take a short cut to the toliets through the actual cab of one of the huge tractors to avoid a major crowd crush. No idea where the driver was, he'd just left it there and buggered off, probably hours before.

Edited June 8, 2020 by Cooter

[gooner1990]

11 hours ago, Cooter said:

All I remember about the Moby hour or so is that me and the Mrs had to take a short cut to the toliets through the actual cab of one of the huge tractors to avoid a major crowd crush. No idea where the driver was, he'd just left it there and buggered off, probably hours before.

Sounds pretty mental, the fence jumper total always seems pretty huge ranging from 100,000 to 300,000 !

watched some of the BBC coverage on YouTube and no mention is made of it whatsoever!

[Johnnyseven]

I was there. I didn't have a ticket and got in pretty easily. In one of the campsites I went to the fence was just lying on the ground, walking in free would have been no problem. I was also there in 98 & 99 and don't remember it being that much more crowded tbh. Highlights that I can remember were NIN and David Bowie. The 98, 99 and 00 festivals are a bit hazy and they all seem to blend into 1 in my mind. I know we camped in the field above the outdoor cinema though, which is where the John Peel Stage is now.

Edited June 9, 2020 by Johnnyseven

[Cooter]

12 hours ago, gooner1990 said:

Sounds pretty mental, the fence jumper total always seems pretty huge ranging from 100,000 to 300,000 !

watched some of the BBC coverage on YouTube and no mention is made of it whatsoever!

I parked my van in what is now about West Campervans area but what was then a normal carpark. Mini raves were happening around the carpark and fridge vans selling cold beers weren't hard to find, as well as anything else that you wanted to purchase. Glastonbury 2000 was actually the last year the festival stretched beyond the then non-existent fence. I know it does even now what with the cv fields/worthy view etc but back then at times it was confusing whether you were within the fence or not, and to be honest it really didn't matter. I remember going in and out and sometimes finding the carparks just as exciting as anywhere else!

Edited June 9, 2020 by Cooter

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

I'm going to kind of bullet point my experience, just for ease;

 

Arrived with a then friend (He eventually turned in to a complete twat many years later and is the first and only person I have ever had to disown). We pitched our tents and started on some of the drink and other bits and bobs.

 

We woke up the next day, looked at our drink supply and realised that it was no longer going to last us the duration, as we had hit it very hard. Decided then that we had to do a Shepton Mallet booze trip, so headed off back to the car.

 

On the way to the car we bumped in to one of our mates who was just arriving. He said here, take this. It was acid and we did. I thought I'd easily have time to get to Shepton Mallet and back before it kicked in.

 

We got to the car, because we had made a note of where we parked it.

 

Got to Shepton Mallet and then drove back to the site. Fortunately it was only as I was parking the car that the acid kicked in. We laughed our way back to the camp site carrying our newly acquired booze.

 

At the camp site many of our crew had arrived and pitched up their tents. All was well with the world.

 

One of the crew was training to be a psychiatrist. He decided to analyse members of the crew in depth - all who had had acid by this time.

 

The result was that our doctor friend completely unnerved everybody to a person. Everybody had the fear now, and I had it particularly bad.

 

I stayed in the tent with the afor mentioned fear for huge sections of time over the next 3 days.

 

I finally broke and realised that I could take it no longer and had to get home on Sunday evening. Not even the lure of David Bowie playing could keep me from going.

 

I told my mate the news, and he was disappointed to say the least, as he wanted to stay and I was his only way of getting home.

 

We packed up and began to leave.

 

Only there was a bit of a problem. The car wasn't where we had first parked it. Of course it wasn't we realised, because we'd done a Shepton Mallet booze trip since our original arrival. Only now we couldn't for the lives of us remember where we had parked the car after the booze trip. Oh fuck, we thought to ourselves.

 

We went up to a Steward in the car parking fields, and told him of our predicament. he asked do you know what time of the day you parked your car for the second time. Fortunately we did, and told him. He then came out with the magic words 'It'll be over there' and pointed in a direction and gave us a few more specifics to go on.

