Glasto moments that made you cry

[dizzymoo]

What a wonderful thread - already getting into practice for shedding many tears in June.

First memory of tears at Glastonbury was in 2008. Weather was pretty miserable and I was just outside the Acoustic as Sinead O'Connor started 'Nothing compares 2U'. It was a combination of the power of the song and the fear that I wouldn't 'get' the festival. It was the first festival of any kind we'd been to, we had young kids in tow and we were overwhelmed and lost. We had to come home on the Sunday evening so missed The Verve, and it was while watching them live on tv that I realised we had to go back next year.  2009 was bliss and I remember breaking down and crying as we were leaving for 'real' life, because even if we could stay on the farm the magic of the festival would be packed away for another year.

Cheating a bit as we missed out on tickets for 2014, but this by the English National Ballet certainly made me cry. The crowd are noticeably moved too.

 

Finally (and I imagine this year will be even more emotional),  around midnight on the Tuesday in 2019 that first view over the site from the Hill of Death. Like this year, we only got tickets in the resale and still couldn't believe our luck. I will never take this for granted:

[Neil]

happy mondays pyramid stage about 1990, so bad there were crushes to get out of the field as people ran away from the aural pain,

[clarkete]

1 hour ago, Neil said:

happy mondays pyramid stage about 1990, so bad there were crushes to get out of the field as people ran away from the aural pain,

'appy Mondays in the area...repeat ad anfinitum.

[barcelonista1899]

3 hours ago, gigpusher said:

 

Aw so sorry to hear this. Hope whatever the reason you need to give them up that it's not too trying a time for you and that you will be back. 

Thanks for the kind words! Honestly nothing terrible, just a combination of circumstances, a dickhead boss and working abroad has now made it impossible this time around! Been hoping for some change but that doesn't seem to be happening before the cancellation deadline this week unfortunately. 

[waynewdk]

2 hours ago, dizzymoo said:

What a wonderful thread - already getting into practice for shedding many tears in June.

First memory of tears at Glastonbury was in 2008. Weather was pretty miserable and I was just outside the Acoustic as Sinead O'Connor started 'Nothing compares 2U'. It was a combination of the power of the song and the fear that I wouldn't 'get' the festival. It was the first festival of any kind we'd been to, we had young kids in tow and we were overwhelmed and lost. We had to come home on the Sunday evening so missed The Verve, and it was while watching them live on tv that I realised we had to go back next year.  2009 was bliss and I remember breaking down and crying as we were leaving for 'real' life, because even if we could stay on the farm the magic of the festival would be packed away for another year.

Cheating a bit as we missed out on tickets for 2014, but this by the English National Ballet certainly made me cry. The crowd are noticeably moved too.

 

Finally (and I imagine this year will be even more emotional),  around midnight on the Tuesday in 2019 that first view over the site from the Hill of Death. Like this year, we only got tickets in the resale and still couldn't believe our luck. I will never take this for granted:

Never entered from the hill of death before, noticed you said midnight Tuesday, is this view from outside the festival, or did you get in earlier some how

[dizzymoo]

5 minutes ago, waynewdk said:

Never entered from the hill of death before, noticed you said midnight Tuesday, is this view from outside the festival, or did you get in earlier some how

CV fields open on Tuesday (outside the fence).  It's not very clear on this pic but on the left you can just make out people settled down for the night along the fence, waiting for Gate  C to open at 8am.

[gigpusher]

18 minutes ago, barcelonista1899 said:

Thanks for the kind words! Honestly nothing terrible, just a combination of circumstances, a dickhead boss and working abroad has now made it impossible this time around! Been hoping for some change but that doesn't seem to be happening before the cancellation deadline this week unfortunately. 

Glad it’s nothing too terrible. 

[Beerqueen]

Strangely, Ralph McTell singing Streets of London in Leftfield - I think 2016 (which would explain the over-sensitivity). Still don't really know why, I hadn't chosen to see him, it was in one of those sing-off things that happen, but it touched a chord and I was in floods, and I turned to the person next to me who was the same.  

