My Glastonbury 2023: Part 5, Morning Has Broken.

Roll call with Millie.

Morning had broken at Glastonbury. It was Sunday, the last day of the festival. The sun was shining, and another great day of music lay ahead, but first we had to complete our last shift of litter-picking. The birds were singing in the trees, and everyone in our gang was in a good mood as we marched down Muddy Lane to meet Millie at 6.00. We had a lot of fun on the last shift as we tore into the work. Me, Peter, Helen, Paul, Gretta & Berna formed a group that we called The Poo Fighters and made up a song about Millie based on Molly Malone. During a break another team member Pete (Thanks Pete) filmed us singing it into Millie’s walkie-talkie so they could hear it back at the office. You can see it below if you want. It seemed very funny at the time. 

Top of the Park.

We finished work as usual at the top of the Park. This time we actually cleaned up the backstage area at the Park Stage and even on the stage where some members such as Peter pretended to be playing on the Park Stage which was also very funny. We were all done by 11.30. Millie gave us more meal tickets and our work was over for another year. What a great team we had been. I hope we all meet up in Millie’s crew again next year. After a rest in a shady café in the Park we strolled slowly back to base for lunch.

The Chicks.

I was pleased with myself for not drinking any alcohol for three days, but now the work was over I enjoyed a couple of cold cans of cider in Tom’s Bar before it was time to hear some music. At 1.30 I made my way to the Pyramid Stage to see The Chicks. I didn’t know a lot about them until recently when their Glasto appearance was announced, and I started watching them on youtube. Also, Iris Dement mentioned them on her recent album which aroused my interest. I had a feeling that they would be one of the hits of Glastonbury, and I was right. They were great. They haven’t been all that well known in Britain but have sold millions of albums in America. 

More Chicks.

In case you don’t know about The Chicks they used to be called The Dixie Chicks, but dropped the Dixie part because it had bad connotations to slavery and things like that. They come from Texas, and since 1995 they are Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and Emily Strayer (vocals, guitar, banjo, Dobro). I would say they are essentially a Country and Bluegrass band leaning towards rock and pop. They have been quite controversial in the past and suffered a lot of abuse when they criticised American foreign policy in Iraq. I admire them for sticking to what they believe. This was their setlist at Glastonbury Sin Wagon, Gaslighter, Ready to Run, Landslide, Wide Open Spaces, Cowboy Take Me Away, Tights on My Boat, White Trash Wedding, Long Time Gone/Daddy Lessons, Rainbowland, March March, Not Ready to Make Nice & Goodbye Earl. It was a wonderful show which I’m sure brought them many new fans.

Yusuf Cat Stevens.

After The Chicks show ended, I moved nearer to the front and found a nice shady spot next to the mixing desk towards the right side of the stage. I sat on the ground with my back to the barrier and got chatting to this man who had actually cycled to Glastonbury from Bradford On Avon which had taken him two hours. It passed the time having a chat while waiting patiently for the next act to appear. Someone who I had been a fan of for over 50 years but had never seen live before. It was Yusuf / Cat Stevens. I stood up when he appeared to a huge welcome from the vast crowd. He himself seemed visibly moved and emotional with the welcome he got.

My view of Cat.

He had a first-rate band of musicians and backing singers with him as well. I expect most of you watched his performance on the TV, but in case you didn’t this was the setlist, The Wind, Moonshadow, I Love My Dog / Here Comes My Baby, The First Cut Is the Deepest, Matthew & Son, Where Do the Children Play?, Oh Very Young, Hard Headed Woman, Sitting, Tea for the Tillerman, Remember the Days of the Old Schoolyard, If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out, Morning Has Broken, Take the World Apart, Here Comes the Sun, Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, Highness, Peace Train, Pagan Run, Wild World, & Father and Son. I was pleased to see that he can still sing as well as ever, unlike some other singers from a similar era. Nearly every song was a highlight for me, but I particularly liked the songs from Tea For The Tillerman and Teaser & The Firecat which took me right back to my college days in the early 1970s when I first discovered his great music. 

More Yusuf / Cat.