 

We went to where he said it would be and it was indeed there. We'd only gone and found the only car parking steward who has ever had a clue about what they were doing. On reflection he must have been autism or some sort of whizz logical brain type thing. 

 

We left and started the drive home.

 

We stopped at a services for coffee and my then mate bought some rubbish Sunday newspaper.

 

My mate wanted to stop at my flat that night than go home, so I let him.

 

I was lying on my bed and my mate sitting in a chair. Suddenly he cracks up bent double laughing. I ask him why he is laughing. He responds that he has actually just read one of the adverts for elasticated waistband trousers that you get at the back of the magazine section of the newspaper. He told me to look at the 'featured bullet points' in favour of the trousers. The I saw what had made him laugh. one of the features bullet pointed was the line ' Includes parallel legs'. I too laughed. I mean it's not as if you are going to buy a pair of trousers with one drain pipe leg and the other a flare.*

 

* It may well be the case now that a London hipster might today wear such a thing but back then it would have been a no no for all but the mentally unwell.

 

Conclusion;

 

I will never let myself be analysed like that again under the influence of acid. Not that that's likely as I don't intend on taking acid again in any case - although it should be noted that I took a shed load of it between the year 2000 and my decision to stop taking it.

 

I missed David Bowie. I fucking missed David Bowie FFS.

 

That was the worst Glastonbury that I have ever experienced. 

[gooner1990]

@Yoghurt on a Stick I have no idea how you’re still alive 😂

[Crazyfool01]

10 minutes ago, gooner1990 said:

@Yoghurt on a Stick I have no idea how you’re still alive 😂

That thought had also crossed my mind on several occasions  

[fatyeti24]

G2000 was one we only sort of thought about going to.  Then on the week of the fest we decided we would, although we couldn't get down until one of our group had shown their face at a birthday party. 

So on the Friday night we headed from East Lancs to Liverpool, went to the party which was in a pub.  The TV in the corner of the room was showing the Chemical Brothers headlining.

As soon as we could, we drove down, got there around 6am Saturday morning.  Pais a scouser £5 to let us through 'his' bit of broken fence and camped near the old dance tent.  I remember Leftfield headlining the Other, Happy Mondays on the Pyramid.  We found the Glade, which was far removed from its current incarnation. 

We watched Bowie and set off back home on Sunday night.

It was my 5th Glastonbury, but the first to which I took a camera.

 

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

40 minutes ago, gooner1990 said:

@Yoghurt on a Stick I have no idea how you’re still alive 😂

Hello gooner1990,

Yes, it's a wonder to me also.

Many years ago now, some of my mates took a book on whether I would die first or whether it would be another heavy hitting friend of ours. I can confirm that those who had bet on me lost their bet, as my other mate died prematurely in 2011. I still miss that bloke badly. RIP Vince.

[gooner1990]

@fatyeti24 great pics  

I would have told the person who had to go to the party that I would see them there and head straight down!

[gooner1990]

1 hour ago, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

Hello gooner1990,

Yes, it's a wonder to me also.

Many years ago now, some of my mates took a book on whether I would die first or whether it would be another heavy hitting friend of ours. I can confirm that those who had bet on me lost their bet, as my other mate died prematurely in 2011. I still miss that bloke badly. RIP Vince.

You hang in there  

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

3 minutes ago, gooner1990 said:

You hang in there  

I shall try my best. Cheers. 

[glasto-worker]

On 6/10/2020 at 2:07 AM, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

I'm going to kind of bullet point my experience, just for ease;

 

Arrived with a then friend (He eventually turned in to a complete twat many years later and is the first and only person I have ever had to disown). We pitched our tents and started on some of the drink and other bits and bobs.

 

We woke up the next day, looked at our drink supply and realised that it was no longer going to last us the duration, as we had hit it very hard. Decided then that we had to do a Shepton Mallet booze trip, so headed off back to the car.

 

On the way to the car we bumped in to one of our mates who was just arriving. He said here, take this. It was acid and we did. I thought I'd easily have time to get to Shepton Mallet and back before it kicked in.

 

We got to the car, because we had made a note of where we parked it.

