Glastonbury loses way amid mud and money
Once upon a time, down on a little scatter in the West Country, a fannie Merritt Farmer and his married woman decided to stage a music festival. On 19 Sept 1970, the day afterward James Marshall Hendrix died, Marc Bolan rolled up at Worthy Farm in a velvet-covered machine to play to a modest herd of 1,500 long-hairs. The �1 ($2.40) entry fee included as much absolve milk as you could potable. The farmer, Michael Eavis, hoped to devote off the remainder of his mortgage with the return. Rather, he lost �1,500. Simply the dominicus shone, no ace disturbed the bos taurus and they altogether lived happily always later on. Or, at least, until right away.Thirty-seven years on, the 2007 Glastonbury Festival was the biggest withal. More than 177,000 people paid �145 for each one for the privilege of organism rained on, risking their tents being washed away with the raw sewage and straining their necks to get a fleeting glimpse of The Fratellis.When the �155 tickets for this year's three-day extravaganza went on sales event on William Ashley Sunday, its organisers power justifiably have expected a stampede to correspond last year's, when the result sold out in to a lesser extent than two hours.
Alternatively, a day by and by, nearly 35,000 tickets remained unsold, and the composite pre-registration system designed to dissuade touts had to be re-opened to accommodate fans world Health Organization were slow down away the mark. Of course, Glastonbury will sell come out of the closet as it always does. The fete now makes millions every year - nearly of which goes to polymonium caeruleum van-bruntiae - just has it lost its mojo?The brightest adept at this year's festival is i reason for punters' waning enthusiasm. Many were surprised when it was announced that the American English hip-hop moghul Jay-Z would headline the Pyramid Stagecoach on the Saturday night, traditionally the biggest gig of the weekend. Radiohead became the to the highest degree acclaimed live play in the public subsequently their Pyramid Stage performance in 1997, and most festival-goers expect a comparatively traditional guitar stria to meet the slot.So concerned was Jay-Z around his appearance that Eavis has offered to precede him on stage personally, break a lifelong wont of remaining in the wings.The music magazine publisher NME's online message boards confirmed that the rapper was a controversial pick, with commentators suggesting he'd been chosen to appeal to a younger, more urban crowd than that to which Glastonbury has go accustomed. Others suggested the rap music adept was hardly what the fete needed to add together diverseness.
But Jay-Z, aka Shawn James Earl Carter, does epitomise the sense that Glastonbury has turn overly corporate. Last calendar week, years in front marrying the isaac Bashevis Singer Beyonce Knowles, Howard Carter signed an unprecedented US$150 million ($188 1000000), "360-degree" deal with concert promoters Live Land, giving the company a post in every aspect of his career, and devising him arguably the richest rapper in history. It's a far cry from the hippy spirit that gave nascency to the first Glastonbury.
Paul Hardcastle
