Your most controversial Glastonbury opinions

[CaledonianGonzo]

1 minute ago, Barry Fish said:

Its always been a loose mix of ideals hasn't it.  Not sure how many of the causes around the festival are directly endorsed by the festival itself but I have seen Stop the War operating around the festival and surely its not controversial to say the festivals vibe is anti war ? 

Personally not saying if its right or wrong...  just its certainly a head turning moment and something thats worthy of discussing.

Yeah I'm sure there's anti-western / anti-NATO elements in the fringes, but that's different to the festival itself supporting a 'sit back and do nothing approach' - which favours Putin.

I didn't see it so much as a demand for money as a further attempt to pressure western leaders to give further support to Ukraine (though that obviously does have the end result of money being channelled into the arms industry).

It's obviously a cause close to Emily's heart.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Zelensky isn't wanting nukes. If he was that would be rank hypocrisy from the G. But he's not and so it isn't.

[Quark]

It definitely sits in a bit of a grey area though, even if not clear-cut rank hypocrisy.

I wasn't there for the appeal bit, but reading about it does feel...weird.

[CaledonianGonzo]

2 minutes ago, Barry Fish said:

He wants to join NATO ? 

I think you are simplifying it a bit.  

That didn't come up last Friday morning.

1 minute ago, Quark said:

It definitely sits in a bit of a grey area though, even if not clear-cut rank hypocrisy.

I wasn't there for the appeal bit, but reading about it does feel...weird.

On El Pointo Dakha Brakha performed for a while against a sign saying Arm Ukraine Now. I took a similar message from Zelensky's speech - albeit I was potentially still pie-eyed from the night before and maybe missed some of the finer details. I've not listened to it back, at any rate.

[gigpusher]

48 minutes ago, Barry Fish said:

If you ban them then people with various medical conditions are absolutely ruled out of coming to the festival.  My mate couldn't stand for the whole day and sitting on the ground isn't possible so he needed a chair when we went to Glastonbury.  

We always used to sit towards the back out of the way of the main herd which was always fine.  Would never have dreamed of putting a chair up anywhere near the front of course.

I think if they can be accommodated they should be.  

I wonder if a good solution for the chair bit would be to have an actual seated area at some of the big stages with stewards etc and then say they can't be put up elsewhere. 

I have sympathy with both points of view on the chair thing. I am of an age where I just can't stand for 5 days straight and as someone who gets sciatica periodically I do also need the back support as well so just plonking myself on the ground isn't always an option but I like to think that I am in the category of polite chair user rather than chair w*nker. I take the opportunity to see acts that are more relaxing and don't go right to the front and find a spot to put down a chair and relax for an act or 2. If I was in a very busy crowd I would never use my chair. If I wasn't up to standing for those acts I'd go to a quieter act. 

You do see a huge number of people though especially in the DiRo crowd and Macca who have full picnic blankets out and lots of chairs in a group and even during the acts they don't put them away (even once they have stood up themselves) Some of the people not even watching the acts and just talking to their friends all the way through. I get being annoyed with those people. It's not like it's a surprise that those sets were busy and I do think it is rude behaviour. 

[HyperTechnoHorse]

My problem isn't so much that it was 'hypocrisy' from the festival (really not sure the 'festival' itself has any kind of coherent set of moral beliefs), but more that the conflict in Ukraine is a massive, complicated, decades (centuries) long geopolitical issue that wraps up dozens of other conversations about the morality of war and nationalism, as well as prima facie contentious conversations about imperialism, globalism, political corruption, the military-industrial complex, etc.  This makes it fine to have  as a debate at Left Field or whatever, but the whole thing has too many shades of grey in it to have it distilled into a single festival-wide message, especially when that message ends up amounting to "if you don't give us money and weapons you are a bad person". 

To be clear, I'm in favour of giving Ukraine as much money as they need to do whatever they need to do to remain a free and sovereign nation.  It's just the borderline moral blackmail that doesn't sit easy with me.

To avoid being hypocritical, I must accept that both the abortion and climate change 'debates' have some meaningful moral ambiguity to them and you could coherently take a variety of moral stances with regards to it, but I believe 99%+ of festival goers and watchers actively fall on one side of these 'debates'.  So ultimately being preached to about these things sits fine with me, even if I think sometimes the messaging can turn a bit kitsch.   

[PassingCloud]

Call me old fashioned, but these videos that people make about their ‘Glastonbury Adventure!’ is a load of bollocks. 

[Jay Pee]

11 minutes ago, PassingCloud said:

Call me old fashioned, but these videos that people make about their ‘Glastonbury Adventure!’ is a load of bollocks. 

