SZA

[Gejonimo]

23 minutes ago, Ready2Spray said:

SZA was clearly given that spot because of her gender, ethnicity and 'body-positivity'. She's like a trifecta for woke box-ticking.

 

It's a travesty that JUSTICE were not headlining Sunday, so I'm glad it's now biting Emily et al. Maybe they will realise their ideology is poison but I doubt it.

Dua Lipa is a female, daughter of immigrants - you got an issue with her too?

[Crazyfool01]

MOD Please use report function for anything that crosses boundary’s beyond acceptable posting . So all mods can be aware and we can look into stuff as a team and not just me attempting to keep up with multiple threads plus plenty of stuff going on in my own life . Thanks all . Any toxic sh*t just ignore also 

[Colorblindjames]

1 hour ago, Alvoram said:

It’s not about them ‘filling that field’ for me.

 

It’s about them not overfilling other fields / tents to the point of them being dangerous, when they’ve got slots on that massive big space at the pyramid, that were more suitable, because the acts occupying those slots will only draw 20k tops. It’s a safety thing.

 

To a lesser extent it’s also about people not having to miss out, because an act they wanted to see was placed stupidly, and the stage got closed. But that’s not nearly as important, and I feel will always happen to some degree from time to time. So let’s focus on the obvious safety critical ones. Avril was obvious from day one of her being announced. Sugarbabes too to a lesser extent. 

If they want to see a specific act they should get there early enough. I did it a few times over the weekend. 

[Colorblindjames]

1 hour ago, MEGATRONICMEATWAGON said:

 

It's certainly a new approach I've never heard before. Have the main headliner the Bootleg Beatles and have them play to 5k people in a field that can hold 100k, so that the rest of the site feels loved as well.

 

So, it was a purposefully small headliner, so that all the other fields would be jam-packed. Got it.

I see you don’t do nuance. 

[Colorblindjames]

1 hour ago, Bike_Like_A_Mum said:

Here's my little two pence...I thought the crowd sizes at pyramid on Sunday were really tragic to be honest. No excuse for it, everyone knew Avril was going to draw a big crowd. Lots of people I know wanted to see her and decided not to chance it because they knew it was going to be busy so they ended up missing out. I'm sure there was many many more who missed out too and that's a shame.

 

Think people need to get off their high horse about nostalgia acts. I was chatting to Louise Redknapp while at the festival this year but it's not like everyone would be at 'Eternal' just for nostalgia is it! Avril Lavigne has a catalogue of absolute bangers, she sounded amazing and for the fussy people - she played an instrument live on stage. What more do you want.  Her music is just as valid as the other dinosaurs that were playing across the weekend but no-one calls them 'nostalgia' acts. She's got the tunes for a good bloody party and lots of people wanted to be at that party, so the party needed a bigger venue. Simple as that.

 

SZA is completely the wrong vibe for Sunday night, it was glaringly obvious and it's Emily and the teams problem the pyramid was empty. Felt quiet across the whole site, you could tell so many went home early. Not good for the stalls and food vendors etc who are paying a premium for their spots. So it IS a problem. I'm personally not having that 'it's difficult to predict' with the amount of data they have at their fingertips. I would have gone to see SZA if she was sub on Sunday afternoon for a nice little chill set before a final party. I'm looking forward to watching her set in bed on Sunday morning 🌄 

 

I was at Justice. Had a brilliant festival and hope you all finished up your Sunday night in the best possible way to keep your cup filled up until next year ✌🏼🧡✨️

I didn’t know there was a specific vibe required for Sunday night. This comment highlights exactly the point I was making. Everyone thinks the Pyramid should be a specific thing when what it should be is a complete mix of artists. 

[Colorblindjames]

1 hour ago, robith said:

This is as someone who hasn't been since 2011, but the SZA situation shows a real pickle that Glastonbury finds itself in.

 

It has gotten to this place as a cultural behemoth by dancing on the edge of popular and bleeding edge culture.

