Glastonbury on the Telly

Glastonbury, called the oldest music festival in England, took place this past weekend. Last year when we were visiting, trying to make the decision about moving here we watched coverage of Glastonbury on the television and I couldn’t understand who in their right mind would want to attend. The mud in the fields where people camped looked to be almost knee-deep. Festivals are way bigger here than they are in the U.S. and the whole thing leaves me feeling quite conflicted. I love going to concerts but the idea of camping makes me want to hurl, especially in the unpredictable English weather. But when you look at concert options in the summer outside of festivals, there is not a whole lot to choose from. Call me spoiled, I like to see the bands I’m paying money to hear. When you look at the sea of people in the audience at these festivals, it doesn’t look like that is really an option.

This year the weather for Glastonbury was much better. I was once again an armchair participant, watching the highlights from my living room. There was some controversy this year with the festival when New Yorker Jay-Z was invited to headline on Saturday night. Many wondered if hip hop had a place at a mostly rock festival. What amazed me is what WASN’T controversial about Jay-Z. My how times have changed! Just a few years ago the Dixie Chicks were considered a pariah after Natalie Maines said during a concert in London that she was embarrassed that they were from the same state as George W. Bush. Fast forward to Glastonbury 2008 when Jay-Z is being televised in front of thousands of people projecting an image of our fearless leader onto all of the jumbo screens and clearly saying after a pause, “Fuck Bush”. I did a search of the news outlets and that didn’t seem to make the news at all. I know different people buy Dixie Chicks records than buy Jay-Z records, which plays a part in no one batting an eye, but I also think that it also speaks to the change in political climate.