The Official Glastonbury 2008 thread!!

[mc_squared]

Here comes the sun: Thousands pitch up early at Glastonbury as forecasters predict a dry festival... well, mostly

By Dan Newling
Last updated at 10:26 PM on 25th June 2008

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In a year when Glastonbury has been criticised for abandoning its musical roots, it will console the purists that at least one thing has stayed the same: the festivalgoers' penchant for excess.
As thousands of revellers descended on the field site in Somerset yesterday, many had come laden with amounts of alcohol that were prodigious even by rock star standards.
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Some of the first festival revellers smile as they arrive at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton with gates opening today for the first day of the festival
One young music fan was seen proudly guarding a teetering tower of 240 cans of beer, while others had to use a Zimmer frame as a trolley to carry their crates of cider.
The clientele also appeared to have moved upmarket from previous years, with many displaying a clean-cut look far removed from the festival's edgier stereotype.

The three-day event, which begins today, will be headlined by U.S. rapper Jay-Z, a departure from Glastonbury's rock origins that has not gone down well with many of the festival's diehards.
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The first people to arrive get their tents pitched in the winds ready to settle in for the weekend
This year, for the first time in 15 years, the event is not sold out and yesterday some 3,000 tickets remained on sale.
However, the 175,000 who are expected to attend will no doubt be heartened to know that though some rain is forecast, it is not predicted to be anything like as severe as last year's wash-out, which saw much of the site turned into a muddy bog.

The essentials: A stack of beer towers over a loo roll, a football and camping gear
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A trolley good idea...Rachel Treliving, left, and Beth Kaye, right, laugh as they arrive at Worthy Farm, Pilton
Forecasters are predicting that it will be the driest in five years...although of course it will still rain on Friday.
Final preparations were still underway this afternoon, with entertainment starting on Thursday and main acts set to hit the stages on Friday.
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Gates opened today for the first day of the festival at which 175,000 are expected to attend over the three main days
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Fed up with the tent already...Two revellers take some time out for light refreshment
Music lovers can look forward to headlining performances from American rockers Kings of Leon, rapper Jay-Z and Britpop veterans The Verve.
Roughly 20 per cent of ticket holders are expected to arrive on Wednesday, but up to 80 per cent usually arrive on Thursday.
Festival founder Michael Eavis CBE said there was 'a lot at stake' this year.

He has come under massive criticism for signing rapper Jay-Z to headline at the festival, with regulars claiming that it is no place for rap music.
Enlarge Festival goers used anything they could to get the beer to the tent and this wheelbarrow did just the job
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Errr, which one was mine? As the revellers arrive in theit thousands you can see how you could lose your tent
But Mr Eavis has defended his decision, saying it was boring to stick with rock bands.
He said it was important to make changes from time to time but admitted they had 'stuck their necks out on this one'.
He added: 'We're changing the style of the event all the time. We're improving it and looking for the next best thing all the time.'

Enlarge Intent on enjoying the music: Graduates pitch up at the Somerset farm site
The 72-year-old added: 'We're at the top of our game, or we have been. So we're sitting targets for criticism.
'It's quite natural that we should get a kicking and for some reasons we probably needed it. I'm proving this year that we're going to bounce back and it's going to be a vintage Glastonbury year.'

Enlarge The biggest beer tower in town: Two fans prepare for the big party

[Jenjie]

Breaking News: Fire Breaks Out Near Glastonbury Festival Site

A fire has broken out in an industrial unit near the site of this years Glastonbury festival.

The fire, at a scrap metal works less than a mile away from Worthy Farm, has prompted a number of local residents to be evacuated.

But festivalgoers, who have been arriving since yesterday, were still flowing onto site just after midday.

People who have yet to arrive have been told to expect delays as firefighters have been forced to close roads in order to tackle the blaze.

Glastonbury gets under way officially tomorrow (June 27th) with a headlining performance from Kings of Leon.

http://www.gigwise.com/news/44153/br...-festival-site

[mc_squared]

Room for one more? Glastonbury revellers pitch up in their thousands as festival gets underway


Last updated at 7:33 PM on 26th June 2008

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Have you ever pitched your tent in a quiet little spot just to return to discover everyone else had the same idea?

There was an awful lot of that happening as Glastonbury got underway last night.

This extraordinary aerial image shows just some of the tents and caravans that 135,000 revellers and artists will call their home over the next three days as the world’s largest music festival kicked off at a 900 acre site at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset.
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Glastonbury fever: The thousands of the tents that fill the camping fields at the Festival in Somerset
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Centre stage: An aerial view of the camping fields in front of the main Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton
Some 800 tickets were still on sale yesterday with all of them set to go before the music starts playing on the main stage this afternoon.