 

But that means it's also become this massive event which means so many people want to come - and here's the kick, unlike other festivals you don't know who is coming. At Primavera Porto, SZA had an enormous crowd, second biggest of the weekend, cos they announced the line up and get a crowd that wants to see the acts. Whereas Glastonbury, rightly, asks you to trust in their curation.

 

In the aftermath I saw a tweet slagging SZA with lots of like saying "Here are the acts touring they could've had" and it was like Liam Gallagher, Foo Fighters, Taylor Swift (LOOOOOL), Kings of Leon. No shade on those artists, but if that's the expectations, that's a festival that has no future literally in terms of the production line of big, older artists, financially in terms of the ability of the festival to pay for them, or culturally because then what's special about Glastonbury? It's never been about the biggest acts but something special you don't get anywhere else.

 

SZA didn't land but it's the kind of left field thinking the festival needs to keep trying that angle because the alternative is a slow path to obsolesce, cos the "normies" won't be into festivals forever, and the festival's ultimate cultural cache is more important than a couple of underfilled fields now and then

Great post. Agree 100%.

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

17 minutes ago, Colorblindjames said:

I see you don’t do nuance. 

 

Not really a counterargument, but alright then.

[DeanoL]

1 hour ago, Crazyfool01 said:

Just chill people hopefully some great memories  to take away … obviously some grumbles but please try and enjoy the positives out of the weekend rather than the fraction of time that things didn’t work for you personally . Hope everyone that went enjoyed and those that didn’t enjoyed one of the many other things onsite … and anyone that left enjoyed an early night 

I think the other thing to bear in mind is as ever there will be loads of people on eFests that didn't go this year for whatever reason, but still have an interest in the festival. I'm one of them. And yeah, I'm mostly hanging out discussing stuff in the negative threads because that's where there is interesting discussion to be had, theorising about why certain things went wrong.

I can't be the only one, and it's probably why these threads are busier than ones with people going "how awesome was X?" 

[Crazyfool01]

16 minutes ago, DeanoL said:

I think the other thing to bear in mind is as ever there will be loads of people on eFests that didn't go this year for whatever reason, but still have an interest in the festival. I'm one of them. And yeah, I'm mostly hanging out discussing stuff in the negative threads because that's where there is interesting discussion to be had, theorising about why certain things went wrong.

I can't be the only one, and it's probably why these threads are busier than ones with people going "how awesome was X?" 

oh for sure the negative ones do get louder no doubt on that , just a lowering of some toxic stuff needed no suggestion that people cant give grumbles as is always the case post festival with everyone feeling some blues 

[Nice hymer]

My tuppence worth. GFL let SZA down by not putting her on West Holts.

 

Yes, she might have struggled to get her substantial set onto such a small stage.

But she would have been rewarded with a more intimate crowd and that wonderful sound system that is perfectly suited to showcase her talents.

SZA and her fans could have had an amazing moment, that opportunity was missed through poor judgement and planning.

 

Pyramid field is simply the wrong location for her style of RnB. The field and sound system are always going to struggle with music that doesn't have a big midrange. It's a vast area to fill with sound and I'm sure a huge technical challenge to get it right.

Coldplay, Blur, Stones, Foos, they all work great. SZA, Kendrick, Kanye, Gorillaz not so much.

Beyonce made it work because she's exceptional. The power of her voice and those huge pop songs will always be a winner.

 

The festival doesn't seem to see this, which is odd because as a long standing visitor, it seems pretty obvious to me.

[giantkatestacks]

I quite enjoyed SZA as did all the young'uns around me belting out every word. I didn't think the crowd was any smaller than Metallica's by the end. The real drop off was Shania to Janelle and it never built back up. 

[tickleyt]

my girlfriend and I absolutely loved her set, but we are both big fans and she was the artist we were most excited for.

