2023 Festival

[Benj]

25 minutes ago, stanh said:

Not sure where you have got that from? It has sold really well this year. Weekend and Saturday tickets sold out, few Sunday left. Granted not as good or as fast as previous years, still not bad at all. 

Courtenners the night before is around 40K, each day of Parklife is just over 80K. 

Easily out done Leeds then, given a day and all weekend tickets gone

[gfa]

2 hours ago, stanh said:

Not sure where you have got that from? It has sold really well this year. Weekend and Saturday tickets sold out, few Sunday left. Granted not as good or as fast as previous years, still not bad at all. 

Courtenners the night before is around 40K, each day of Parklife is just over 80K. 

Yeah sorry i was gonna come back and change this but just left it

Its sold very slowly vs previous years where it usually sells out in hours

[BenG92]

Bear in mind Parklife is over the course of a sold-out Download. You might not think there's much overlap (dozens of us! dozens!) but my partner and I would've 100% been there if I wasn't doing Download. 

[stanh]

2 minutes ago, gfa said:

Yeah sorry i was gonna come back and change this but just left it

Its sold very slowly vs previous years where it usually sells out in hours

Think this year in general has been a tough year across the board, Wireless has only just sold out too, but think that may be more down to the ticket price, top tier GA day tickets were something like £140 or so. But hotels for Parklife have been extortionate, even for Manchester prices, reckon that has played into it. Shocked at the lack of day tickets up on Twickets though for Parklife, Saturday especially, usually loads going, well under face value! 

[gfa]

4 minutes ago, BenG92 said:

Bear in mind Parklife is over the course of a sold-out Download. You might not think there's much overlap (dozens of us! dozens!) but my partner and I would've 100% been there if I wasn't doing Download. 

There's definitely not much overlap.

Certainly less than R&L experiences with the multitude of fests that weekend every year such as Creamfields, APE, other random dance fests, victorious etc etc

[Chad888]

Would we rather have:

 

A) 3 Outstanding headliners, "omg I can't miss this once in a lifetime event" booking, with an R1 tent, FR tent, Pit/Lockup tent, but weaker daytime lineups.

 

B) 6 average headliners and an absolutely stacked undercard, where you are genuinely hurt you need to choose who to miss. 2 MS and just an FR tent.

 

C) 2 huge headliners, 4 meh headliners, a crappy day card, and the FR stage.

 

 

I'd honestly rather have A.

[Benj]

6 minutes ago, Chad888 said:

Would we rather have:

 

A) 3 Outstanding headliners, "omg I can't miss this once in a lifetime event" booking, with an R1 tent, FR tent, Pit/Lockup tent, but weaker daytime lineups.

 

B) 6 average headliners and an absolutely stacked undercard, where you are genuinely hurt you need to choose who to miss. 2 MS and just an FR tent.

 

C) 2 huge headliners, 4 meh headliners, a crappy day card, and the FR stage.

 

 

I'd honestly rather have A.

A and B aren't really realistic

C is what we kind of have now

Everyone is obv different in what they want from a festival, of your options, for me B would be the best. 

A full day of having to pick which bands you really, really want to see, at the cost of others, is why I've been to Reading so many times.

Good Headliners you really want to see are a great way to end the day, I've enjoyed headline acts in the FR as much or more than HUGE names on the main stage though, you should always choose to see what you want to see, not what you think you should just because they're XYZ mega star...

Ultimately for me quantity delivers diversity which brings quality for each individual

 

[thetime]

54 minutes ago, Chad888 said:

Would we rather have:

 

A) 3 Outstanding headliners, "omg I can't miss this once in a lifetime event" booking, with an R1 tent, FR tent, Pit/Lockup tent, but weaker daytime lineups.

 

B) 6 average headliners and an absolutely stacked undercard, where you are genuinely hurt you need to choose who to miss. 2 MS and just an FR tent.

 

C) 2 huge headliners, 4 meh headliners, a crappy day card, and the FR stage.