Sluggish ticket sales - some were changing hands for a pittance on eBay yesterday - have been blamed on the last three festivals turning into quagmires and even on rapper Jay-Z headlining.

But that criticism seems a rather hollow-one since there are hundreds of artists playing on numerous stages for more than three days.

Just some of the eclectic line-up includes Neil Diamond, Amy Winehouse, The Verve, James Blunt, Katie Melua, King Of Leon, Massive Attack, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Pete Doherty, Dizzie Rascal, Fatboy Slim,Crowded House and Leonard Cohen

More likely is the effect of the credit crunch with increasing number of music lovers travelling to cheaper music festivals across Europe and avoiding more expensive events at home.

Smoke is seen in the sky from a fire at a scrap yard one mile from the site

Black smoke: A large fire broke out near the grounds of the Glastonbury Festival today
It is the first time since 1993 that the festival has not sold out. Last year the 137,500 tickets sold out in one hour and 45 minutes.

Forecasters have predicted a calmer outlook than last year's devastating deluge - which saw hundreds of tents submerged by mud and floods.

Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis admitted yesterday last year's weather nearly forced him to quit - but the 73-year-old has now vowed to power on until he hits 80.
Speaking from Worthy Farm, in Pilton, he told BBC Somerset: "Last year I thought 'I don't think I can go through this again'.

'But it's like having a baby - it's painful at the time but you get over it don't you? "All the tents were left behind and the site was a mess.

'I'll certainly go until I'm 80, which is seven years."

Ready for action: Revellers erect a tent at the festival site






Aerial view of thousands of the tents that fill the camping fields at Glastonbury

Arrival: The first of 175,000 music fans expected to attend the festival
Avon and Somerset Police said crime has remained low so far at Glastonbury 2008. There have been 25 reported offences, excluding drugs.

This includes 20 incidents of tent theft. There have been 25 reported drugs offences.

Police have carried out 22 arrests, again the majority for drugs offences, compared to 32 arrests this time last year.

Superintendent Adrian Coombs, head of planning for the festival, said: "Overall, we are happy with the way the people have come onto the site.

"There have been relatively few reported offences, but I would still remind people not to bring valuables onto the site and ensure their cars are left secure.

"If you have brought valuables don't leave them in your tent during the day and keep them close to you at night, rather than leaving them loose at the foot of the tent."

There were also early problems last night when a fire at a nearby scrap yard force organisers to shut one of the main entrances. Which caused long tailbacks along the site.

Party time: Festival goers hit the bars on the first day of the three-day event
A number of people living nearby were told to leave but the festival site itself was not evacuated.
Laura Smith, 25, from Thundersley, Essex, said: "The fire looks pretty massive. You can see thick black clouds of smoke from across the site. "People were worried it was their cars."
Eavis, whose daughter Emily now helps him to organise the festival he started in 1970, added: 'It's a schoolboy's dream come true this is.
'When it works like this, we've got the best, fantastic show.'
Today Rachel Vince, forecaster for MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said light and brief showers could be expected this evening.
She said: 'It's not going to stay totally dry. Clouds will increase through the afternoon, with spells of rain moving across the Glastonbury region this evening.
'But it shouldn't be too heavy or persistent.'
Ms Vince said tomorrow would be dryer but a possibility of light showers still remained.
She said brisk south-westerly winds would shake the festival - making it a struggle to put up tents. Temperatures should hang around the 19C to 20C mark.
Traffic has been building around the site as rush-hour traffic came to a standstill in nearby Shepton Mallet this morning.

[mc_squared]

That's more like it! Downpour turns Glastonbury into muddy mire once more... and there's more showers on the way


Last updated at 5:03 PM on 27th June 2008
By Richard Simpson

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The Glastonbury Festival began this morning with some tickets left unsold for the first time in years and the first signs of mud after heavy rain overnight.

With more showers forecast for today, music fans were preparing themselves to slog through the mire.
Festival organiser Michael Eavis said there were only a few hundred tickets left as the last of the 137,000 revellers set up their tents in the overnight rain.

Opening the three-day event, Eavis shrugged off forecasts of more showers over the weekend, telling the crowds: 'We don't need welly boots this year.

Let the festivities begin: Two girls enjoy a brief respite from the downpours

'This is going to be a vintage Glastonbury. We have the best line-up we have ever had and the valley is full of really beautiful people.'
Torrential rain turned the site at Worthy Farm in Somerset into a mudbath last year, while in 2005 storms washed away dozens of tents.


More...

