SZA

[SpencerF]

6 minutes ago, DeanoL said:

(Though I wonder if a significant number of people left the site Sunday early afternoon to be homefor the England match).

VERY good point, think they missed a huge trick not having a big screen set up at least somewhere for people to enjoy the football, would've been pandemonium after that Bellingham goal and those good vibes continue into the night. Tons of people assumedly had plans to watch it and when there wasn't anywhere to do that, thought they'd just head back early and go to the pub if none of the headliners stuck out too much (which they clearly didn't to a fair few).  

[FuzzyDunlop]

2 minutes ago, SpencerF said:

VERY good point, think they missed a huge trick not having a big screen set up at least somewhere for people to enjoy the football, would've been pandemonium after that Bellingham goal and those good vibes continue into the night. Tons of people assumedly had plans to watch it and when there wasn't anywhere to do that, thought they'd just head back early and go to the pub if none of the headliners stuck out too much (which they clearly didn't to a fair few).  

 

2010 - They put the match on & the site was dead. Thry didnt want to do it again

[Alcatraz]

One headliner is always going to be talked about more than the others out there in the real world, and this year it will be Coldplay. The crowd was mahusive and it's easily accessible stuff for people who just aren't that in to music. Go watch tickets sell out in a second next year yet again 

 

As for SZA, GnR seemed pretty dead when I walked through from Woodsies last year so she ain't the first and won't be the last to under draw. Put me in the camp who'd rather they tried her than a novelty booking doing a tour of Britain's market towns

Edited July 1 by Alcatraz

[foolee]

14 minutes ago, DeanoL said:

Though I wonder if a significant number of people left the site Sunday early afternoon to be home for the England match.

Tell that to the Avril crowd 😂

[Harry3]

16 minutes ago, SpencerF said:

VERY good point, think they missed a huge trick not having a big screen set up at least somewhere for people to enjoy the football, would've been pandemonium after that Bellingham goal and those good vibes continue into the night. Tons of people assumedly had plans to watch it and when there wasn't anywhere to do that, thought they'd just head back early and go to the pub if none of the headliners stuck out too much (which they clearly didn't to a fair few).  

 

Anyone who left the festival to go and watch a football match should be banned from buying tickets.

[Wooderson]

2 hours ago, FuzzyDunlop said:

 

It feels like the festival's first bit of bad publicity / misstep in a while. It's just got bigger for years. Something was missing...

 

The year I didn't go.

 

Coincidence? 

 

 

Haha saw a couple MLT shirts around the place over the weekend.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Glastonbury should be more like Isle of Wight or the Butlins Weekender?

 

Did someone slip you some PCP?

[DeanoL]

20 minutes ago, SpencerF said:

VERY good point, think they missed a huge trick not having a big screen set up at least somewhere for people to enjoy the football, would've been pandemonium after that Bellingham goal and those good vibes continue into the night. Tons of people assumedly had plans to watch it and when there wasn't anywhere to do that, thought they'd just head back early and go to the pub if none of the headliners stuck out too much (which they clearly didn't to a fair few).  

The only place you could reasonably do that is the Pyramid, but at the point of booking and scheduling the Pyramid, you can't know when England will be playing. I've no doubt if the fixtures were known 12 months in advance they'd do just that, but they're not and can't be so they're stumped.

[Toilet Duck]

6 minutes ago, Alcatraz said:

One headliner is always going to be talked about more than the others out there in the real world, and this year it will be Coldplay. The crowd was mahusive and it's easily accessible stuff for people who just aren't that in to music. Go watch tickets sell out in a second next year yet again 

That’s a bit of a massive generalisation and reeks of snobbery to be honest! Coldplay were always a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine (first 4 albums…I’m aware that statement partly supports yours!), but in prep for their headline show I finally listened to the last 5 and found I actually liked it. Gig on Saturday is by far the best fun I’ve had at a Coldplay gig ever. Forget guilty pleasure, I just obviously like Coldplay! Done with compartmentalising my musical taste, if I enjoy it, I’ll do so unapologetically and it doesn’t need to fit into a “real” music box (or any box!). 

[fraybentos1]

2 minutes ago, DeanoL said:

The only place you could reasonably do that is the Pyramid, but at the point of booking and scheduling the Pyramid, you can't know when England will be playing. I've no doubt if the fixtures were known 12 months in advance they'd do just that, but they're not and can't be so they're stumped.

