Old people at festivals are so gross

[Reed John]

Old people at festivals are so gross

Really?

Yeah. It just never really appealed to me so it didn't seem worth the potential hassle with the fuzz. Plus, in my younger days I worried about having to possibly due an on-the-job drug test. That's not a concern anymore. So who knows what the future holds?

[Amor de Cosmos]

Old people at festivals are so gross

Reed John wrote:

Really?

Yeah. It just never really appealed to me so it didn't seem worth the potential hassle with the fuzz.

Oddly that never seemed to be an issue at festivals. At least the ones we went to. There were always rumours of plain-clothes plod of course, and I'd regularly get stopped and searched on the street, but festivals were generally a fuzz free zone. The US experience, of course, was probably very different.

[Lang Spoon]

Old people at festivals are so gross

Amor de Cosmos wrote:
It was usually enjoyable, and I don't regret the experiences for a moment. But I also rarely felt the communal togetherness that others apparently did, so there was a lingering, peripheral feeling of disappointment too. A bit like Christmas after you've opened all your presents.

I think it was just me. I could never really let go fully, and being wasted just turned me even farther into my my own head.

Aye, that'd be about right for me as well (maybe a bit more bad dancing). No matter how pilled up or microdotted to bits, I never felt the one love thing. If anything, psychedelics make me even more self-conscious and over-thinking. I'd probably need a Coltrane/Cary Grant style guided psychiatric trip to ever truly "let go".

Not that these were bad experiences, but definitely missed out on the communal vibe.

[Lang Spoon]

Old people at festivals are so gross

Fucking hell just caught Calvin Harris giving it large at T in the Park (BBC Four is fucked now). Cutting the mix so the crowd can sing the lyrics, even voice over crowd exhorting cheese (you're not running a fucking Waltzer's at Burntisland Market Calvin ya fanny).

It's full circle back to the eighties DJs in provincial discos, or at best early 90s happy hardcore cheesy quaver shite like Rezurrection (except the Neds are MaDMAn'd on such strong pills these days there's two dead already and it's only day two).

Any cunt pulling this shite in 90's Arches wouldn't have got from the decks alive. Was it white straight US getting EDM that degraded dance music so completely?

I realise this just makes me an old git. But seriously, what the hell?

[Gerontophile]

Old people at festivals are so gross

This is why he is one of the highest paid people in Las Vegas.

[Lang Spoon]

Old people at festivals are so gross

You know, it's just that people like this... you know... they get all they want so they really don't understand, you know... about a life like Frank's. I mean, when you've loved and lost the way Frank has, then you, uh, you know what life's about.

What was lost in Vegas when they pushed out Moe Greene and the lads for the Corporations. Class. Frank's pals would have no time for the boy Harris (maybe the Tattaglias would be happier with the dancing dust trade but).

[Reed John]

Old people at festivals are so gross

Lang Spoon wrote: You know, it's just that people like this... you know... they get all they want so they really don't understand, you know... about a life like Frank's. I mean, when you've loved and lost the way Frank has, then you, uh, you know what life's about.

What was lost in Vegas when they pushed out Moe Greene and the lads for the Corporations. Class. Frank's pals would have no time for the boy Harris (maybe the Tattaglias would be happier with the dancing dust trade but).

"You mean that Disneyland mook-fest out there?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHIH8zkVfg4

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Old people at festivals are so gross

Aptly timed thread for me, I'm not long back from a weekend at 2000 Trees festival near Cheltenham with my 17 year old son (who, without trying, managed to get an 'over 18s' wristband on entry, which meant I could send him to the bar).

It was a who's who of 'his' music, and I knew enough to be interested for three days. The set-up was all quite cosy and inclusive - at 5,000 capacity the site was compact enough that tent to car park, and tent to the stages were only 5-10 minutes' walks. The camping areas and stages were mixed together which meant, unlike the bigger corporate festivals, there were no restrictions on drinking your own supply - which in turn meant when you did use the bars they weren't absolutely rammed.

It was a bit of a dry run for Leeds in August which will be a different kettle of fish, with both kids and two other teenagers in tow.