 

crowd was obviously small and she was clearly never gonna be as popular as coldplay or dua, but everyone around us was having a great time. she would have been perfect for the Other stage which everyone seemed to think was her original slot before the final headliner fell through. I do wish she'd interacted with the crowd a little more and made it more of an "event" as it did feel like another tour stop, but hey ho.

 

some horrible comments on here though, based on a wealth of metrics she more than deserved her chance to top the pyramid and was easily the biggest undercard to promote once the headliner fell through. TDE (her label) aren't the most effective label at promoting their artists and between them and Emily, they can certainly shoulder some blame for the lack of interest. 

[gizmoman]

I see Ready2Spray's post has been deleted, after crazyfool has suggested people report it, not good for open discussion, deleting opinions you don't like is not healthy, I doubt if SZA's ethnicity was a factor in her getting the slot but Emily has a clear agenda to promote female artists so it's not unreasonable to accuse her of box ticking in this regard, in any case if Ready2Spray is totally wrong just argue the point.

[CaledonianGonzo]

3 minutes ago, gizmoman said:

I see Ready2Spray's post has been deleted, after crazyfool has suggested people report it, not good for open discussion, deleting opinions you don't like is not healthy, I doubt if SZA's ethnicity was a factor in her getting the slot but Emily has a clear agenda to promote female artists so it's not unreasonable to accuse her of box ticking in this regard, in any case if Ready2Spray is totally wrong just argue the point.

 

Debating fascists is what they want. It gives them a chance to pretend that their opinion is just as valid as anyone else's.

[Crazyfool01]

6 minutes ago, gizmoman said:

I see Ready2Spray's post has been deleted, after crazyfool has suggested people report it, not good for open discussion, deleting opinions you don't like is not healthy, I doubt if SZA's ethnicity was a factor in her getting the slot but Emily has a clear agenda to promote female artists so it's not unreasonable to accuse her of box ticking in this regard, in any case if Ready2Spray is totally wrong just argue the point.

MOD

incorrect ... ive suggested people report any posts that dont fit with the forum guidelines and posts will be looked at appropriately by the mod team . Any reports  will be dealt with in a way deemed appropriate which we will look into that in a discussion form amongst the team 

Edited July 3 by Crazyfool01

[Superscally]

3 hours ago, Colorblindjames said:

Nope the Pyramid is the premier and most high profile stage. It should have a mix of artists not just nostalgia acts guaranteed to pull a crowd. 

Suggestion based on this:

Last day of Premier League this year, we should have had Liverpool play away at Bournemouth, against Wolves, City playing at Brentford (but don't tell anyone) and we'll have Arsenal sacking their game off but turning up at Strummerville to do keepy uppys. Meanwhile, we'll whack Luton Fulham on at Old Trafford. 😄

Biggest league in the world, let's keep it edgy!

3 hours ago, DeanoL said:

Why?

Because the reason it's been done in the past, is people tended to camp out at the Pyramid and watch what was on there, and anything on was guaranteed to get a huge crowd, so you could introduce new and different acts to a demographic that wouldn't normally watched them.

This year has proven one thing: that assumption has broken down. People won't just watch the act on the Pyramid because it's the most high profile stage. If there's something else, they'll go there instead. People sticking around a single stage for half the day is much less common now, there's much more movement on site, that's been building the past ten years and it's really hit the pyramid for the first time this year. 

 

I get what you are saying. It's the same idea Michael and Emily had to. Use the biggest stage to push forwards acts that don't normally get that attention, but have a lot of critical acclaim. Book for credibility not popularity. It's a fine idea and it worked for a long time.

 

But it has stopped working. I get why you would put an awesome, credible but little known act on the Pyramid. Bring them in a huge crowd and help them reach people they'd not normally reach. But y'know, it has to actually work! That huge crowd have to actually turn up. Janelle did not benefit from being on the Pyramid. She didn't get a huge crowd of people who wouldn't normally have bothered. So what was the point of having her on it?

This. 