You think they would show the England game on the Pyramid stage? No chance

[Benjsh]

Just now, CaledonianGonzo said:

Glastonbury should be more like Isle of Wight or the Butlins Weekender?

 

Did someone slip you some PCP?

 

I think the general point was that the pyramid should be reserved for acts who have well known songs. Old or new. The Pyramid Stage is too big for having acts where nobody knows the words. It always falls flat on its backside every single time. 

 

I don't agree with the Butlins bit but I do think it needs to be the sing a long stage. 

 

I only watched in on the Beeb but this is easily the worst Glasto for 2 decades. Terrible bookings. 

[Alcatraz]

3 minutes ago, Toilet Duck said:

That’s a bit of a massive generalisation and reeks of snobbery to be honest! Coldplay were always a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine (first 4 albums…I’m aware that statement partly supports yours!), but in prep for their headline show I finally listened to the last 5 and found I actually liked it. Gig on Saturday is by far the best fun I’ve had at a Coldplay gig ever. Forget guilty pleasure, I just obviously like Coldplay! Done with compartmentalising my musical taste, if I enjoy it, I’ll do so unapologetically and it doesn’t need to fit into a “real” music box (or any box!). 

Forgive me, I would say you have a similar attitude to them as me

 

My point was meant to be they are effectively the Elton of this year - the biggest act that the most people who have a vague interest in Glastonbury/music will have watched on TV or seen on the news

Edited July 1 by Alcatraz

[jparx]

38 minutes ago, kpins said:

Agree that Sza was a mistake for headliner but please don't turn Glastonbury into a nostalgia snoozefest for the older generation. There are plenty of festivals for that including the Isle of Wight. Glastonbury has to maintain some relevance. 

Totally agree. Glastonbury's appeal is being on the cutting edge. If the main stage at the festival becomes an IoW tribute act, I don't see that as a good move long term. The festival might do well in the immediate term if they booked Avril to headline instead (no disrespect on Avril, she's great) but I think it struggles long term. Even my father in law, who's favourite bands are Oasis and Kasabian, made that point this weekend when we were talking about Coldplay. People want the big acts, and nostalgia at the festival, but they also want something new and cutting edge.

 

I'll always back the festival taking risks. That's in the DNA of the festival. Not every chance will pay off, but if you stop taking chances you become stale. They smashed it with Jay-Z, Stormzy and being an early backer of Eilish. Even Beyonce was a bit of a risk at the time. Now isn't the time to question the entire DNA of the festival I don't think, it's their first swing and a miss in a long time.

 

What I would say about SZA, as someone who didn't go this year and wasn't too invested in the build up, I didn't see any publicity for the slot whatsoever. Emily should have been out there plugging the set, working with the BBC to get it promoted and really drum up some hype. It felt dead from the moment it was announced and nothing was done to course correct, it's almost as if they booked her as a last resort after missing on someone else and just threw up their hands knowing it was going to be a miss.

[Wooderson]

1 hour ago, K2SO said:

Has anyone got a decent photo of just how dead her crowd was? I am still absolutely baffled as to why the festival thought it was a good booking. It seemed like, and still does, that the festival were terrified of male headliners outweighing female headliners after 3 male headliners last year... But when this is your outcome, does the box-ticking exercise not seem like it wasn't worth it? By the sounds if it, people were more interested in seeing the Kasabian secret set than SZA.

 

The festival has taken a bit of a battering this year, from all sides, with arguably the worst line-up in history... I think we may well get an incredibly safe crowd pleasing lineup in 2025.

 

At a big stretch there was 30k at SZA.

[irnkrtn]

32 minutes ago, DTichborne said:

Think this is being overplayed a bit. The festival sells out in a blink so taking risks is the right thing to do. There has been a handful of instances where the estimate of an act's popularity is wildly wrong, as there is every year. It's a crying shame that so few people saw Janelle Monáe to give one example. And I still think they should give wildcards a go at headlining the Pyramid. Where I definitely do agree with the above is that "legacy" acts clearly need to all go in the Pyramid field too.

 

If SZA had headlined West Holts and Justice had headlined the Pyramid, I suspect there'd have been only a fraction of the conversations that are currently being had, but live and learn. I liked what I watched of her set and am going to watch the rest today. 

100% - it was a risk and it didn’t pan out. But it might have. And what’s the actual consequence? A smaller crowd at a sell out festival, that’s it. 
 

Few people clearly remember Glastonbury failing to sell out until right on the nose for the year Jay Z headlined and stories for months leading up saying the festival was doomed. Noel Gallagher going on with his dull self.