We went to T in the Park last year on a day ticket and it was chaos. First year at the new site and the layout and transport arrangements were a complete shambles - this year they seem to have improved some aspects but there are reports of it taking hours to get off the site at the end of each day (like last year).

We found the atmosphere at T very edgy (not in a positive way), and reportedly the campsites are an absolute nightmare (there are twitter feeds which take delight in reporting the events), I wouldn't entertain the idea of camping there with or without the kids.

After last year's difficulties at the new site T struggled to get licensed for this year, and the deaths on Thursday and ongoing logistical issues might be enough to force it into a year off, if not longer.

Finally on a general point, there have been a few examples this year of festivals getting cancelled due to poor ticket sales - there seems no end of people willing to launch new festivals but they are struggling to find their niche in a crowded market. We've even just had a new one announced in Carlisle this week, which has gone for a clear lads' indie theme (Enemy, Pigeon Detectives, Reverend & the Makers, Feeder, Ordinary Boys) that I've got little enthusiasm to pay £30-40 for.

[DCI Harry Batt]

Old people at festivals are so gross

I had a few years of going to Reading, as it was near town so you could stay in a hotel. It got too crowded and the music got rubbish, so I stopped.

[Uncle Ethan]

Old people at festivals are so gross

Went to Glastonbury in 1987. Wide range of main stage bands plus all the other sages. No police on site and self-policing seemed to work really well. being boring I was happy to sit outside the tent and watch from there with some hash fudge and a huge water carrier full of scrumpy.

Happy days. Couldn't do it now. At my age I have to go to the loo far too often to handle the queuing.

[Wouter D]

Old people at festivals are so gross

Was at the Best Kept Secret festival in June. Outdoors, muddy, young crowd, total hippiefest. Awesome. Sleaford Mods are a great act.

Was at the North Sea Jazz festival this weekend. Mostly indoors, clean, lots of old people, mixture of corporate twats and the diverse ethnic makeup of Rotterdam-Zuid. Awesome, in a very different way. GoGo Penguin are a great act.

Festivals are alright.

[The Inner Light]

Old people at festivals are so gross

Don't go now. Like a lot on here went to glasto early ninties Remeber getting in after couple of spliffs and beer sitting down and flowered up starting weekender, sunny lovely day. Also loved the orb. Bootleg Beatles, Jonathan richman and others. Great really. Best gig about 16 loch lomand, 79 or 80. Jam headlining. Great line up. Jam were superb

[Moonlight Shadow]

Old people at festivals are so gross

I am looking forward to be back in Portmerion in September, when the crowds get too much, a 15 min walk take you to a quiet beach or in the woods for a moment of calm. Excellent food and Purple Moose brewery stand do the rest. Not entirely sure I really give a fuck about any of the main acts but plenty of mini-venues, including in the woods, to explore and discover new things.

[Boris Carpark]

Old people at festivals are so gross

I'm going to see Super Furries at Caught by the river this Sunday at the Bishop's palace in that park you walk through on your way to Craven Cottage.
Just checked the weather & its looking good, a nice comfy hotel for £30 booked a couple of months ago so I don't have to leg it to St Pancras after & miss the last train back.
This was always an issue, last trains back to the Kent coast being ludicrously early meant you had to leg it early or be clock watching which rendered the whole procedure pointless.
Worse still was a taxi back from whatever shithole still had a service leaving after half ten & convincing a surly mini cab driver in Dartford that Dover was 'about twenty minutes' down the road made for an excruciating journey.
He got his £120 upfront so bollocks to him the moody bastard & learn to read a map next time.

[Ginger Yellow]

Old people at festivals are so gross

And if you go to them in the US, there's the 'personal space / volume' issue.

Can you elaborate?

[François dan un fez]

Old people at festivals are so gross

Was at Womad at the weekend and had backstage pass so access to nice toilets and free tea and coffee.

Highlights were sidestepper and Ana Tijoux.

My sons band played live on 6radio.

Weather was perfect for festival. Had a great time.

Spent the week trying to catch up on sleep.