Also, I thought it was very meaningful when he sang Nina Simone’s Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood because no musician has been more misunderstood than Cat Stevens. Another magical moment was when he paid a warm tribute to George Harrison and sang Here Comes The Sun. There had been cloud cover for about half an hour, but just as he started singing that song the sun burst through again. I think his performance will live long in the memory as one of the all-time great Glastonbury shows, and I’m grateful that I was there to witness it.

Blondie were due on stage next, but I gave that a miss. I saw them at Glastonbury about 20 years ago and although they were a great band in their day, I didn’t want to see them again. I wasn’t all that bothered what I saw in the evening because I thought nothing would top Cat Stevens performance. After dinner that evening I thought I would wander down to the Leftfield Stage. This is a stage for left-wing causes curated by Billy Bragg which hosts talks and political discussions and music by left leaning musicians. I have heard some great speeches on this stage in the past by the likes of Tony Benn and Jeremy Corbyn. I wanted to see a singer-songwriter called Will Varley because I saw him a few months ago and have two of his albums. He is also a friend of my brother’s family in Deal, Kent. He wasn’t due on stage until 7.30, so I listened to a bit of Barrington Levy on the West Holts stage.

Leftfield Stage.

All I know about him is that he is a reggae singer from Jamaica. I haven’t a clue what he was singing about. It sounded ok, but I moved on to the Leftfield. When I arrived, there was a band called The Lottery Winners setting up their equipment. I thought I had the time wrong and asked when Will Varley was on. I was told he had problems with his voice and had pulled out. I was disappointed but have found out since that Will’s doctors have found polyps in his throat and he has had to cancel all his summer shows until after surgery, so best wishes to Will for a full recovery.

Theatre/ Cabaret Field.

I didn’t know what to do now, so wandered back through the theatre & cabaret field to The Acoustic where I met up with the gang again who had just seen the Bootleg Beatles. I ordered a large chardonnay because I was tired of cider and watched Gilbert O’Sullivan. He was surprisingly good and sang all of his well-known hits from the 1970’s. There was a time when he was just as famous as Elton John. I wonder what he thought about playing to about 300 people now while Elton was playing to about 150,000. Me, Berna, and her friend Orla were dancing to Get Down and every time Gilbert sang ‘Get Down’ we got right down to the ground. It was hilarious at the time, but I could feel it in my back the next day. 

Gilbert.

After that the others headed off to see Elton John, but I wanted to see a bit of Rickie Lee Jones performance because I had seen her before in 2019 and she was great. I said I’d meet the others by an ice-cream van near the back, but that proved impossible. Like Paul Carrack the previous night Rickie played to a tiny audience, but she thanked everyone for coming to see her and not Elton’s ‘supposedly’ last ever performance. I stayed for a few excellent jazz-based songs, September Song, One For My Baby (And One More For The Road), The Second Time Around, There Will Never Be Another You, and Show Biz Kids.

Rickie Lee Jones.

Just before Rickie came on stage you could clearly hear Elton John belting out Pinball Wizard from the Pyramid Stage several hundred yards away. She shouldn’t have to compete with that. Anyway, after a few songs I thought I ought to go and watch the Rocket Man because although I have never been a great fan of his, everyone knows his songs and it would be the only time in my life that I would see him. I watched for a while, but left before the end because I didn’t want to get caught in the rush. I ordered a large glass of wine in Tom’s Bar and listened to the rest of the show from outside the marquee in Tom’s field. Eventually everyone returned after Elton’s show, and we sat about, talking until the bar closed because it had run out of beer.

Aerial view.

Next morning 200,000 bleary eyed revellers were leaving the site, but we had decided to stay on until Tuesday to avoid the queues and the traffic chaos. There was a nice chilled out atmosphere around the site on Monday, but another scorching hot day. I had run out of clean clothes, so rinsed out a t-shirt at the taps and put it on while still wet. That was really refreshing and it soon dried in the heat. On Monday afternoon I went for one last lazy walk around the whole site ending at the Peace Garden where a few people were sitting quietly enjoying the view. There was a large round wooden table there with benches where I noticed this lady sitting and writing in a journal. “That’s a good idea”, I thought to myself, and joined her at the table. I sat there for a while writing notes about everything I could remember about the past amazing week. Eventually we got talking and I found out that she was American but had recently moved to the Cotswolds and had been working at the festival. I told her about my blog page because she was writing about her experience as well. It was nice talking to her and we exchanged email addresses, so I hope you have enjoyed reading this Lynn.