 

If an enormous festival doesn’t get the odd thing off kilter now and again it’s not doing things right. SZA was a gamble of an Other stage headliner upgrade let’s not forget. 

[Alcatraz]

3 minutes ago, Benjsh said:

 The Pyramid Stage is too big for having acts where nobody knows the words.  

 

The original and greatest Pyramid tradition is the semi-obscure world music act opening up the day 

Edited July 1 by Alcatraz

[FuzzyDunlop]

9 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Glastonbury should be more like Isle of Wight or the Butlins Weekender?

 

Did someone slip you some PCP?

 

I think it should be more like Rochdale Feel Good Festival.

 

Only a tenner & I can walk there 

[Toilet Duck]

Just now, Alcatraz said:

Forgive me, I would say you have a similar attitude to them as me

 

My point is they are effectively the Elton of this year - the biggest act that the most people who have a vague interest in Glastonbury/music will have watched 

No worries! I get what you mean!

[Wooderson]

No one complained at FKA twigs perf on West Holts a few years back. That sinewy neo solo worked great there. SZA would have been wonderful on that stage last night. Simbi should have headlined the Mid instead. But she doesn't have a billion streams clouding the debate...

 

Spotify stats need to get in the sea whe it applies to festival curation. Horrendous.

[Benjsh]

Just now, Alcatraz said:

 

The original and greatest Pyramid tradition is the semi-obscure world music act opening up the day 

 

Bit different that though. Early morning not a lot of people around yet. I hardly ever see a single band / act before 3pm when I get ticket because we are usually up late in the naughty corner until ungodly hours. 

 

You know what I meant too. The final 4/5 names on the stage are the main draw for most people.

[CaledonianGonzo]

I was guesstimating approx 50 to 60k fewer on site all weekend but by last night might have even been a six figure deficit.  Even Arcadia and Camelphat in The Glade were both quiet.  And that'll definitely have knock on impacts on attendance at the likes of Janelle Monae

[Toilet Duck]

3 minutes ago, irnkrtn said:

100% - it was a risk and it didn’t pan out. But it might have. And what’s the actual consequence? A smaller crowd at a sell out festival, that’s it. 
 

Few people clearly remember Glastonbury failing to sell out until right on the nose for the year Jay Z headlined and stories for months leading up saying the festival was doomed. Noel Gallagher going on with his dull self.

 

If an enormous festival doesn’t get the odd thing off kilter now and again it’s not doing things right. SZA was a gamble of an Other stage headliner upgrade let’s not forget. 

2007 had a big role in that though. Can only speak for myself and our group, but we decided there and then on the Sunday night in ‘07 that we needed to try something less likely to be wet and miserably cold the following year. Headliners were not announced by 2008 T-Day and still didn’t sell out in minutes as per the norm, can only presume a good chunk of people felt like I did (sure, the lineup probably didn’t help after that). 2009 was easy enough to get tickets though and that had a heavyweight trio at the top (think I got the last of our stragglers in May when final resale tickets popped up).  Anyway, back on topic, I’ve no issue with the festival pushing the edge of the envelope and booking whoever they want for the top slots, didn’t see Dua or SZA, but had a brilliant festival as per usual! 

[tigger123]

This is how empty it was

[ameski18]

It's crazy that SZA was booked for the Sunday headline. Literally everything was stacked against her. 
Admittedly I'd never heard of her before but, not wishing to be a geriatric over 40, I wanted to give her a chance but she had nothing to offer that was going to compete. She was this year's 'Elton slot' and, damn, what a come down! If she'd had the Friday or even Saturday night headline it would've been a much different story I feel?! 

It blows my mind that the organisers get it so wrong at times.
Most people would be able to foresee that Avril was going to draw a huge crowd. Frank Turner can't be somewhere like Strummerville or should've been a at least a TBC!

I agreed with the DJ's on the Pyramid on the Thursday afternoon / eve, spinning some dance-a-long classics! 
There was always something similar at Williams Green until they got rid of it and everyone piled to the Glade / Stonebirdge.  
 

[Rose-Colored Boy]

31 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Glastonbury should be more like Isle of Wight or the Butlins Weekender?

 

Did someone slip you some PCP?

Not the fest as a whole. Absolutely not. Just a more sensible booking policy where the acts likely to pull the biggest crowds are put on the stage best equipped to handle it. As I’ve said, it feels like the fest are in denial about the demographic shift over the last 15-20 years.