 

 

I'd honestly rather have A.

Average headliners and quality throughout the day. 

Just going for headliners? That's what gigs are for.

To be fair I will probably go to Leeds with my daughter, as she's into a lot of the lineup. I'm actually liking the headliners and enough to keep me happy through the day.

 

[gfa]

There's currently 3 huge headliners - 3 meh ones and no small tent etc

Like it or not Sam Fender is definitely a big draw to the core audience

Maybe a weird point but:

I think perhaps the lack of big rappers is probably one of the biggest issues this year - i love Foals but when you have Sam Fender and Killers already its kind of just a wasted slot as anyone who wants to see Foals will already want to see Sam Fender and Killers who are far bigger.

[Benj]

Gah! Only just seen Ethel Cain is playing. 

May go 🤣

[VCK]

On 6/5/2023 at 6:19 PM, Benj said:

A and B aren't really realistic

C is what we kind of have now

Everyone is obv different in what they want from a festival, of your options, for me B would be the best. 

A full day of having to pick which bands you really, really want to see, at the cost of others, is why I've been to Reading so many times.

Good Headliners you really want to see are a great way to end the day, I've enjoyed headline acts in the FR as much or more than HUGE names on the main stage though, you should always choose to see what you want to see, not what you think you should just because they're XYZ mega star...

Ultimately for me quantity delivers diversity which brings quality for each individual

 

2009, 2012 and 2017 were examples of A. 2007 too almost, if it weren't for Razorlight.

2010 was an example of B. Granted it was just three headliners, but GNR who were GNR in name only, a then unproven Arcade Fire with a good number of attendees not even knowing who they were, and Blink 182 who never headlined in their prime and would have been seen as the weaker headliner in other years. But the undercard was one of the most insanely stacked line ups I have ever seen at the festival. For me the last time R&L had a genuinely outstanding line up.

Edited June 10, 2023 by VCK

[Benj]

1 hour ago, VCK said:

2009, 2012 and 2017 were examples of A. 2007 too almost, if it weren't for Razorlight.

2010 was an example of B. Granted it was just three headliners, but GNR who were GNR in name only, a then unproven Arcade Fire with a good number of attendees not even knowing who they were, and Blink 182 who never headlined in their prime and would have been seen as the weaker headliner in other years. But the undercard was one of the most insanely stacked line ups I have ever seen at the festival. For me the last time R&L had a genuinely outstanding line up.

Wow 2010 was proper stacked. not much risen from the FR or BBC I tie from there but even the FR does squeeze in Tame Impala

 it having Kasabian, Muse and Eminem as ‘a once in a lifetime moment’ in 2017 

2009 kind of, but none of them were particularly good in the end

2012 not having that either esp as Kasabian on 2017 proves it wasn’t a once in a lifetime thing!  Foo fighters play every 5 years too.

Think it goes to prove that a stacked lineup is better than peak headliners though. Very few are one shot deals

[VCK]

14 minutes ago, Benj said:

Wow 2010 was proper stacked. not much risen from the FR or BBC I tie from there but even the FR does squeeze in Tame Impala

 it having Kasabian, Muse and Eminem as ‘a once in a lifetime moment’ in 2017 

2009 kind of, but none of them were particularly good in the end

2012 not having that either esp as Kasabian on 2017 proves it wasn’t a once in a lifetime thing!  Foo fighters play every 5 years too.

Think it goes to prove that a stacked lineup is better than peak headliners though. Very few are one shot deals

I don't mean a once in a lifetime thing as much as the sheer strength of the headliners. Granted there was no one new added to 2017's mix, and KOL and Arctics were both dogshit in 2009, but they were all huge names nonetheless and unlike most years there wasn't really any arguing about any of the acts deserving to headline.