 

Got to Shepton Mallet and then drove back to the site. Fortunately it was only as I was parking the car that the acid kicked in. We laughed our way back to the camp site carrying our newly acquired booze.

 

At the camp site many of our crew had arrived and pitched up their tents. All was well with the world.

 

One of the crew was training to be a psychiatrist. He decided to analyse members of the crew in depth - all who had had acid by this time.

 

The result was that our doctor friend completely unnerved everybody to a person. Everybody had the fear now, and I had it particularly bad.

 

I stayed in the tent with the afor mentioned fear for huge sections of time over the next 3 days.

 

I finally broke and realised that I could take it no longer and had to get home on Sunday evening. Not even the lure of David Bowie playing could keep me from going.

 

I told my mate the news, and he was disappointed to say the least, as he wanted to stay and I was his only way of getting home.

 

We packed up and began to leave.

 

Only there was a bit of a problem. The car wasn't where we had first parked it. Of course it wasn't we realised, because we'd done a Shepton Mallet booze trip since our original arrival. Only now we couldn't for the lives of us remember where we had parked the car after the booze trip. Oh fuck, we thought to ourselves.

 

We went up to a Steward in the car parking fields, and told him of our predicament. he asked do you know what time of the day you parked your car for the second time. Fortunately we did, and told him. He then came out with the magic words 'It'll be over there' and pointed in a direction and gave us a few more specifics to go on.

 

We went to where he said it would be and it was indeed there. We'd only gone and found the only car parking steward who has ever had a clue about what they were doing. On reflection he must have been autism or some sort of whizz logical brain type thing. 

 

We left and started the drive home.

 

We stopped at a services for coffee and my then mate bought some rubbish Sunday newspaper.

 

My mate wanted to stop at my flat that night than go home, so I let him.

 

I was lying on my bed and my mate sitting in a chair. Suddenly he cracks up bent double laughing. I ask him why he is laughing. He responds that he has actually just read one of the adverts for elasticated waistband trousers that you get at the back of the magazine section of the newspaper. He told me to look at the 'featured bullet points' in favour of the trousers. The I saw what had made him laugh. one of the features bullet pointed was the line ' Includes parallel legs'. I too laughed. I mean it's not as if you are going to buy a pair of trousers with one drain pipe leg and the other a flare.*

 

* It may well be the case now that a London hipster might today wear such a thing but back then it would have been a no no for all but the mentally unwell.

 

Conclusion;

 

I will never let myself be analysed like that again under the influence of acid. Not that that's likely as I don't intend on taking acid again in any case - although it should be noted that I took a shed load of it between the year 2000 and my decision to stop taking it.

 

I missed David Bowie. I fucking missed David Bowie FFS.

 

That was the worst Glastonbury that I have ever experienced. 

Bloody hell ' at least you know you were at that one '  - you should have stayed.

Glasto 2000 - I do recall because 'They had the Pyramid stage back' { the 3rd version } so I was keen to get it on film { images around 2000 }

My team was allocated the bar 1/2 way between the Pyramid area and the Acoustic area.

which gave us a good view of the flow of people and it was busy and then very busy.

Sadly as it was a new Manager I could not fix the shifts but on Saturday Staffing was after 6 of my team to move to the Guest tent { - behind the Pyramid stage - and I did hear they would want us to work on the Sunday as well } so I took a gamble 'and split the Team'  as I did know the Tent Manager of the Guest Tent - Guest Tent was packed with the BBC { This was the BBC’s fourth year of filming the festival } - I did hear that the BBC only had permission to film so much of Bowie on the Sunday.

Anyway once in that bar it turned out that they did not need all of us so I split the team { again } so some worked Saturday night and others worked Sunday night - each person could pick which night they had to work { I can be very civilised at times } - I think some wanted to watch Travis { don't know if its name or a Band } on the Saturday so I worked Saturday night and was free Sunday night after spending time hanging about in the Guest tent - I cut out {the quick way} - sometime after 21.00 got to a good spot { with a few pints picked up at The Mandela { on the right of the Pyramid }} and I reckon Bowie came on at 22.00 {or close} so I saw his whole Gig - it was very busy - shame you missed it - when it ended I dived back to the Mandela - well the back of it to have a chat and avoid the thousands leaving the Pyramid field.