• Lily and Pixie pitch up among thousands of festival-goers descending on Glastonbury

Jay-Z, a Grammy Award-winner who is married to singer Beyonce, will play the main stage on Saturday. Critics have blamed him for slow ticket sales. A weekend pass costs £155.
It is the first time the festival has not sold out ahead of time in 15 years, according to media reports.
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Prepare for the worst: Raincoats, wellies and mud .... Wet weather arrives at the Glastonbury Festival


Enlarge Fun for some: Tuesday Scott, 2, from London walks through a puddle as the weather changes at Glastonbury

Noel Gallagher of Oasis said hip hop at Glastonbury was "wrong", while traditionalists in Internet chatrooms said they would have preferred a band like Radiohead.

Organisers defended their choice, saying the festival that started in 1970 must move with the times.
Eavis said he would be at the front of the stage to welcome the rapper, wearing some "lovely bling".

"There will be diamonds and gold and everything," he added.

Today's acts include U.S. rock band Kings of Leon, Scottish band The Fratellis, reggae veteran Jimmy Cliff and Irish singer Sinead O'Connor.




Enlarge Pairs of girls struggle through the mud after the downpours


Soul singer Amy Winehouse is due to play on Saturday after receiving treatment for a lung condition which her father said was caused by smoking crack cocaine.

Elsewhere, poets, fire-eaters and mime artists will entertain the crowds. Religious services will be held at a church tent, while pagans will meet up in the Healing Fields.

Avon and Somerset Police said there had been 31 arrests by Thursday evening, compared to 42 at the same stage last year.

Officers said there had been a rise in thefts from the sea of tents pitched across acres of farmland.
Extraordinary aerial images show just some of the tents and caravans that 180,000 revellers and artists will call their home over the next three days as the world’s largest music festival kicked off at a 900 acre site at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset.

Enlarge What a line-up! Festival goers show off their brightly coloured wellies packed for just such an occasion

Centre stage: An aerial view of the camping fields in front of the main Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton



The rest of the line-up includes Neil Diamond, Amy Winehouse, The Verve, James Blunt, Katie Melua, King Of Leon, Massive Attack, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Pete Doherty, Dizzie Rascal, Fatboy Slim,Crowded House and Leonard Cohen.
Avon and Somerset Police said crime has remained low.
Superintendent Adrian Coombs, head of planning for the festival, said: "Overall, we are happy with the way the people have come onto the site.

"There have been relatively few reported offences, but I would still remind people not to bring valuables onto the site and ensure their cars are left secure.

"If you have brought valuables don't leave them in your tent during the day and keep them close to you at night, rather than leaving them loose at the foot of the tent."

There were also early problems last night when a fire at a nearby scrap yard force organisers to shut one of the main entrances. Which caused long tailbacks along the site.
A number of people living nearby were told to leave but the festival site itself was not evacuated.

Enlarge Dressed for comfort: Music fans keep out the chill this morning


Light relief: A pit-stop on the way to see the bands
Laura Smith, 25, from Thundersley, Essex, said: "The fire looks pretty massive. You can see thick black clouds of smoke from across the site. "People were worried it was their cars."
Eavis, whose daughter Emily now helps him to organise the festival he started in 1970, added: 'It's a schoolboy's dream come true this is.
'When it works like this, we've got the best, fantastic show.'
A forecaster said: 'It's not going to stay totally dry. Clouds will increase through the afternoon, with spells of rain moving across the Glastonbury region this evening.
'But it shouldn't be too heavy or persistent.'
Ms Vince said tomorrow would be dryer but a possibility of light showers still remained.
She said brisk south-westerly winds would shake the festival - making it a struggle to put up tents. Temperatures should hang around the 19C to 20C mark.
Traffic has been building around the site as rush-hour traffic came to a standstill in nearby Shepton Mallet this morning.

[Pseudonym]

cool





wow, nice pics

[mc_squared]

Well it wouldn't be Glastonbury without a bit of mud, would it?


Last updated at 12:27 AM on 28th June 2008
By Richard Simpson and Simon Cable

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Quagmire conditions, endless queues for overpriced food, and no sun expected any time soon.
Yes, it's Glastonbury time again - and more than 177,000 crusty-looking revellers were braving the waterlogged 900-acre Worthy Farm site in Somerset.

After the festival of mud and music suffered a second day of drizzle, there were familiar scenes as inappropriately- dressed fans tramped between the main stages.

Enlarge Mudlark: A laughing welly-wearer squelches through the quagmire at Glastonbury

Just as it looked as if the weather was clearing up, the heavens opened again at around 3pm.
One reveller, Richard Lowe, 25, from Portsmouth, said: 'It started off well, but the weather rapidly went downhill. It's not yet as bad as last year, but the signs are it's going to get worse.
'But as they say, it wouldn't be Glastonbury without the mud.'

Let the festivities begin: Two girls enjoy a brief respite from the downpours
However, initial fears that the event might not sell out have proved unfounded.
The remaining few hundred tickets were almost completely gone by the time the first band went on stage at lunchtime yesterday.