Amen to that. Who fucking cares? When did anyone EVER want to see your holiday pics / Glastonbury pics etc?

Proper shite 

[Tom White]

If it's not already been mentioned: I wish the grade of woodchip they'd scattered around was smaller. Nearly tripped over soooo many times (I do have small feet tho). 

[gazzared]

32 minutes ago, Tom White said:

If it's not already been mentioned: I wish the grade of woodchip they'd scattered around was smaller. Nearly tripped over soooo many times (I do have small feet tho). 

Yeah I rolled my ankle loads of times on mini logs, I think they must have been preparing for really bad weather after reading @The Nalpredictions 🤣 although if it had been wet then the bigger logs would have deffo helped

Edited July 5, 2022 by gazzared

[gooner1990]

On 7/1/2022 at 12:41 PM, gigpusher said:

I wonder if a good solution for the chair bit would be to have an actual seated area at some of the big stages with stewards etc and then say they can't be put up elsewhere. 

I have sympathy with both points of view on the chair thing. I am of an age where I just can't stand for 5 days straight and as someone who gets sciatica periodically I do also need the back support as well so just plonking myself on the ground isn't always an option but I like to think that I am in the category of polite chair user rather than chair w*nker. I take the opportunity to see acts that are more relaxing and don't go right to the front and find a spot to put down a chair and relax for an act or 2. If I was in a very busy crowd I would never use my chair. If I wasn't up to standing for those acts I'd go to a quieter act. 

You do see a huge number of people though especially in the DiRo crowd and Macca who have full picnic blankets out and lots of chairs in a group and even during the acts they don't put them away (even once they have stood up themselves) Some of the people not even watching the acts and just talking to their friends all the way through. I get being annoyed with those people. It's not like it's a surprise that those sets were busy and I do think it is rude behaviour. 

Genuine question…what on earth were people doing before camping chairs became commonplace in around 2003?  Some people seem to act that they can’t do without them….

For the record I have a bad shoulder (car accident when I was younger) and also get sciatica periodically… but I only keep my chair in my campsite ….I tend to sit down when bands aren’t on and if I need a rest when walking about then I take one rather than trying to push myself.

At Paul McCartney the people in front of us had about 6 chairs in a row and just stood in front of them of course when it got dark people weaving through the crowd couldn’t see the chairs and kept falling into them. Did they recognise this and fold them away? Did they fuck….

Im going to Truck Festival in two weeks time and they’ve just said all camping chairs are banned from the main arena…will be interesting to see what the regular chair users do instead…..

[Jay Pee]

I would file (most) use of camping chairs with wheeled luggage in room 101. Ailments and disabilities aside.

It's symptomatic of couch potato society at large.  Imagine how much easier this airport fiasco over the last several months would have been if all airline's had said one small piece of soft hand carry only. The end. 

I embrace the concept of increased Chair / rug / people laying patios in front of stages fascism.

[Suprefan]

On 7/1/2022 at 4:41 AM, gigpusher said:

I wonder if a good solution for the chair bit would be to have an actual seated area at some of the big stages with stewards etc and then say they can't be put up elsewhere. 

I have sympathy with both points of view on the chair thing. I am of an age where I just can't stand for 5 days straight and as someone who gets sciatica periodically I do also need the back support as well so just plonking myself on the ground isn't always an option but I like to think that I am in the category of polite chair user rather than chair w*nker. I take the opportunity to see acts that are more relaxing and don't go right to the front and find a spot to put down a chair and relax for an act or 2. If I was in a very busy crowd I would never use my chair. If I wasn't up to standing for those acts I'd go to a quieter act. 

You do see a huge number of people though especially in the DiRo crowd and Macca who have full picnic blankets out and lots of chairs in a group and even during the acts they don't put them away (even once they have stood up themselves) Some of the people not even watching the acts and just talking to their friends all the way through. I get being annoyed with those people. It's not like it's a surprise that those sets were busy and I do think it is rude behaviour. 

Might be able to do something lile the flag ban. Make clear signage that no flags or chairs beyond a certain point or else you get booted. Could be easy to making a path way that splits the border between that and stewards can patrol easily.

[PassingCloud]

On 7/1/2022 at 12:41 PM, gigpusher said:

I wonder if a good solution for the chair bit would be to have an actual seated area at some of the big stages with stewards etc and then say they can't be put up elsewhere. 

