How to reign it in?

[sabre-toothed tart]

1 hour ago, efcfanwirral said:

Was absolutely brilliant for Blossoms last week. Great sound and like you say a decent amount of space.

Good selection of craft beer too, and no bar queues despite it being sold out, though it was the early show I was at.

I was there for that too!  Really enjoyed the venue - one of the few in Manchester I've not been to. 

[blutarsky]

3 hours ago, gigpusher said:

That’ll pay for Glastonbury though so you can think about that whilst you mark! 

Exactly! Motivation to stay off efests 

[clarkete]

5 hours ago, ghandi said:

Brilliant, happy for you Scrippit. Nice to have the excitement two fold in the same house. Funny my brother who is 54 is the one having trouble trying to explain to his daughter what to expect as her first time. I don't think she gets it yet, says she is starting to get excited. Got let down as we got the ticket in 2020 and obvs she couldn't go and the line up not having bands she knows a lot. I laugh at this, she dosn't know whats coming.

Sounds like she needs to get the playlist on shuffle over the next few weeks so she can pick out some things she wants to see. 

BSR does the legwork in Spotify, but it's also copied into apple, deezer and tidal too...

 

[Watergirl]

On 5/7/2022 at 6:17 PM, gigpusher said:

For me it was the idea of someone that you live with not being at all interested in it to the point where they don’t really want you talking about it.

Ah no, I am allowed to talk about the festival, and he is happy for me to go and have a good time. I don't go on about details that I know won't interest him.

[gooner1990]

6 hours ago, LoraMaze said:

My husband learned the hard way by “accidentally” consuming far too much of a particular substance on my first Wednesday at the festival. He had been the previous year and was extra excited to have me there with him. This resulted in us spending the entire opening ceremony in our tent while I tried to pin him down and stop him from injuring himself, while he was telling me my hands were animatronic and other weird shit. We’ve been to the festival 4 more times since then and haven’t had another incident 🤣

What was the substance? 🧐

[The Dawg]

19 hours ago, ghandi said:

The Dawg could be me! Also 60yo with missus who really dosn't get it  and would never be seen dead at a festival. I always go with a mate and this year I've got my brother and niece ( her first time ) to obsess with on Whatsapp and with you lot on here. The festival is my relief valve from daily reality, it's been missed sadly. Fever pitch starting as shit gets real.

Yep, you sound like me. I can't imagine how the niece must feel, going to be in for a massive shock, in a good way hopefully. We have 2 virgins in our group this year and I swear they don't know what's coming. Our whattsapp group is getting busier as it gets nearer. My excitement level is right up there, think I am going to go nuts on the day we travel down!  

[gooner1990]

On 5/7/2022 at 1:33 PM, clarkete said:

My better half came with me, plus a big circle of friends and family for about a decade but as we got older she'd rather do something else.  Some folks just reach a point where the balance of the things which aren't so nice about the festival and those that are shifts and they realise they don't enjoy it enough for the physical and hygienic challenges. 

While I go to G she can go with the dog to the seaside, so we both do something we enjoy.  Many of the friends have other priorities atm with family, work etc.

We do still go to gigs, but not that regularly - once a month or so.  I certainly find it's less impulsive in my fifties 👵🧓

100% agree with this part, we started out at festivals in 1999 just a small group of us, got bigger and bigger each year, did different festivals, crowd wasn't always quite the same but the same core remained.....and this year its just four of us going (will camp with other friends down there) from our hometown, three of us that are going did that first festival together 23 years ago.

The main reason people stop going I find apart from the usual, got married, bought house had baby etc is the hygiene issue becomes too much for them, they get too fat/unfit to walk round the site so have to stick to smaller festivals or they stop drinking/taking drugs as much so then tend to avoid such events altogether which is a shame as I've done festivals on a lot of drugs but also just on booze and both can be just as enjoyable!

As much as we all love it and are frothing at the mouth each T-day in October there are others, that whilst they enjoy the festival its not a way of life or find it a necessity to obsess over an event that happens once a year.  

[The Dawg]

19 hours ago, scrippit said:

I'm 60 this year too (we should start a thread), but my wife loves it the same as I do. We have both carried each other back to our tent on a Thursday night after peaking too soon over the years. It's a perfect marriage.

Brilliant, that's what a marriage is all about. We've been together for 42 years and are inseparable, except for music festivals! I can't imagine what it's like to go to a festival having to be concerned for someone else, if that makes sense. My wife is a brilliant organiser and I can't for the life of me think of anything worse at G, I just love to be spontaneous, go where I want when I want and generally chat shit to anyone willing to listen.