[gizmoman]

3 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

 

Debating fascists is what they want. It gives them a chance to pretend that their opinion is just as valid as anyone else's.

Maybe he/she is a fascist, I've no idea, but the post was hardly extreme, suggesting the festival have a positive discrimination agenda is not that bad IMO even if it is wrong. can't see any harm in discussing it.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Just now, gizmoman said:

Maybe he/she is a fascist, I've no idea, but the post was hardly extreme, suggesting the festival have a positive discrimination agenda is not that bad IMO even if it is wrong. can't see any harm in discussing it.

 

That's not all the post said. Talking about the 'poison' of Emily's 'woke ideology' isn't really a nuanced, respect both sides of the debate type of post.  It's far right terminology.

[gizmoman]

17 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

MOD

incorrect ... ive suggested people report any posts that dont fit with the forum guidelines and posts will be looked at appropriately by the mod team . Any reports  will be dealt with in a way deemed appropriate which we will look into that in a discussion form amongst the team 

Seems to me you were referring to this post but in any case where can we see the forum guidelines? Wouldn't want to get a ban after 20+ years by using inappropriate wording.

[Colorblindjames]

19 minutes ago, Superscally said:

Suggestion based on this:

Last day of Premier League this year, we should have had Liverpool play away at Bournemouth, against Wolves, City playing at Brentford (but don't tell anyone) and we'll have Arsenal sacking their game off but turning up at Strummerville to do keepy uppys. Meanwhile, we'll whack Luton Fulham on at Old Trafford. 😄

Biggest league in the world, let's keep it edgy!

This. 

Are you finishing off your Glastonbury stash? 

[Superscally]

2 minutes ago, Colorblindjames said:

Are you finishing off your Glastonbury stash? 

I think you've snaffled it all by the sound of the last few pages. Though by all, do I mean all? A lot? Or everyone? 🤣

[DeanoL]

21 minutes ago, gizmoman said:

Maybe he/she is a fascist, I've no idea, but the post was hardly extreme, suggesting the festival have a positive discrimination agenda is not that bad IMO even if it is wrong. can't see any harm in discussing it.

And you can present it way you just did and we can have a reasonable discussion. But the minute someone chimes in with phrases like "woke ideology" as a pejorative then every sane person here knows we are not going to get anywhere. That person is either trolling or awful. 

I'll have most arguments on here, but the second I see stuff like that I'm just on to the next post because you'll never have anything constructive come from that mindset. It's driven by hate and anger, not discussion and debate.

[Alvoram]

2 hours ago, Colorblindjames said:

If they want to see a specific act they should get there early enough. I did it a few times over the weekend. 

That’s a mean hearted thing to say, especially when the solution is so clear and easy, you’re just being stubborn at this point.

So did we btw, saw everything we wanted to, including the sets that got closed off. Because we got there early. 
 

But more importantly, if the festival takes that attitude then it just become a never ending vicious circle, people will need to get there earlier and earlier each year, to the point that it will ruin the sets before. (Already reports of people’s enjoyment of Nothing But Thieves being spoilt a little this year by the arriving Avril crowd.) 

[The Nal]

5 hours ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Did anyone see how big a crowd Burna Boy got?

 

Snapped this walking through 

 

Edited July 3 by The Nal

[Colorblindjames]

Just now, Alvoram said:

That’s a mean hearted thing to say, especially when the solution is so clear and easy, you’re just being stubborn at this point.

So did we btw, saw everything we wanted to, including the sets that got closed off. Because we got there early. 
 

But more importantly, if the festival takes that attitude then it just become a never ending vicious circle, people will need to get there earlier and earlier each year, to the point that it will ruin the sets before. (Already reports of people’s enjoyment of Nothing But Thieves being spoilt a little this year by the arriving Avril crowd.) 

How is it a mean thing to say? Everyone knows you won’t get to everything you want at Glastonbury. At the pyramid stage support acts are frequently disrupted by people getting there early for the headliner. Just the way it is.