[Pinhead]

The minute I get in I shed a tear - that q followed by the realisation you have made it back 4 another year - I do a pope thing and kiss the ground followed by a Gladiator soil rub. .

[TheDayman]

For me, there's one absolute standout moment. So much so, that to this day I still can't listen to the song without welling up.

2017 - London Grammar, Rooting For You. Before she starts, Hannah explains that the song is very difficult to sing so she'll need to sit down to perform it. What happens next.... oh my. Everything about it was just absolutely beautiful.

I don't have a video from Glasto but here it is at Radio Ones Big Weekend of the same year. Goosebumps.

 

[moho79]

Blur, 2009, Pyramid. One of my favourite bands. It was a perfect gig, they played an amazing set. But it was the redemption story, the reconciliation of the band, and the energy with the crowd that got me. I’ve never known anything like it. I was emotional the whole gig and when Damon sat down and sobbed his heart out it set me off too. 
 

I will never ever top that gig. 

[serendipitous]

A few years ago Greenpeace had quite a tall drop slide in their field, I was passing through mid afternoon and noticed there was a little girl up there who looked terrified. She was chatting to the person at the top and it looked like she was going to come back down. Suddenly a few people nearby starting shouting encouragement, before long there was a crowd of about fifty people gathered around cheering her on. After a minute she went down the slide and everyone was celebrating, high fiving her and generally going mental. 

For various reasons I was feeling a little jaded that day and the sight of a group of strangers coming together and cheering on a complete stranger really got to me. It was lovely.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

I haven't the capacity to read this thread right now, so haven't a clue as to its 'flavour'. Anyway, there is a tale which I'd like to relay, which was certainly not a joyful experience. However, it is important to note that Glastonbury can 'almost' crush you / one. I was nearly a destroyed man on the Sunday evening of 2007 (I think!). I was with my friend (Shaun). Like me, he had also only taken drink and drugs for days. He was in the same boat as me.

In the background as we stood staring at the stage a chip shop played Dolly's ' working 9 to 5' on a loop system. I didn't know whether the proprietor liked the song, or was planting a whole shed load of shittery in to our heads / into my head. All around us were the mud monsters. I recall looking at the conditions and realising that people in the World Wars actually had to live and fight in this shit, for years, if not killed in action before then.  A tripping naked lady tramped past us, unaware that within that mud to the RHS of the Pyramid Stage there were glass bottles. I knew there were because I had seen the tops of some of them etc within the mud, and though 'w*nkers' to myself, thinking of the people who had brought glass in and also just dropped it on the floor. My mind thought that I must help her. The truth is I couldn't move. I couldn't help myself. Fortunately some people who looked like they had access to a brain turned up to help her. 

Me and Shaun knew we were done in, and done in quite badly. We queued up for some shit food from a shitty catering outlet, and all the while 'working 9 to 5' was in the background. We retired to our individual tents.  We ate in silence. Our minds far too fucked now by sensory overload.

Now it was time to almost pray - to any fucking deity that would listen!

 

Edited -- That was when I nearly cried.

Edited May 1, 2022 by Yoghurt on a Stick

[Olshansky]

27 minutes ago, serendipitous said:

A few years ago Greenpeace had quite a tall drop slide in their field, I was passing through mid afternoon and noticed there was a little girl up there who looked terrified. She was chatting to the person at the top and it looked like she was going to come back down. Suddenly a few people nearby starting shouting encouragement, before long there was a crowd of about fifty people gathered around cheering her on. After a minute she went down the slide and everyone was celebrating, high fiving her and generally going mental. 

For various reasons I was feeling a little jaded that day and the sight of a group of strangers coming together and cheering on a complete stranger really got to me. It was lovely.

I was there for this!  It was such an incredible moment!!!

[bakon]

I think everyone had a tear in their eye with Damon Albarn at the pyramid on brexit morning, very raw

Edited May 1, 2022 by bakon

[faymondo]

"Hello" Lionel Richie (I bought my late mum it on 7" as a present)

"Caravan of love" Heaton & Abbott. Don't know why I think it was Sunday and thats the crying day and the three in our group were the same.