[Geoffrey de Ste. Croix]

Old people at festivals are so gross

Samuel Beckett looked amazing coming out of The Stone Roses Spike Island gig

[Lang Spoon]

Old people at festivals are so gross

. looks way cooler than any swaggering Manc Monkey Man.

[VTTBoscombe]

Old people at festivals are so gross

Just finishing off in Budapest after dipping into Sziget festival
Eldest son did the the whole week while the rest of the family did the Budapest tourist thing (very nice city by the way).
We all went to Saturday. Saw Muse, who were bombastic as usual
Plus enjoyed Bring me the Horizon ( whose initials are BMTH - so all they needed was AFC at the start) - over 4 mosh pits at one point - I understand BMTH are not loved by the serious metal heads but they get the crowd going.
Saw some other stuff which was filler, but generally impressed by this festival lark - Although worst part was the colour party which following the throwing up of all this colour powder suddenly caused panic as no one could see and started to choke - at the end glad to escape back to town
Leaving the young'uns to enjoy their facilities - which were. good but would drive me mad after a few days.
Also went to the after party last night - Foals ( surprisingly enjoyable), Crystal Fighters ( Erm what are these exactly? Flaming Lips meets the Gypsy Kings - quite dancy though )
And The Slaves which I enjoyed anyway - something about revival punk with just two guys that appeals.
Not sure at 56 I was the oldest at all events but pretty much close to it- t'was my first

NB EDIT - One thing we noticed, was that in the actual festival everyone was really nice, and cool and chilled.
For the afterparty this was at Budapest Park, which was more generally open to the public, this had a far more edgy vibe, with the mosh pits rather more aggressive and more selfish behaviour generally - just an observation, although I liked the Budapest Park venue a lot although the beer was piss-like.
Another edit - sorry
I saw something called Kodaline - the audience was full of Irish girls screaming - jesus christ what a miserable experience that was, a horrible mixture of Westlife, Snow Patrol and Louis Walsh style - please Irish folk speak to your youth before it's too late.

[ad hoc]

Old people at festivals are so gross

Some of my most treasured memories have been at festivals back in the 80s. I am very glad I went to those. Recently I have been to a couple of festivals here in Romania with the family, though I think the kids found it much less interesting than I did, and while the last one featured Iggy and the Stooges sounding godawfully bad, to me they were still Iggy and the Stooges and I knew every song.

The Cure at Glastonbury in 86(?) though... utterly spellbinding.

[Uncle Ethan]

Old people at festivals are so gross

Yes, it was 86. That's the one I was at. Christy Moore headlined (or closed).

[MsD]

Old people at festivals are so gross

They also headlined in 90 or 91? With Sinead O'Connor in the second slot.

[hobbes]

Old people at festivals are so gross

1990. The year of the helicopter that didn't land. And again 1995 actually (The Cure, not a non-landing helicopter.) I went to 1995.
Wanted to go to 1990 but the timing didn't work family-wise.
I hate Glastonbury.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Old people at festivals are so gross

ad hoc wrote: Some of my most treasured memories have been at festivals back in the 80s. I am very glad I went to those. Recently I have been to a couple of festivals here in Romania with the family, though I think the kids found it much less interesting than I did, and while the last one featured Iggy and the Stooges sounding godawfully bad, to me they were still Iggy and the Stooges and I knew every song.

The Cure at Glastonbury in 86(?) though... utterly spellbinding.

I went to Summer Well with the kids (my kids, not the kids in general) three years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it, apart from the chaotic scenes getting the shuttle bus back into Bucharest. We had tickets for the weekend (you couldn't buy single days) but went to football on the Sunday instead - but it was still good value for one day's viewing.

At the other end of the scale, we are 'doing' Leeds next week. I'm only expecting to see Thing One when he needs money and/or needs me to buy beer for him (he turns 18 a week later), so it'll be me and Thing Two trading preferences - she'll have to concede a lot of ground in exchange for making me watch Imagine Dragons, for example.

[Hamish! Dougal!]

Old people at festivals are so gross

Walt, if you happen to venture to the BBC Introducing Stage, it's being headlined by 'Ull's very own Fronteers, a favourite of mine. Also worth a few minutes of your time on that stage are Avalanche Party.