Festival review by : Matthew Williams

Glastonbury Festival 1999

Friday 25th to Sunday 27th June 1999
Worthy Farm, Pilton, nr Glastonbury, Somerset, England
£83

I did it! Michael I want you to know; I didn't piss in your hedges this year! Every little helps, I hope.

Anyway the festival this year was once again brilliant. On the plus side was the reappearance of outdoor entertainment in the Circus fields, the men in giant silver boots, the music line up, the sunshine, and of course the vibe.
This years downers were tent theft, the corporate presence (I'd rather see people trying to make a mobile phone blackspot rather than putting up a mast!), the changing festival go-er demographic (many more Nike baseball caps this year), and the niggling feeling that it was no longer a private party (a secret just between ourselves) given the amount of TV coverage.

Also, good though bands like REM are, they just don't seem to get that Glastonbury isn't the latest venue on a stadium tour. For me Michael Stipe saying "this is real" doesn't count for pulling it out of the bag in the same way that Radiohead or Pulp have done.

But these are minor gripes against the overwhelmingly "good" experience that Glastonbury provides. Every festival since 1990 I have rounded a new corner and seen something that makes me go "wow - maybe the world's not so bad after all". Who could complain at three days of great music, theatre, cabaret, beer, noodles, more noodles and those toilets! See you next year.

P.S. The loss of any human life is a tragedy, particularly when it is someone who you would rather was still here. All you can do in the face of life's injustices is look at your time here and say "Was I true to myself? Was I good? Did I waste opportunity?" and "Did I live?". The mark of a life well lived is the respect paid to you by your loved ones when you're gone. There can be no greater mark of respect than the dedication of an entire festival, and the endless personal tributes. Jean, you truly lived: rest in peace. And Michael, you know what to do; see you next year!