[Music] Glastonbury 2024

[Pogue Mahone]

Jason Steele for England will be at Glastonbury 2024, I can confirm:

The shock I felt when I found you by that and you said “Hello Mr. (My surname)”

You really don’t expect to bump into ex pupils in the mosh pit at Queens of the Stone Age.

 

[BN41Albion]

Didn't bother. It's got so big now that it no longer has what made it special. Just another bucket list item for many now. Shame, there was nothing quite like it up until around 10 years ago.

Aha, knew it wouldn't take long for this comment.

 

[South Stand Bonfire]

Out of the blue, I got tickets with family members - but not 100% sure I'll go.

(Not what you want to read if you didn't get tickets, I know)

I understand you’ll get a 10 year ban if you don’t turn up without telling them you cba in advance.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Loyalty points surely

Maybe you can accrue points at the festival?
5 - Hot Chip, Other Stage, Saturdya
1000 - Atilla, Green Fields, Thursday.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Aha, knew it wouldn't take long for this comment.

To be fair, it’s part of Glastonbury and every year people say it isn’t as good as it was….usually middle-aged folk who have lost interest in music from my experience .

I stopped going 10 years back purely as it was difficult from Germany….the halcyon days according to @Horses Arse. Back then people said it wasn’t the same since the wall went up. What gives?

It has definitely evolved, and it did over the 9 Glastos I went to. But it’s still the best for many and varied reasons.

 

[Hamilton]

Coach tickets! It was the quickest I've been able to snag tickets before, bought within 5 minutes of the queue opening.

I see a lot of moaning online this year about people part of groups that were able to get through several times and buy tens of tickets. It seems like it you got through once it was quite likely you would get through again. Also others who seem to be able to do some shenanigans by pointing their browser at a specific seetickets IP address and get straight through to the purchase page over and over again.

Not sure how you would possibly make it fairer though, I'd be interested in seeing how a lottery system could work but I think overall the current system that rewards preparation and persistence is preferable. They need to iron out any kinks in the system that allows people to bypass the queue though.

That’s interesting.

I was part of a pod trying to get tickets for my step daughter and her friends. They failed to get the coach tickets on Thursday and we failed to get any tickets on Sunday - despite having something like 30+ devices hitting the website.

I understand there’s a regular call for either a ballot or queuing system to be put in place. Must admit, it did seem a tad archaic, but I guess that’s all part of the theatre of it all. Still, it’s an hour of my life hitting refresh that I won’t get back.

 

[Hotchilidog]

Missed out for the second year in a row, think I have used up my ticket buying luck.

 

[Horses Arse]

And line-up isn’t very good, I’m not into Taylor Swift and Harry Styles.

(Ignoring the fact there’s 598 other acts on over the 4-5 days)

Never been entirely about the line up, its the experience. Although being able to experience the acts without being a coulple of miles back to avoid being consumed is pretty important. West Holt stage was good last time but the main stage a complete write off.

It used to be different, used to be very very different, and I loved that. It was an alternate/alternative reality, showing what could be - it was amazing. It truly has eaten itself, absolutely rammed with your run of the mill every day types ticket off a bucklet list item. It's been getting toward that year on year but you could stil find anctuary from it, but the last time I went 2 festivals ago, everywhere was rammed. Even the bumblebee oven and pakora hippie man sanctuary was packed, you couldn't move.

It's had its day, its been consumed and the world is a worse place for that I reckon.

 

[Horses Arse]

It may or may not have been better ten years ago.

In my opinion there is still nothing quite like it. It's my favourite week of the year and remains incredibly special to me.

Good you still enjoy it, I used to be gutted if I missed out on tickets but is deteriorated to the extent now that I can't be bothered with it. I'd probably give it a go if someone handed me a ticket but the magic has gone as far as I'm concerned - certainly wouldn't want to pay a few hundred quid to go or queue on the ticketmaster site for it.

I enjoy the smaller festivals but they are a very long way from what Glastonbury used to be, it truly was a fantastic experience.

 

[Horses Arse]

Aha, knew it wouldn't take long for this comment.

It's a fact. Just need to look at the numbers - its become the norm. It used to be something that the folk that now frequent it used to moan about and have disdain for, it was different, it was special for that. I'm not happy about it, its sad that its been consumed as it has but that is what has happened.

 

[Horses Arse]

To be fair, it’s part of Glastonbury and every year people say it isn’t as good as it was….usually middle-aged folk who have lost interest in music from my experience .

I stopped going 10 years back purely as it was difficult from Germany….the halcyon days according to @Horses Arse. Back then people said it wasn’t the same since the wall went up. What gives?

It has definitely evolved, and it did over the 9 Glastos I went to. But it’s still the best for many and varied reasons.

Oh I agree, and I was one of those 10 or so years ago, "bloody hell what has happened to this place". I had a ten year gap between regularly going and then went in circa 2007 and was gobsmacked at sniffer dogs, searches, the number of people. But it was still fantastic, Iggy on the other stage absolutely bossing it, depsite it being a mud bath and me having young kids it was bloody amazing.

10 years on from that it is just too big. Looking back it was never going to be as it was in the late 80's and 90's, impossible. I gues there's an inevitability about what has happened but is a real shame.

In terms of moaning I also bemoanded the twatty northern baggy folk infesting it when stone roses and happy mondays came along! That changed it too. But that change has also been part of its evolution. Its just that its now evolved into this mass of normality and every day, like a Hyde Park gig - not for me.

Maybe its the mud that made it special - certainly weeded out the bucket listers. Also note that you say you've no been for ten years - probably need to experience it now to understand where I'm coming from.

 

[jordanseagull]

Never been entirely about the line up, its the experience. Although being able to experience the acts without being a coulple of miles back to avoid being consumed is pretty important. West Holt stage was good last time but the main stage a complete write off.

It used to be different, used to be very very different, and I loved that. It was an alternate/alternative reality, showing what could be - it was amazing. It truly has eaten itself, absolutely rammed with your run of the mill every day types ticket off a bucklet list item. It's been getting toward that year on year but you could stil find anctuary from it, but the last time I went 2 festivals ago, everywhere was rammed. Even the bumblebee oven and pakora hippie man sanctuary was packed, you couldn't move.

It's had its day, its been consumed and the world is a worse place for that I reckon.

Went this year. Main stage aside, your description of everywhere being rammed wasn’t my experience at all (clearly some choice events were very busy, but hardly a shock or an issue). Rammed it was not.

 

[Horses Arse]

Went this year. Main stage aside, your description of everywhere being rammed wasn’t my experience at all (clearly some choice events were very busy, but hardly a shock or an issue). Rammed it was not.

Surprised to hear that, I last went 2 festivals ago - Cure main stage. No other description than rammed throughout. An age to get from anywhere to anywhere else, constant queuing to move - not my idea of fun! Maybe they did something about that I guess, would be good if they did. Or maybe its one of these relative things - compared to massive stadium gigs, hyde park, t in the park or whatever its called is then maybe its not so different from that? I guess that's where I am with it, it used to be so different to those events, now it feels more of the same

 

[Randy McNob]

Used to be rock and Indie now it's like top of the pops

 

[PeterT]

Do they have a Ticket Exchange?

 

[jamie-oh]

I volunteer with oxfam, and i have priority status, so im guaranteed a spot. Next glastonbury will be my tenth, which is unofficially 'grizzled veteran' status i believe - its changed from my first (which was 2005) but so have i, the more times i go the less fussed i am about the music. The headliners aren't at all what im interested in, i'd far rather be at a smaller stage where i can actually see the artists, or i might be mooching around the theatre and circus fields.
Its an amazing place, its busy and there's always going to be some twats among 207k people, but in my experience its remarkably easy to find a quiet and great thing to do, when most other people are watching whatever landfill indie band or faceless DJ is of the moment.

 

[BN41Albion]

It's a fact. Just need to look at the numbers - its become the norm. It used to be something that the folk that now frequent it used to moan about and have disdain for, it was different, it was special for that. I'm not happy about it, its sad that its been consumed as it has but that is what has happened.

It's not a fact though. It's your opinion.

And 100% guaranteed there will have been folk mid 2000s saying it wasn't what it used to be in the 90s, folk in the 90s saying it wasn't what it used to be in the 80s etc... bit like every old generation bemoaning society not being what it used to be, despite the world being safer than it ever has been (believe it or not)

 

[Horses Arse]

I volunteer with oxfam, and i have priority status, so im guaranteed a spot. Next glastonbury will be my tenth, which is unofficially 'grizzled veteran' status i believe - its changed from my first (which was 2005) but so have i, the more times i go the less fussed i am about the music. The headliners aren't at all what im interested in, i'd far rather be at a smaller stage where i can actually see the artists, or i might be mooching around the theatre and circus fields.
Its an amazing place, its busy and there's always going to be some twats among 207k people, but in my experience its remarkably easy to find a quiet and great thing to do, when most other people are watching whatever landfill indie band or faceless DJ is of the moment.

Interesting point - and I reckon you are right, you can probably find quieter interesting places by heading away from the general direction of travel. But I'm not paying nearly £400 for that. Do you get free tickets for volunteering (i.e. do you work the festival) or is it just a nailed-on ticket if you want to buy one? I've thought of working it before as you'd get a different perspective and experience but those I've spoken to say its pretty grim at times with folk trying to blag/force their way in and the general level of twattery that exists these days

 

[ElectricNaz]

Clashes with Euro 24, of course, which will be annoying IF England do well.

Hopefully they will ban for life anyone that throws beer in the air and all over people

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Used to be rock and Indie now it's like top of the pops

Not strictly correct. The very first Glastonbury had the pop stars of the day