There are times though were I get a bit lonely even though there's a group of about 8 of us, usually back end of the weekend when I am hungover and feeling dead.   

[clarkete]

4 hours ago, gooner1990 said:

100% agree with this part, we started out at festivals in 1999 just a small group of us, got bigger and bigger each year, did different festivals, crowd wasn't always quite the same but the same core remained.....and this year its just four of us going (will camp with other friends down there) from our hometown, three of us that are going did that first festival together 23 years ago.

The main reason people stop going I find apart from the usual, got married, bought house had baby etc is the hygiene issue becomes too much for them, they get too fat/unfit to walk round the site so have to stick to smaller festivals or they stop drinking/taking drugs as much so then tend to avoid such events altogether which is a shame as I've done festivals on a lot of drugs but also just on booze and both can be just as enjoyable!

As much as we all love it and are frothing at the mouth each T-day in October there are others, that whilst they enjoy the festival its not a way of life or find it a necessity to obsess over an event that happens once a year.  

Yes, all true, although in my bubble we're  not allowed to do the body shaming bit 🤣. Certainly true about the fitness for walking and carrying stuff. 

I probably knew a dozen to twenty at peak, now just a couple of us. Most only ever attended when on a mission, either because that was part and parcel of having a great time or because that helped them to tolerate the challenging bits. 

A handful of those who stopped cos they had kids would like to come again, either with them now or in future, but if course it's harder than ever to come back and tbh unless people are really sure I wouldn't suggest they go through the potential heartache of t day and resale day. 

[gigpusher]

14 minutes ago, clarkete said:

Yes, all true, although in my bubble we're  not allowed to do the body shaming bit 🤣. Certainly true about the fitness for walking and carrying stuff. 

I probably knew a dozen to twenty at peak, now just a couple of us. Most only ever attended when on a mission, either because that was part and parcel of having a great time or because that helped them to tolerate the challenging bits. 

A handful of those who stopped cos they had kids would like to come again, either with them now or in future, but if course it's harder than ever to come back and tbh unless people are really sure I wouldn't suggest they go through the potential heartache of t day and resale day. 

Be honest you tell them that it's shit now so that your ticket day chances are improved. 😄 

[gooner1990]

16 minutes ago, clarkete said:

Yes, all true, although in my bubble we're  not allowed to do the body shaming bit 🤣. Certainly true about the fitness for walking and carrying stuff. 

I probably knew a dozen to twenty at peak, now just a couple of us. Most only ever attended when on a mission, either because that was part and parcel of having a great time or because that helped them to tolerate the challenging bits. 

A handful of those who stopped cos they had kids would like to come again, either with them now or in future, but if course it's harder than ever to come back and tbh unless people are really sure I wouldn't suggest they go through the potential heartache of t day and resale day. 

From memory....it was going up every year and then I think we had 30 of us go in 2011...that was when it peaked for us, then 20 or so 2013, 8 in 2014, 2 in 2015, 10 in 2016, 6 in 2017..then in 2019 we completely failed on tickets and so I worked it on my own (and met some of my own friends down there when off shift) it was amazing how quickly the dedicated go every year group just started dwindling not helped obviously by how hard it is to get tickets...

There's a few of my lot who keep saying they'll come back but probably only in something like WV/Sticklinch but then they never organise themselves enough on T-Day and another year passes and they get another year older/stone heavier/have another child and the thought goes away again.

Personally, I will keep going until I can't physically do it anymore. 🙂 

[gigpusher]

4 minutes ago, gooner1990 said:

From memory....it was going up every year and then I think we had 30 of us go in 2011...that was when it peaked for us, then 20 or so 2013, 8 in 2014, 2 in 2015, 10 in 2016, 6 in 2017..then in 2019 we completely failed on tickets and so I worked it on my own (and met some of my own friends down there when off shift) it was amazing how quickly the dedicated go every year group just started dwindling not helped obviously by how hard it is to get tickets...

There's a few of my lot who keep saying they'll come back but probably only in something like WV/Sticklinch but then they never organise themselves enough on T-Day and another year passes and they get another year older/stone heavier/have another child and the thought goes away again.