Re: 2010. I agree that time hasn't been kind to the other stages on the line-up and there was so many names that were of that era (remember when the likes of The Drums and The Big Pink were tipped to be huge? Whatever happened there?) but the Main Stage was the stuff of legend and one looking like that in today's climate is just unthinkable. Plus all three subs that year went on to headline, while there usually seems to be a trend of one or two subheadliners whose stock falls after they play (The Black Keys, Alt-J, Jake Bugg, 30 Seconds To Mars, to name a few). It was the last line up which would have made me buy a weekend ticket. There was still some good stuff elsewhere too though like Bad Religion and Minus The Bear.

What about a line-up which has both a huge trio of headliners and a ridiculously stacked undercard? 2003 and 2008 are the only ones that spring to mind.

Edited June 10, 2023 by VCK

[jonnyisRFC]

On 6/5/2023 at 12:03 PM, gfa said:

Its sold very poorly this year to be fair - most fests are struggling

I think festivals with poor line ups are struggling. Slam Dunk put on a ridiculously strong line up this year and it sold out for the first time in ages. 

[jonnyisRFC]

Anyone get an email asking them to complete a survey for Reading Festival? They asked “what do you hate about Reading festival?” 
Have I missed anything? 

 

 -The constant decline of the line ups. 
-Booking acts because they’re big on TikTok. 
-Lack of Rock, Punk, Metal and Indie music. 
-Getting rid of the Lock up tent. 
-Getting rid of the Radio One/NME tent. 
-Becoming the new V festival. 
-Two main stages. 
-Less bands because of the two main stages. 
-Ruining 30 years of legacy by being the new V festival. 
-Dickhead 16 year olds.
-Jumped up, power hungry security guards. 
-Not being allowed to bring alcohol into the arena. 
-Getting rid of the Orange campsite entrance. 
-Ridiculous queues to get into the arena to watch bands that people have paid to see. 
-Treating the punters as customers and not fans, it’s not about providing a positive festival experience it’s about squeezing every last penny out of us. 

[foolee]

48 minutes ago, jonnyisRFC said:

Anyone get an email asking them to complete a survey for Reading Festival? They asked “what do you hate about Reading festival?” 
Have I missed anything? 

 

 -The constant decline of the line ups. 
-Booking acts because they’re big on TikTok. 
-Lack of Rock, Punk, Metal and Indie music. 
-Getting rid of the Lock up tent. 
-Getting rid of the Radio One/NME tent. 
-Becoming the new V festival. 
-Two main stages. 
-Less bands because of the two main stages. 
-Ruining 30 years of legacy by being the new V festival. 
-Dickhead 16 year olds.
-Jumped up, power hungry security guards. 
-Not being allowed to bring alcohol into the arena. 
-Getting rid of the Orange campsite entrance. 
-Ridiculous queues to get into the arena to watch bands that people have paid to see. 
-Treating the punters as customers and not fans, it’s not about providing a positive festival experience it’s about squeezing every last penny out of us. 

Great post and completely agree. 

[Benj]

1 hour ago, jonnyisRFC said:

Anyone get an email asking them to complete a survey for Reading Festival? They asked “what do you hate about Reading festival?” 
Have I missed anything? 

 

 -The constant decline of the line ups. 
-Booking acts because they’re big on TikTok. 
-Lack of Rock, Punk, Metal and Indie music. 
-Getting rid of the Lock up tent. 
-Getting rid of the Radio One/NME tent. 
-Becoming the new V festival. 
-Two main stages. 
-Less bands because of the two main stages. 
-Ruining 30 years of legacy by being the new V festival. 
-Dickhead 16 year olds.
-Jumped up, power hungry security guards. 
-Not being allowed to bring alcohol into the arena. 
-Getting rid of the Orange campsite entrance. 
-Ridiculous queues to get into the arena to watch bands that people have paid to see. 
-Treating the punters as customers and not fans, it’s not about providing a positive festival experience it’s about squeezing every last penny out of us. 