I have sympathy with both points of view on the chair thing. I am of an age where I just can't stand for 5 days straight and as someone who gets sciatica periodically I do also need the back support as well so just plonking myself on the ground isn't always an option but I like to think that I am in the category of polite chair user rather than chair w*nker. I take the opportunity to see acts that are more relaxing and don't go right to the front and find a spot to put down a chair and relax for an act or 2. If I was in a very busy crowd I would never use my chair. If I wasn't up to standing for those acts I'd go to a quieter act. 

You do see a huge number of people though especially in the DiRo crowd and Macca who have full picnic blankets out and lots of chairs in a group and even during the acts they don't put them away (even once they have stood up themselves) Some of the people not even watching the acts and just talking to their friends all the way through. I get being annoyed with those people. It's not like it's a surprise that those sets were busy and I do think it is rude behaviour. 

I’m up for this. A seated area that’s actually a Dr. Evil type trap-door straight into a long-drop sewer. 

[Bomei]

My most controversial opinion? Probably that I really like the abundance of activism at the festival! I'm so glad it is going back further down that route with the CND logo on the Pyramid and the earth on the Other, the posters on the Truth and Park stages, the (absolutely heart wrenching) tyre turtle, the greenpeace stewards asking to talk to us about issues. 

I get that people want to come to the fest to escape from all that, but for me it reminds me what started the festival. It also feels right - music, hedonism and activism all together - empowering and strengthening people together! 

[gooner1990]

1 hour ago, Jay Pee said:

I would file (most) use of camping chairs with wheeled luggage in room 101. Ailments and disabilities aside.

It's symptomatic of couch potato society at large.  Imagine how much easier this airport fiasco over the last several months would have been if all airline's had said one small piece of soft hand carry only. The end. 

I embrace the concept of increased Chair / rug / people laying patios in front of stages fascism.

I was talking to a friend at this years festival who now does glamping…he admitted that he would probably not go to festivals (in general) anymore if there was no glamping option and able to bring his camping chair in front of the main stages.

and that’s the crux of the whole thing for me…people used to get too old for festivals or hate not having their creature comforts and so stopped going…that doesn’t happen anymore because we now have things like glamping, camping chairs etc to help keep their custom.

[Jay Pee]

I reckon I've another ten years of regular festivals in me yet which will take me to early sixties.

If I suddenly have the urge to sit in a chair in front of the Pyramid for ten hours, I will be soul searching.

Mosh pits > cup holders 

[moogster]

9 hours ago, Bomei said:

My most controversial opinion? Probably that I really like the abundance of activism at the festival! I'm so glad it is going back further down that route with the CND logo on the Pyramid and the earth on the Other, the posters on the Truth and Park stages, the (absolutely heart wrenching) tyre turtle, the greenpeace stewards asking to talk to us about issues. 

I get that people want to come to the fest to escape from all that, but for me it reminds me what started the festival. It also feels right - music, hedonism and activism all together - empowering and strengthening people together! 

I like it too! Though agree with the point on the Zelensky address.

For example I only saw the bit on Travellers and the new UK law watching  the BBC coverage afterwards and wished I dropped by. 

[km9]

Mosh pits.

Why can't Alfie, Charlie and Tyler stand through a single act without getting all their mates to form a circle that they all have to run into 'at the drop'?

[gigpusher]

11 hours ago, gooner1990 said:

Genuine question…what on earth were people doing before camping chairs became commonplace in around 2003?  Some people seem to act that they can’t do without them….

For the record I have a bad shoulder (car accident when I was younger) and also get sciatica periodically… but I only keep my chair in my campsite ….I tend to sit down when bands aren’t on and if I need a rest when walking about then I take one rather than trying to push myself.

At Paul McCartney the people in front of us had about 6 chairs in a row and just stood in front of them of course when it got dark people weaving through the crowd couldn’t see the chairs and kept falling into them. Did they recognise this and fold them away? Did they fuck….

Im going to Truck Festival in two weeks time and they’ve just said all camping chairs are banned from the main arena…will be interesting to see what the regular chair users do instead…..

I have a genuine question in return when did every issue in the world have to become so binary. Is it since Brexit? Does everything have to have a yes or no answer with no maybe's in between. 

I can't find a map of the 2003 and I didn't go then but looking at the line up poster the festival looks to have been a great deal smaller back then. Also people didn't go for as long always with many people rocking up on Friday morning so I think the comparison between the 2 is not really relevant. I also think we all need to be better at accepting that people are different and have different abilities and acceptance of others is meant to be a great Glastonbury trait. 

