It’s February and time to register for Glastonbury tickets again. Or maybe not! Michael Eavis seems hell bent on completely sabotaging the once great legacy that he seek-ed to establish. His constant rhetoric about under 25’s is tiresome. Today he announced the Saturday headliner as Jay Z – in the hope that it’ll attract the youth.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20080201_jayz.shtml
Why is he so keen on alienating all of the demographic that supported his festival when it was less publicised. His constant tirade about making things better is starting to resemble a certain Mr Brown – the more he meddles – the worse things get. Increased sponsorship, larger crowds and blanket TV rights have turned the festival into a middle class/social event anyway. Gone is the counter-cultural edginess that once made it so unique and inspiring.
Many of the younger generation are probably disinterested anyway. Glastonbury was a creation of the 70s, wobbled through the 80s and really came to prominence in the 90s. It’s with this generation that it has its most historical significance. Since then it rather feels like it has out grown itself. The last few years have evidently been tarnished by the elements but there are factors to suggest it doesn’t quite have the same pulling power for the youth that it would’ve had 10 years ago.
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Congested festival calender – so many competitors with some offering edgier line-ups like Reading or Bestival.
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Cheap flights to visit European festivals.
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Blanket TV coverage – why not relax and watch it at home/ Not such a fabled mystery when you can watch it on BBC 2.
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Huge crowds – lots of queuing!
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June Monsoons
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Expense – 150 pounds+ a ticket isn’t very appealing for a cash-strapped student.
The announcement of Neil Diamond headlining the Sunday night is hardly going to start a teenage stampede for tickets!
http://www.nme.com/news/glastonbury/33979
Last years crowds where too unmanageable and left a bad taste in the mouth. If Eavis wants to replicate the glory days he needs to reign in the festival and take it back to its core values. The trouble is he’s tampered with the format so much he’s forgotten what made it great in the first place!
Melodicmatter 