Personally, I will keep going until I can't physically do it anymore. 🙂 

I am living proof that how much you weigh needn't put you off.  Despite my bulk I do lots of steps as well. Last festival on the Saturday I hit 60k steps and bearing in mind how hot that was! I think for a lot of people who have kids but don't want to bring them it's more the logistics than the fitness plus a lot of people as they get older lose their way with music in a way they don't with any other art form. Deciding to rough it for a festival where you don't know half the acts at a cost that could get you a holiday in the sun is probably why you get such a drop off. 

[gooner1990]

10 minutes ago, gigpusher said:

I am living proof that how much you weigh needn't put you off.  Despite my bulk I do lots of steps as well. Last festival on the Saturday I hit 60k steps and bearing in mind how hot that was! I think for a lot of people who have kids but don't want to bring them it's more the logistics than the fitness plus a lot of people as they get older lose their way with music in a way they don't with any other art form. Deciding to rough it for a festival where you don't know half the acts at a cost that could get you a holiday in the sun is probably why you get such a drop off. 

That's true as well and like Clarkete said, people just get to a point where they would rather do other things.  I know I've missed out on a fair few holidays and other things with friends because I've put going to Glastonbury and other festivals first.

Although luckily now I'm at a point where I can afford to go to 1-2 festivals a year, and then go on holiday with my gf as well which I perhaps couldn't do 10 or so years ago.

[watsonjm]

On 5/6/2022 at 2:22 PM, gooner1990 said:

What sort of stuff do they say?!

Most of my friends are also heavy festival goers too so no piss taking really goes on,  as I get my fix on here so don't really bug them either,  that said if some of our more causal or younger festival going friends have a question they usually tend to get pointed towards me! 🙂

Mainly aimed at how ridiculously excited I get miles in advance.  I'm been trying to get them to commit to a leaving time this week being told its to far away to plan yet!  

[gigpusher]

Just now, watsonjm said:

Mainly aimed at how ridiculously excited I get miles in advance.  I'm been trying to get them to commit to a leaving time this week being told its to far away to plan yet!  

Our leaving time is the same every year. Tuesday after rush hour. It means we're not quite there for the opening of the gates but going during rush hour would just make the journey longer for not much gain. 

[gooner1990]

7 minutes ago, watsonjm said:

Mainly aimed at how ridiculously excited I get miles in advance.  I'm been trying to get them to commit to a leaving time this week being told its to far away to plan yet!  

This is your outlet then!

TBF when I drive I usually just message my mates a day or so beforehand with what time I'll be picking them up...but then again they always know its going to be v early as we've been going for years.

[clarkete]

3 hours ago, gigpusher said:

I am living proof that how much you weigh needn't put you off.  Despite my bulk I do lots of steps as well. Last festival on the Saturday I hit 60k steps and bearing in mind how hot that was! I think for a lot of people who have kids but don't want to bring them it's more the logistics than the fitness plus a lot of people as they get older lose their way with music in a way they don't with any other art form. Deciding to rough it for a festival where you don't know half the acts at a cost that could get you a holiday in the sun is probably why you get such a drop off. 

All very true, although tbh I'm sure my number of steps is nothing like yours, but I manage to see pretty much the whole site over the festival.  That was the case before, the limitation when I was younger was how broken I was once we'd got past the first night 😊

Tbh when I was younger there were ether a lot less stages or my knowledge was limited then anyway, but I'd have been happy to just go to the Jazz stage (as was) or whatever and just see whatever was playing for a bit or to go and see the acts which I did recognise and want to catch.  These days it's easy to get an inkling of what I like from BSR's playlist - but I'm putting in the homework which friends with bigger family commitments won't be able to do.

As you say when they compare to a holiday in the sun then the price can be less, they know the weather is gonna be great, there will be stuff for their kids, they can get decent food and drink and sleep in a comfy bed. 

The difference for us is that we all feel that something could happen in that one week at G which would make our year - or far longer.  I put much less into my attendance than many of the regs on here, but it's easily one of the defining things of my life.

3 hours ago, gooner1990 said:

That's true as well and like Clarkete said, people just get to a point where they would rather do other things.  I know I've missed out on a fair few holidays and other things with friends because I've put going to Glastonbury and other festivals first.

Although luckily now I'm at a point where I can afford to go to 1-2 festivals a year, and then go on holiday with my gf as well which I perhaps couldn't do 10 or so years ago.

Yeah I'm fortunate on a couple of fronts.  Firstly I'm old enough that I bought my small, cheap house over 25 years ago and don't have a mortgage and secondly I get a large holiday allowance (also cos I get a couple of extra days as I'm and old g*t).