I got it too and provided similar feedback

Looks like it may be even worse than expected if they’ve had to hire an agency to try and determine, from people who’ve bought tickets previously, as to why they may not be buying them this year…

[jonnyisRFC]

12 minutes ago, Benj said:

I got it too and provided similar feedback

Looks like it may be even worse than expected if they’ve had to hire an agency to try and determine, from people who’ve bought tickets previously, as to why they may not be buying them this year…

The festival is 9 weeks away and you can still get early bird tickets, weekend tickets plus day tickets for all 3 days, I can’t remember that ever happening before!

It’s part of their licence now that they have to announce the festival as a “sell out” the week before the festival even if it’s not. In 2009 they announced there would be some tickets to buy from the box office on the Thursday and thousands of people turned up and it was carnage. 

[Benj]

1 hour ago, jonnyisRFC said:

The festival is 9 weeks away and you can still get early bird tickets, weekend tickets plus day tickets for all 3 days, I can’t remember that ever happening before!

It’s part of their licence now that they have to announce the festival as a “sell out” the week before the festival even if it’s not. In 2009 they announced there would be some tickets to buy from the box office on the Thursday and thousands of people turned up and it was carnage. 

Didnt realise early bird were still on sale, theyre normally all gone within a few weeks arent they?

May actually be quite pleasant in the campsites this year if they've only sold 50% of the tickets!

I bet theyre gutted that all the Social media buzz from Fender's St James Park shows make it look like a NUFC appreciation event as opposed to a reason to see Fender. Will put off more people than it will encourage to attend.

[gfa]

16 minutes ago, Benj said:

Didnt realise early bird were still on sale, theyre normally all gone within a few weeks arent they?

May actually be quite pleasant in the campsites this year if they've only sold 50% of the tickets!

I bet theyre gutted that all the Social media buzz from Fender's St James Park shows make it look like a NUFC appreciation event as opposed to a reason to see Fender. Will put off more people than it will encourage to attend.

You really don't like sam fender do you 😂

Not going to lie the main 3 are pretty massive this year, 2 glasto headliners / stadium sellers and Sam Fender who is about to become that i'd imagine

[Benj]

25 minutes ago, gfa said:

You really don't like sam fender do you 😂

Not going to lie the main 3 are pretty massive this year, 2 glasto headliners / stadium sellers and Sam Fender who is about to become that i'd imagine

Dunno where you go that from, I don’t mind him at all. 

Have said many times on here the 3 headliners are all decent (bar the fact they’re all a year late)

[jonnyisRFC]

41 minutes ago, Benj said:

Didnt realise early bird were still on sale, theyre normally all gone within a few weeks arent they?

May actually be quite pleasant in the campsites this year if they've only sold 50% of the tickets!

I bet theyre gutted that all the Social media buzz from Fender's St James Park shows make it look like a NUFC appreciation event as opposed to a reason to see Fender. Will put off more people than it will encourage to attend.

Yeah they’re normally first to sell out. Maybe I’ve just not seen it but it doesn’t look like they’re pushing ticket sales much on social media, they’ve been very quiet. 

[gfa]

7 minutes ago, Benj said:

Dunno where you go that from, I don’t mind him at all. 

Have said many times on here the 3 headliners are all decent (bar the fact they’re all a year late)

Fair enough

Some of the years highlighted as being impressive also had headliners a year late, it was just ages ago and nobody really remembers. The headliners this year will be looked back on very fondly in a few years i guess - in contrast to the undercard i'd imagine!!

[Benj]

20 minutes ago, gfa said:

Fair enough

Some of the years highlighted as being impressive also had headliners a year late, it was just ages ago and nobody really remembers. The headliners this year will be looked back on very fondly in a few years i guess - in contrast to the undercard i'd imagine!!

Yup will look v strong in 5 years time I imagine, assuming Fender doesn’t disappear, which I don’t. 

Doesn’t help sell tickets for his year though  those other years had decent undercards and choice

 

[thetime]

2 hours ago, Benj said:

Didnt realise early bird were still on sale, theyre normally all gone within a few weeks arent they?

 

I dont think so, usually sell out about this time of year.