Big festivals or little festivals

Now, I have always loved a good festival but over the last few years I have stopped going to the larger ones such as Reading, Glastonbury, T, etc.
These days I'm much happier going to smaller ones such as 2000 trees, Beautiful Days, etc. You don't have to queue for beer, ask directions to a stage, you can get withing 500 yards of the band you're watching, move about without getting elbow-tit every three seconds (actually I miss that bit )
I'll be happy if I never go to a 'large' festival ever again.

Any one out there agree or would you rather swap sanity for a 'stellar' band??

At my age, a key question for any trip out is 'where are the toilets?', so this would override any issues of band quality. So I guess the larger festivals would probably be piss-poor. In fact, a public toilet festival would be good.

The Tonker wrote:At my age, a key question for any trip out is 'where are the toilets?', so this would override any issues of band quality. So I guess the larger festivals would probably be piss-poor. In fact, a public toilet festival would be good.

The stonhenge festivals were great in that respect. The only toilets were the ones you dug yourself and used in full view of everybody. The farmer would appear on HTV saying he could never grow anything again in that field. The police were happy 'cos they knew where all the drug dealers were (ie not in their home towns).
One of the most enduring sights I have hever seen was a midsummer morning with a lark ascending over a heap of hells angels sleeping under a communal tarpauline. In those days we could still hear the bands playing all the way back in Pembrokshire where the sound would prevail for another week. Stonehenge was excellent value in so many areas. I feel privilaged to have been at the Stonehenge festival where mud was never a problem as the underlying soil was chalk.


Ahhhh! Those were the days. When smilies meant something completely different.

I have never been to a music festival but been to see a few gigs..

Paul McCartney
Bob Dylan
U2
R.E.M
Rod Stewart

Only ones I'd really like to see now is... Ringo ( Just because he's Ringo, not for the hits!) I'd also like to see Chuck Berry, I actually bought tickets and he cancelled the show! I know he's an old man but just to see him would be a treat.

BigREDbird wrote:I have never been to a music festival but been to see a few gigs..

Paul McCartney
Bob Dylan
U2
R.E.M
Rod Stewart

Only ones I'd really like to see now is... Ringo ( Just because he's Ringo, not for the hits!) I'd also like to see Chuck Berry, I actually bought tickets and he cancelled the show! I know he's an old man but just to see him would be a treat.

I saw Paul McCartney with Wings at the Capitol in, I think, 1975 - great concert, they did two and a half hours with no break.

What was Rod Stewart like? Guilty pleasure band I would like to see is status quo - love 12 bar blues

The Tonker wrote:

BigREDbird wrote:I have never been to a music festival but been to see a few gigs..

Paul McCartney
Bob Dylan
U2
R.E.M
Rod Stewart

Only ones I'd really like to see now is... Ringo ( Just because he's Ringo, not for the hits!) I'd also like to see Chuck Berry, I actually bought tickets and he cancelled the show! I know he's an old man but just to see him would be a treat.

I saw Paul McCartney with Wings at the Capitol in, I think, 1975 - great concert, they did two and a half hours with no break.

Man that's a cool claim to fame

My parents went to see Buddy Holly and the Crickets in the Capitol Theatre in Cardiff... Pissed all over my Haircut 100 gig in the Top Rank

BigREDbird wrote:I have never been to a music festival but been to see a few gigs..

Paul McCartney
Bob Dylan
U2
R.E.M
Rod Stewart

Only ones I'd really like to see now is... Ringo ( Just because he's Ringo, not for the hits!) I'd also like to see Chuck Berry, I actually bought tickets and he cancelled the show! I know he's an old man but just to see him would be a treat.

Chuck Berry would have been incredible to see, such an influence on British music at the time.

Rod Stewart was great!

Macca did 2 and half hours 2 years ago and still had it! my favourite concert.

Bob Dylan on the other hand was a big let down!!!

Buddy Holly is one of my all time legends!

BigREDbird wrote:Rod Stewart was great!

Macca did 2 and half hours 2 years ago and still had it! my favourite concert.

Bob Dylan on the other hand was a big let down!!!

Buddy Holly is one of my all time legends!

I saw the Macca concert I agree absolutely stunning... The intro to, and version of George Harrison's 'Something' reduced me to a blubbering mess. Also saw him at the MGM Grand in Vegas a few years back (he was filling the arena to cover for the cancelled Tyson / Lewis fight) proper rock 'n roll

Valley Trash wrote:

BigREDbird wrote:Rod Stewart was great!

Macca did 2 and half hours 2 years ago and still had it! my favourite concert.

Bob Dylan on the other hand was a big let down!!!

Buddy Holly is one of my all time legends!

I saw the Macca concert I agree absolutely stunning... The intro to, and version of George Harrison's 'Something' reduced me to a blubbering mess. Also saw him at the MGM Grand in Vegas a few years back (he was filling the arena to cover for the cancelled Tyson / Lewis fight) proper rock 'n roll

Yeah he was amazing, I'm pretty bias being a Beatle fanatic and all.

Me too I have fairly eclectic tastes but it's the Beatles all the way for me fella....

First album I bought from my own 'birthday' money was the 'Beatles a collection of oldies', unfortunately the first single I bought was 'It's not easy being green' by Kermit the Frog primarily because it has 'Rubber Ducky' on the B side, incidentally I was shopping for 'Do the pigeon' by Ernie and Bert but they didn't have it Osbourne's record shop. First cassette was Sparks 'Indiscreet'... However I normally tell people the first single I bought was Starman by Bowie to retain what pitifully little credibility I have left

BigREDbird wrote:I have never been to a music festival but been to see a few gigs..

Paul McCartney
Bob Dylan
U2
R.E.M
Rod Stewart

Only ones I'd really like to see now is... Ringo ( Just because he's Ringo, not for the hits!) I'd also like to see Chuck Berry, I actually bought tickets and he cancelled the show! I know he's an old man but just to see him would be a treat.

I saw Chuck Berry live some 40 odd years ago in Southend. Only went cos the landlady had some free tickets from performers who stayed with her. No more than 20 in the audience. Felt sorry for him but he completed the gig.