"Lucille" Kenny Rogers again due to my mum having this on 7" as a single when I was a kid. 

EDIT maybe 2022 when I walk through the gate. 

Edited May 1, 2022 by faymondo

[Zacko]

2 hours ago, TheDayman said:

For me, there's one absolute standout moment. So much so, that to this day I still can't listen to the song without welling up.

2017 - London Grammar, Rooting For You. Before she starts, Hannah explains that the song is very difficult to sing so she'll need to sit down to perform it. What happens next.... oh my. Everything about it was just absolutely beautiful.

I don't have a video from Glasto but here it is at Radio Ones Big Weekend of the same year. Goosebumps.

 

She is so ethereal, I've only seen LG once but I was absolutely entranced. 

[dogeggs]

James opened The Other Stage the Friday morning of 2016. Emotions were already running sky high from the Brexit result, but when they played Tomorrow I almost lost it completely. 

I watch it back from time to time and it still brings a tear to my eye.

[sophiemarie]

20 hours ago, MaxPower said:

When Kylie started crying about how happy she was to finally be there after having to drop out as a headliner in 2005 due to breast cancer. From about 37:40 in the Kylie video.

 

I seem to have one big sob every festival. Definitely this moment at Kylie in 2019, too.

2017 was Nile Rogers speaking about his own cancer battle.

2016 was the entire duration of LCD Soundsystems “All My Friends” (I had waited so long to see them, and couldn’t believe it was finally happening!)

[jonnyisRFC]

The morning after the Brexit vote, Beans On Toast played the Greenpeace stage and opened with this. 
 

 

[LoraMaze]

2016, on the Sunday. I just happened to be waiting for ELO to start when they surprised me by showing a bit of Bowie’s set from 2000. It was like he was on stage, and the comedown from the whole festival hit me hard. 

[Olshansky]

6 hours ago, LoraMaze said:

2016, on the Sunday. I just happened to be waiting for ELO to start when they surprised me by showing a bit of Bowie’s set from 2000. It was like he was on stage, and the comedown from the whole festival hit me hard. 

I had a lot of bowie related tears that year.  Did anyone go to the singalong on the thursday?  

[Flysheet]

Probably a few times but deffo twice with the Manics. 
 

My (now ex) wife was unknowingly pregnant with our daughter in early 96 when we saw the MSP in Leeds. The gig was broadcast on Boxing Day that year and she was born to Design for Life on the radio.

Manics headlined in 99, I was down the front in the mayhem and cracked up when they played it. I then went with my daughter in 2003 and she got to hear it live.  She knew it was her song and I picked her up and cried as they played it.

 

[e_p]

18 hours ago, dogeggs said:

James opened The Other Stage the Friday morning of 2016. Emotions were already running sky high from the Brexit result, but when they played Tomorrow I almost lost it completely. 

I watch it back from time to time and it still brings a tear to my eye.

They were atrocious that day 

[Wilfko]

Probably an overshare but during the 2015 festival my partner (at the time) was in a period of a mental health crisis and was suffering with pretty bad psychosis, she was almost entirely detached from reality for a period of about 4 months (LSD trip started it.. shit DOES do that wrong on occasion it turned out). As a result I was in a very difficult period of my life and ended up spending most of my time at the festival away from my friends just walking about and trying to soak up the energy and good times everyone was having. An unfortunate consequence of this was I spent alot of the festival teary eyed and generally highly emotional.. not just the situation, there's something in the air at glastonbury which pulled alot of emotion out of me.

I have very fond memories for that festival, as depressing as it sounds it was very poignant I spoke to alot of very kind hearted strangers who could see I had pain written on my face and the whole thing helped me get through that awful time. I'm no longer with her now, but she fully recovered approx 4 months later and has been happy and healthy ever since.

So in short, the entire 2015 festival!

Edited May 3, 2022 by Wilfko