Me, all ready to go home.

On Tuesday morning I had a shower, put on the cleanest clothes I could find, had breakfast and then packed my rucksack and took down my tent which had done such a great job. Kate took a photo of me on the faded square of grass where my tent had been. Donna fetched the van onto our campsite, and we were ready to go. It always feels like a tent peg through the heart leaving Worthy Farm and returning to the forlorn rags of ordinary life, but we will be back. I have been home for six days now, and already the memories are beginning to fade like the mists of Avalon, so I am glad I wrote it all down. Back at the farm the big clean-up goes on. They go over all the fields with a fine toothcomb and even drag powerful magnets across the ground which can detect lost tent pegs. The fence will come down and peace will return to Worthy Farm for another year. Before long the cows will be released from the Pilton Mootel and will be chewing their way happily across the lush pasture, and you wouldn’t even know we were ever there. Thank you very much to Michael & Emily Eavis for a wonderful time. See you next year.

THE END.

My Glastonbury 2023: Part 4, Minor Mishaps & Chance Encounters.

Before & After.

It was Saturday at Glastonbury, the busiest day of all. I was wide awake by 4.30 and even had time for a shower before work today. We litter-picker volunteers are the unsung heroes of Glastonbury. While 200,000 people were fast asleep in their tents we were already up and about, ready to tidy up the site for another day. When we met up again at the Greenpeace tree I realised I had two minor mishaps. 

Greenpeace Tree.

Firstly, my litter-picking stick was broken, so I had to dump it. I managed ok without it, but my back was a bit creaky for the last two days. Secondly, I had forgotten to put my water bottle in my backpack. It was already hot, even at this early hour and Saturday would be a real scorcher, the hottest day of all. I managed alright though. Every time I saw a tap I stuck my head under it and had a good drink. Also, I forgot to put some sun cream on my arms which was a silly mistake. More about that later. The work went smoothly, and we had our areas spotless again by 10.30. We joined up with two other teams to help out at the area in front of the Pyramid Stage which is always the messiest area of all. I even had time for a little chat with Odele who just happened to be walking by and spotted us. We had it all nice and tidy and ready for Rick Astley by 11.15 and work was done for the day.

The Unthanks

I didn’t go back to base immediately because one of my favourite groups was opening on the Other Stage at 11.45. This is the second biggest stage. In the old days it was called the NME Stage, but over the years has become simply known as the Other Stage, although in fact there are dozens of stages. Anyway, the group I wanted to see were The Unthanks and if you have read my blog page before you will know that I am a huge fan of theirs. They are fronted by Rachel & Becky Unthank and combine Northumbrian folk music with elements of classical and psychedelic music, and even a bit of clog dancing!. They are unique. 

Unthanks.

I didn’t even know they were on at Glasto until a few days before the festival, but I’m very glad they were added to the line-up. They played a short but sweet set of songs including The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry, A Whistling Woman, The Sandgate Dandling Song, The Royal Blackbird, Magpie, Mount the Air, & Sorrows Away (Love Is Kind). My favourite was Magpie which you may know from the TV series The Detectorists. I found some footage of The Unthanks performance and shared it below if you want to see it.

Crowded Acoustic Stage.

After that wonderful start to the day’s music, I wandered back to Tom’s Field for lunch. Then hurried to my beloved Acoustic Stage to catch The Magic Numbers. I especially wanted to see them and take some photos because my niece Katherine met the Magic Numbers in a hotel in Cork, Ireland and told me what nice people they were, and to make sure I saw them. When I arrived there, I was amazed because the Acoustic Stage field was rammed with people. It was impossible to get inside the huge marquee. I knew they were popular, but not this popular. The reason for the overcrowding was because people were seeking out any place that afforded some shade from the hot sun which was beating down. I felt quite disappointed. I could hear the band, but not see them. I listened from a shady café opposite called The Cake Hole. More about the Magic Numbers in a minute.