Enlarge Stick in the mud: A festivalgoer takes a dip in the Glastonbury goo
Although this has become the third consecutive Glastonbury where the weather has been a letdown, there seems to be little that will come between British music fans and getting muddy and soaking wet for a few days every June.
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Prepare for the worst: Raincoats, wellies and mud .... Wet weather arrives at the Glastonbury Festival
However, with the credit crunch slowing ticket sales, those who could afford the £155 entry fee were hit by further price increases on food and clothing on the site.

With a captive audience, traders ramped up their charges.
Small punnets of strawberries were going for £3 and fruits such as peaches, apples and pears were priced at 60p each.

Bottles of warm water were priced at £2.50.

[mc_squared]

Amy's antics: Troubled star

scuffles with fan and spits out gum on Glastonbury stage


By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:11 AM on 29th June 2008

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Amy Winehouse may have looked ladylike in her sequined gown at Glastonbury but she was soon up to her usual antics when she scuffled with a fan and spat out her gum on stage.

The troubled star appeared to throw a punch at a member of the audience at the end of an otherwise incident free set on the Pyramid Stage.
She climbed down to the pit in front of the stage to meet fans during set closer Rehab, and scuffled with an unseen reveller.

Sparkling: Amy Winehouse looked radiant in a blue sequined dress

The 24-year-old singer looked in good health wearing a tight blue sequined dress and three cocktail umbrellas in her trademark beehive.
However it was not long before she was up to her usual tricks as she played with her bubble gum before cheekily spitting it out.



More...

• Glowing Amy Winehouse takes to the stage at Mandela's birthday concert in London
• Glastonbury veteran Kate Moss arrives at festival with boyfriend Jamie Hince

Winehouse also could not resist pining for her imprisoned husband Blake Fielder-Civil, telling the audience 'My husband is out of jail in two weeks'.
But despite the rambling banter between songs, Winehouse seemed on top form.

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Cheeky: Amy Winehouse spits out her chewing gum at the crowd
There had been fears the troubled artist would not make it to the festival after she was admitted to hospital last week after a fainting incident last week.
She left a London private hospital on Monday after being diagnosed with early signs of lung disease emphysema.
However the 24-year-old showed no signs of her recent illness as she belted out a number of her hits including Back to Black at Glastonbury tonight.

Enlarge



Amy Winehouse put on a powerful performance but appeared to scuffle with a fan during Rehab
Last night she appeared at Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday concert in Hyde Park, where she sang hits Valerie and Rehab ending with a rendition of Free Nelson Mandela with Jerry Dammers and the Soweto Gospel Choir.
Earlier today Amy returned to the private London clinic, where she has been receiving treatment for the first stages of lung disease.
At first she was happy to sign autographs for fans before turning and storming inside in a sudden change of mood.

Enlarge Ill health: It was feared the singer would not make it Glastonbury after she was diagnosed with lung disease

[mc_squared]

^She's looking more and more hideous by the day!!

[Pseudonym]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mc_squared;2422543
^She's looking more and more hideous by the day!!

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too true

[mc_squared]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 2732;2422547
too true

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I bet she scared all the kids!!

[deaths_friend]

so how did jay-z go?

and did the bbc show any of the raconteurs performance. they're about the only band i was interested in at this years fest (and vampire weekend)

EDIT: yeh i found the raconteurs set on the bbc site. they were incredible as i expected.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/glastonbury/200...ts/raconteurs/ the bbc recorded 35mins of their performance

this band would have to hav the broadest fan base of any new band in the world. ive come across just as many ppl over 50 who love these guys as i have seen people in their teens. just proves the genius that is jack white

[Glossal Fragster]

i cant wait till the verve tonight!!!!!!! yahooooooooooooo!

[talkingonsquareone89]

JAY-Z was awesome!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9Qw-w9Tf_w
^His cover of "Wonderwall" in the beginning is made of WIN.

And I have to say that "Numb/Encore" was killer that night!



And to think festival goers preferred Amy Winehouse over Jay....

[mc_squared]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by talkingonsquareone89;2422600
JAY-Z was awesome!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9Qw-w9Tf_w
^His cover of "Wonderwall" in the beginning is made of WIN.

And I have to say that "Numb/Encore" was killer that night!



And to think festival goers preferred Amy Winehouse over Jay....

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Well I've just watched Shamy's set, and it was surprisingly good other than the constant rambling about "Blake".
Credit where it's due - she knows how to put on a good performance.
Haven't seen Jay-Z yet. Still catching up.

[mc_squared]

Buddy Guy was excellent. What a legend!

Jay-Z's entrance was the pits. He absolutely murdered "Wonder Wall".
He should have left well alone!! The only thing he did was prove his singing is dreadful!