Glastonbury 2011

   As if it’s not enough that we have Wimbledon (hurtling through week one already) distracting us from chess; tomorrow sees the start of Glastonbury 2011, the most successful pop festival on the planet. Add to that one-eyed chess after the pub, and ratings are gonna fall! LOL

   For those of you not lucky enough to live in England’s green and pleasant land, Glastonbury is an open air festival that started way back in 1970, I was there!

   It is staged on a farm, not far from here, belonging to one Michael Eavis and takes place under the watchful gaze of Glastonbury Keep, close to the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey, in the land of old Avalon, the final resting place of the legendary King Arthur and his Queen Guinevere.

   Entry back then (I mean in 1970, not in the days of Avalon, haha) was just ₤1.00, or a little over US$1.5 (the year following, it was free) and there was something like 1,500 attended ~ the headline act was Marc Bolan’s T.Rex.

   How things have changed, I tried to get tickets last year, and this, but just wasn’t quick enough, next year will be different! The cost of tickets now is almost ₤200.00 and there are close on 200,000 of them sold each year. It starts tomorrow (most people will be there by now), and it runs for 3 days till Sunday.

   To give you an idea of size, Glastonbury 2007 was billed with more than 700 acts on more than 80 stages. This year, headliners are Coldplay, U2, Beyoncé, Paul Simon,B.B. King, Morrisey, Kaiser Chiefs and many many more. Here’s the 2011 line-up. . . 

http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/line-up-poster/

   Last year saw Stevie Wonder, Kylie Minogue, Muse, Shakira, Snoop Dog, Norah Jones, Jackson Browne, Ray Davies (of Kinks fame) and more. You can see some of it on youtube ~ worth a search or three.

   Here’s Stevie Wonder and Ray Davies from last year to give a flavour on the Pyramid Stage ~ as they say in America. . . awesome J 

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   But back to this year; here’s a Pre Glastonbury birds-eye view

      And a little bit of background from the farmer Michael Eavis who started it all and from his daughter Emily, who now plays the major role in its organization.

   If you’re not lucky enough to have it televised, you can pick up the best of it on youtube. Stay tuned.

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~ m8ed