1 major change

[DeanoL]

1 minute ago, Tranquility of Solitude said:

Not sure I agree with this, but that probably stems from the use of the term “bucket list” and how it’s now perceived in society.

To me, a bucket list is things you want to do or see before you die, that for whatever reason, you haven’t done yet. It has nothing ( in my opinion) to do with Instagram.

Attending Glastonbury WAS a bucket list item for me. I had watched and followed it avidly my whole life, and always wanted to go, but family circumstances (and geography!) made it very difficult, and I felt I’d left it too late, and that I was too old to enjoy it (I was wrong).

Attended my first one in 2015, purely intending it to be my only one, I.e. a bucket list thing.

Haven’t missed one since. Will go as long as I can physically manage it.

Yeah I think that's the case for nearly everyone. I doubt there are many of us that made the decision "I'm going to be a Glastonbury person and do this every year" before we went to our first one. 

[sprocketrocket]

Quote

I'm actually much more excited for Greenman this year. There are bands on the line up that I can't wait to see (The Delgados, the Walkmen, Les Savy fav, the Bug Club etc.) that for some reason Glastonbury just don't seem to book (not to sound like a  broken record, but the WG type of band)

100% with you on Greenman I love it. 

But I still love the Big G. 

Edited June 12, 2023 by sprocketrocket

[chazwwe]

1 hour ago, Skip997 said:

Although it's not on the same scale Shambala tried this in their largest marquee one year. It was a complete disaster and made things worse.

The logistics would be very tricky.

It works at Rock Wertcher. They do a 1 in 1 out while the act is playing. Then open it after, letting people leave first and people going in. It was fairly busy in the front about as busy as the pyramid gets. After the last band. Both the in and out gates were turned to out.

[chazwwe]

1 hour ago, Leyrulion said:

The biggest change I'd make would be more turnover of the stage designs. 

It's great that there's IICON, NYC Downlow etc. But the stages get built and then stay the same for 4 or 5 festivals. 

How great would it be if IICON, temple etc evolved into something that looked different each year.

And I'd add more stages to put effort into design like the SE corner and Shangri-la do. Acoustic, West Holts, even the park I'd love to see change it up with more set dressing. 

 

The amount of money and man hours it costs would increase the price significantly. IICON is a huge project for an arena to have. Let alone a pop up stage in the middle of a field.

[4AssedMonkey]

13 minutes ago, MEGATRONICMEATWAGON said:

Personally, perhaps as has been said before, the micro-venues in the SEC would be a welcome re-addition. 

Although, I understand it wouldn't work with how many people are on site, and some people don't like the artistic side or don't like reinventing old concepts (see CarHenge thread), but I loved it.

I've thought a couple of times that there's surely space for some of art installation, strange microvenues/lanes, and the current iteration of the SE corner as a place for various dance venues.  The Unfairground for me is overdue a revamp and already goes for a strange vibe.  Reimagining this and injecting some of the old Shangri-La concept would be great. 

[Xeph1995]

10 minutes ago, chazwwe said:

It works at Rock Wertcher. They do a 1 in 1 out while the act is playing. Then open it after, letting people leave first and people going in. It was fairly busy in the front about as busy as the pyramid gets. After the last band. Both the in and out gates were turned to out.

I don't like this idea at all. 

I've seen many a very busy headliner and tbh it just wasn't an issue, unless you don't like crowds but if you don't like crowds then maybe the mainstage at a festival isn't for you. 

Edited June 12, 2023 by Xeph1995

[chazwwe]

6 minutes ago, Xeph1995 said:

I don't like this idea at all. 

I've seen many a very busy headliner and tbh it just wasn't an issue, unless you don't like crowds but if you don't like crowds then maybe the mainstage at a festival isn't for you. 

Not talking about how busy the headliner is. It's the cross over between a sub headliner and a headliner of two different genres. Where possible crushes can happen. See Biffy Clyro into Ed Sheeran where I saw a teen girl in tears because she couldn't move.

[Alex DeLarge]

Tbh I love the dance side of the festival, they usually manage to pull it out the bag (this year particularly). The fest has always managed to build a good relationship with DJs early in their career and you can see it paying off later. Nia Archives is one of the hottest things in music now and she’s all over the farm.

I do agree a bit more variety of late night stuff would be fun though - the unfairground doesn’t really appeal to me. Having stuff like earache on at 3am is a step in the right direction.

[ICGenie]

4 hours ago, maelzoid said:

So my big change would be... They should totally rethink the booking of acts. Not including stuff on the two big stages or headliners on WH (maybe Park and Woodsies), I think pretty much every other act should be playing two or more sets over the weekend, at different time slots, different stages.