I later discovered the BBC only showed so much of Bowie and then they had to show something else { god knows what } but I think they cut back for his last two numbers - Ziggy Stardust and “Heroes” at about 23.30 { or close } so viewers must have been very puzzled. 

[Chazwozza]

Grrrrr missed it all, I was deployed in Kosovo at the time. Similar levels of mayhem but without the music, etc 😤

[Homer]

I thought 2000 was a tad lacklustre. May be tainted by the fact that my ex was going to watch Travis on her own, so I gallantly ducked out of Leftfield and took one for the team. 

[Ayrshire Chris]

On 6/10/2020 at 2:07 AM, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

I missed David Bowie. I fucking missed David Bowie FFS.

 

That was the worst Glastonbury that I have ever experienced. 

Well that was quite a read! Certainly a catalogue of disasters but at least you got to go!  One of those ‘what I did on my holidays’ essays you would be made to write on return to school! Those final sentences  are certainly the most distressing!😉. 

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

11 hours ago, glasto-worker said:

Bloody hell ' at least you know you were at that one '  - you should have stayed.

Glasto 2000 - I do recall because 'They had the Pyramid stage back' { the 3rd version } so I was keen to get it on film { images around 2000 }

My team was allocated the bar 1/2 way between the Pyramid area and the Acoustic area.

which gave us a good view of the flow of people and it was busy and then very busy.

Sadly as it was a new Manager I could not fix the shifts but on Saturday Staffing was after 6 of my team to move to the Guest tent { - behind the Pyramid stage - and I did hear they would want us to work on the Sunday as well } so I took a gamble 'and split the Team'  as I did know the Tent Manager of the Guest Tent - Guest Tent was packed with the BBC { This was the BBC’s fourth year of filming the festival } - I did hear that the BBC only had permission to film so much of Bowie on the Sunday.

Anyway once in that bar it turned out that they did not need all of us so I split the team { again } so some worked Saturday night and others worked Sunday night - each person could pick which night they had to work { I can be very civilised at times } - I think some wanted to watch Travis { don't know if its name or a Band } on the Saturday so I worked Saturday night and was free Sunday night after spending time hanging about in the Guest tent - I cut out {the quick way} - sometime after 21.00 got to a good spot { with a few pints picked up at The Mandela { on the right of the Pyramid }} and I reckon Bowie came on at 22.00 {or close} so I saw his whole Gig - it was very busy - shame you missed it - when it ended I dived back to the Mandela - well the back of it to have a chat and avoid the thousands leaving the Pyramid field.

I later discovered the BBC only showed so much of Bowie and then they had to show something else { god knows what } but I think they cut back for his last two numbers - Ziggy Stardust and “Heroes” at about 23.30 { or close } so viewers must have been very puzzled. 

Hello glasto-worker,

I have up voted. 

However, I have been unable to actually read your post.. There would be a certain school of thought, that would argue that I have now relinquished all control of what were laughingly referred to as my faculties. And they would be right too. As such, I now give you this, as way of some explanation:  

 

 

Sorry B. Am having a belter of a time at this end. I was once given sone sage advice by a complete maniac. He told me /informed me to never jump off my surfboard prematurely. Surfs up this end, so going to have to ride the wave. Will be in touch when I've come back down. K.

[Fred Zepplin]

I didn’t go to my first Glastonbury till 2007 but the first tine I heard/saw it was 2000. I was in a hotel room near Heathrow airport on the Sunday night and was flicking through the tv channels and came across the David Bowie set. I remember thinking wow, what a stage and look at the huge crowd, I will have to go sometime. If I had been at home I would have talked to my mates about it and probably gone to Glastonbury sooner. I was at the airport as I flew out to Africa the next day for 3 months doing some charity work and when I got back just forgot about it till some years later 

[Fingerbobs]

A good little Tweety thread from Mike Garson on playing with Bowie and having to head out on stage first: