Glastonbury 2008

So a week after Glastonbury i've finally figured how to set up one of these things. The festival itself was eveything it said it would be, and as a virgin to Worthy Farm i found i slipped into the vibe with ease enjoying all the randomness that the event has become infamous for.

The highlight musically was undoubtably the unstoppable Amy Winehouse, whose performance to someone squashed under one of the large screens appeared to be a lot more flawless than to a viewer watching her on television.....(did it have something to do with me and my companion concentrating on simply staying on two feet, to avoid being stampeeded, rather than listening to her have anything to do with this? probably). Her defining moments came when she left the stage and proceed to stumble on five inch heels across the camera run, it's what we know and love her for (don't even mention the poor bugger she smacked!).

The other headliner - Jay-Z - was not able to afford such erractic behaviour. The video montage which preceeded his set captivated the audience and the cheers were enough to encourage even the most avid rock fan to join, at least for the brief hour, the Hip-Hop tribe. 99 Problems and Numb/Encore rocked, covers of Rehab, American Boy and his own Umbrella popped, and that version of Wonderwall shocked. The promise of special guests (Coldplay, Beyonce, Linkin Park, Rihanna) was not fulfilled, but they didn't need to be, he proved why he is the biggest rapper in the world and although there were doubters it showed that the world is changing and change has to start somewhere.

Other acts which impressed me were Sam Sparro whose stint in the dance tent was definately a highlight. With only one hit single (albeit a MASSIVE one) under his belt he proved that he has the songs (and the amazing vocals) to continue his ascent into stardom. Old timer Candi Staton brought the house down on the Jazz World stage with 'Young Hearts Run Free' and closing with the anthem 'You've Got The Love', which of course everyone around joined in for. Santogold also put in a worthy performance with some funky, soulful, electronicly eclectic tunes.

The whole weekend was finished on the pyramid stage by The Verve. The irony of playing a song entitled ‘The Drugs Don’t Work’ to a field full of coked-up, pill-popping, cottonmouthed, monged-out drunks does not seem to faze a band whose own relationship with such substance appears to be as ambiguous as Amy Winehouse’s is not. The anthemic 'Bittersweet Symphony' proved to be a fitting closure to a festival that has had it's most interesting and contraversial season for years.

Did it live up to all i expected it to? Well to be honest i did not know what to expect, but i can tell you this, it is definately worth going. Do not worry about not 'fitting in' nobody fits in, thats the beauty of the place. It is like entering a different world, a place where one day you're working in an office surrounded by people dressed in suits, and the next you're in a field listening to hard core electro surrounded by people dressed as dogs, fairies and air hostesses. Would i go again? In a flash, though i think next year it will once again sell out, and rightfully too. 2008 was an amzing year for a first timer and 2009 will have a hell of a lot to live up to.....!