This would massively reduce clashes, massively reduce costs (Paying one act to do 2 slots < 2 acts to do 1 each) and massively reduce the number of people on site.

It's great that there's like 17 stages, but if every one is programming a unique itinerary Any one person is only seeing 1/17th of the festival! It becomes overkill.

I can't disagree with this. I would quite happily have the Saturday line up this year on all three days, and probably still miss out on something I'd like to see..

[ICGenie]

2 hours ago, stuie said:

Why would you want to change the festival so drastically? 

It's the biggest stage in the country - of course there's going to be mainstream artists on it.

If you don't want mainstream, don't go to the biggest festival and it's biggest stage. 

Agreed. Part of the joy of Glastonbury is that I can tick Elton John / Rolling Stones / Stevie Wonder off my list AND see a ton of brand new acts AND see some weird sh*t.

The idea that Glastonbury would be better without at least one top drawer headliner is just trying to be cool for the sake of it.

[MEGABOWL]

I really like the idea of getting smaller acts to play multiple slots.

Cant think of much I’d change, maybe more variety in the late night entertainment. A bit more stuff that isn’t dance music.

[Skip997]

3 minutes ago, ICGenie said:

AND see some weird sh*t.

Where's the weird sh*t these days?

I'm missing it

[ICGenie]

4 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Where's the weird sh*t these days?

I'm missing it

Normally during the day in the Theatre & Circus fields for me.

[bennyhana22]

1 hour ago, Sack truck said:

The phone signal improving changed the festival as fair bit for me in the time i've been going. A lot less human interaction as now, while milling about or waiting on stuff , instead of striking up conversation, people are on their phones in some capacity

Or, the ability to find, meet and have fun with some of the dearest friends you've ever made (who you met at Glastonbury), for the maximum amount of time possible, at a place you only see them once a year.

I mean, there's that...

Ben

[philipsteak]

4 hours ago, Nice hymer said:

 

Ditch the one-way system and ditch the distopian future vibe.

More colour, more chaos, more happy vibe please!

Single best (only good?) Idea on here.

The dystopian thing had been done to death. Not just at Glastonbury. Really shake things up by going full on, over the top, fever dream crazy and bright and happy.  

[clarkete]

26 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Where's the weird sh*t these days?

I'm missing it

 

[gooner1990]

Was at Download yesterday and they had big screens in the middle of the field, wonder how long until they appear at other festivals….

 

 

[Crazyfool01]

6 hours ago, Skip997 said:

You're spot on here. The Pyramid always has been poor, going right back, except for the occasional act.

ill counter this I love the Pyramid 

[Skip997]

1 minute ago, Crazyfool01 said:

ill counter this I love the Pyramid 

It's not the Pyramid I have a problem with. It's a great venue, esp after dark, it's 99% of the acts that play there.

 

[Crazyfool01]

1 minute ago, Skip997 said:

It's not the Pyramid I have a problem with. It's a great venue, esp after dark, it's 99% of the acts that play there.

 

of course they are going to put the more well known acts on the biggest stage .... I love that its more mainstream music as thats the stuff I know .... I admit happily ive not the musical knowledge of the majority on here ..... but I do fit I guess a demographic of the radio 1/2 listeners .... thats a shed load of people in the same boat 

[The Red Telephone]

Get Rimsky’s Yard back to how it used in the be in 1920’s. Folk who attended in the 1980’s ruined it for everyone.

[Crazyfool01]

oh and my one thing or is it 2 ..... a few more toilets , bigger ones in the park and troughs on all the urinal walls ..... dont piss on the ground folks please 🙂 

[DeanoL]

2 hours ago, ICGenie said:

Normally during the day in the Theatre & Circus fields for me.

And at night in the same fields in Mavericks.

[liame]

4 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

of course they are going to put the more well known acts on the biggest stage .... I love that its more mainstream music as thats the stuff I know .... I admit happily ive not the musical knowledge of the majority on here ..... but I do fit I guess a demographic of the radio 1/2 listeners .... thats a shed load of people in the same boat 

Yep this is me and my group, seeing plenty of acts there again this year.

[dingbat2]

More focus on the paying punter than hospitality/staff/crew. There seems so much focus on giving hospitality/staff/crew the best camping sports and nearer to the main areas, more than there ever has been I think - just look at what they have don't to Pylon/Rivermead this year, I just don't know why it was necessary

... and bring back a Williams green type stage for the great bands somewhere between BBC Introducing at John Peel level, they need an outlet for their talents and its the best stage there is there in my opinion. Small crowds dont mean crap music, it often  means its just not 'out there yet' and needs an outlet to give them an audience