The acts this year that I took my chair out for were Yasmin Williams, Lianne La Havas and Brass Against right at the back of the field. I was in nobody's way at the the time. There were huge swathes of space around me each time so I wasn't inconveniencing anybody. My chair is one of the small helinox ones that gets put in my bag when I am finished with it. I also sat on the ground in Avalon and had my back again the barrier for The Citizens of the World Choir and Ferris and Sylvester. Again they weren't at all busy so doing this wasn't inconveniencing anyone. I was in E25 in the campervan field so nipping back to sit on a chair isn't an option for me. I do the festival sober so any pain relief from drink or drugs isn't available to me.

I have clearly stated that I too have a problem with chair w*nkers who use them regardless of whether it is too busy. I think it is really ignorant but as I've said it doesn't have to be a binary issue.  If a little bit of use of a chair use in a respectful way can help make the festival achievable for a wider variety of people then I think that is great. I actually made sure after Friday that we put our bags away completely by sub headliner time and I think it's crazy that anyone thinks chairs are appropriate during this time near the front a the big stages. 

Here's the 2003 poster by the way. Definitely looks a bit more sparsely populated. 

[km9]

29 minutes ago, gigpusher said:

I have a genuine question in return when did every issue in the world have to become so binary. Is it since Brexit? Does everything have to have a yes or no answer with no maybe's in between. 

I can't find a map of the 2003 and I didn't go then but looking at the line up poster the festival looks to have been a great deal smaller back then. Also people didn't go for as long always with many people rocking up on Friday morning so I think the comparison between the 2 is not really relevant. I also think we all need to be better at accepting that people are different and have different abilities and acceptance of others is meant to be a great Glastonbury trait. 

The acts this year that I took my chair out for were Yasmin Williams, Lianne La Havas and Brass Against right at the back of the field. I was in nobody's way at the the time. There were huge swathes of space around me each time so I wasn't inconveniencing anybody. My chair is one of the small helinox ones that gets put in my bag when I am finished with it. I also sat on the ground in Avalon and had my back again the barrier for The Citizens of the World Choir and Ferris and Sylvester. Again they weren't at all busy so doing this wasn't inconveniencing anyone. I was in E25 in the campervan field so nipping back to sit on a chair isn't an option for me. I do the festival sober so any pain relief from drink or drugs isn't available to me.

I have clearly stated that I too have a problem with chair w*nkers who use them regardless of whether it is too busy. I think it is really ignorant but as I've said it doesn't have to be a binary issue.  If a little bit of use of a chair use in a respectful way can help make the festival achievable for a wider variety of people then I think that is great. I actually made sure after Friday that we put our bags away completely by sub headliner time and I think it's crazy that anyone thinks chairs are appropriate during this time near the front a the big stages. 

Here's the 2003 poster by the way. Definitely looks a bit more sparsely populated. 

I don't think anybody has an issue with people using a chair in a field with plenty of space, however I think that most people are against the use of chairs in a busy field, especially when it gets dark. Looking towards a brightly lit stage after dark, it is impossible to see chairs so they become a safety hazard.

Edited July 6, 2022 by km9

[moogster]

It's a bit about the type of chairs as well. I have a small helinox type too, didn't use it this year as the ground was dry, and I see quite a lot of mini chairs/stools about. But then I saw something like this in the middle of the DiRo crowd, complete with a dozen empty cider cans under and I'm like wtf?

[stuartbert two hats]

13 hours ago, Tom White said:

If it's not already been mentioned: I wish the grade of woodchip they'd scattered around was smaller. Nearly tripped over soooo many times (I do have small feet tho). 

 

13 hours ago, Jay Pee said:

Amen to that. Who fucking cares? When did anyone EVER want to see your holiday pics / Glastonbury pics etc?

Proper shite 

I fucking love the vlogs.

[Matt42]

I thought the crowd this year was in good spirits, but often there are a lot of people who attend who quite clearly aren’t having a good time and bring the mood down.

I know what it’s like to have an annoying day at a festival but as I’m getting older I’m learning to push through. But there’s still an awful lot of people who come along who quite clearly don’t like festivals. It’s weird to me. Maybe it’s a FOMO thing, but I notice more and more there’s a lot of people who dislike camping, the lineup, people smoking in crowds, people being too drunk, dislike people taking drugs, dislike people being too loud, chat during acts because their bored etc etc. It’s just like, ok I get it, you are welcome here too, but why are you coming if everything about the festival annoys you?

Always run into these people in bar queues as well. Face down to their boots.

[NorthernSoul52]

Just now, Matt42 said:

Always run into these people in bar queues as well. Face down to their boots.

Drown your sorrows, innit.