Richard Thompson.

The next act on was Sharon Shannon who is wonderful and always kicks up a storm at Glastonbury with her lively Irish dance music. I did actually manage to find a shady spot just inside the tent where I met Helen and Scilla. I had a problem though. When I arrived on site six days earlier, they had put my wrist band on too tightly. Because I had stupidly not put sun cream on my arms they had swelled up with sunburn. The wristband was cutting off the circulation to my hand and was getting very painful. I was worried that if I just cut the wristband off, I might not be allowed back into Tom’s Field by security. I had to march all the way back to Tom’s Field office and explain the situation. They cut off the tight wrist band and gave me a new looser one. It was a great relief but meant that I missed nearly all of Sharon’s set. When I returned Badly Drawn Boy was performing, but again I couldn’t see anything, so had to listen from outside. I’m not familiar with his music, so couldn’t possibly tell you what he sang.

Richard & Zara.

Not to worry because the next act was one of my all-time favourite artists Richard Thompson who I have been a fan of since 1969 when I bought What We Did On Our Holidays by Fairport Convention. There was even lots of nice room just inside the tent for Richard. He played a blistering set of classic songs and unbelievable virtuoso guitar playing. I can’t remember all of the songs, but he definitely sang Misunderstood, Genesis Hall, Beeswing, Johnny’s Far Away, Vincent Black Lightning 1952, Wall Of Death, Keep Your Distance, and I Wanna See The Bright Lights Tonight. For two of the songs he was joined by the new lady in his life Zara Phillips. Towards the end of his act there was a huge roar from above, we looked out at the sky and the Red Arrows RAF Aerobatics Display Team did a fly past of Glastonbury. They had thought of everything this year.

Me & Romeo Stodart.

After Richard’s stunning performance, me, Peter, Paul and some others went to the Acoustic Stage crew bar to find some shade and somewhere to sit. Who should we meet, but lo & behold,  The Magic Numbers !!. Brilliant, I could get a photo for Katherine after all. The Magic Numbers are two sets of brothers & sisters. There were about eight people here, so I wasn’t sure exactly who was a Magic Number or not. Luckily, I recognised one of them Romeo Stodart and he was more than happy for a photo. We had a bit of a chat and this lady asked what I did. When I said I was on the litter-picking team they said thanks for the work we do, so Katherine was right, they are nice people. I went back to base for dinner and a little rest after that.

Glen Hansard.

In the evening I saw Glen Hansard. I have seen him previously on the Acoustic Stage, many years ago when he was in a band called The Frames. I’m not an expert on his music by any means, but an American Facebook friend is a huge fan, so I was determined to see him, hopefully take some photos, and write down the set list. The photos are a bit blurry, and I hope this setlist is correct. When Your Mind's Made Up, Down On Our Knees, St John, Bearing Witness, Bird of Sorrow, No Mountain, Winning Streak, High Hope, Her Mercy & Revelate. There might have been more. Glen paid a moving tribute to his late friend Christy Dignam from the band Aslan during the show. He also said that one of his songs was inspired by Leonard Cohen. I also noticed that he occasionally improvised little Van Morrison ‘isms into the lyrics, such as ’turn on your electric light’. I hoped he would sing a Van song, but he didn’t. It was an excellent performance which deserved a much bigger audience. 

Glen Hansard.

The last act on this stage was Paul Carrack. I felt sorry for him because the crowd had thinned out to almost nothing. The reward for headlining the Acoustic Stage seems to be having the smallest audience of the day. I didn’t stay and headed homeward via the Pyramid Stage. I thought I ought to watch a bit of Guns N’ Roses. I like Slash’s guitar playing and Sweet Child Of Mine is a great song, but I don’t think Axl Rose sings very well anymore. Anyway, most of it was just a noise to me. I was in my sleeping bag by 11.30 on Saturday night blissfully unaware of just what an incredible day Sunday would turn out to be.

Guns N' Roses.

To be continued………………………

The Unthanks Live @ Glastonbury 24/6/23.