My Glastonbury 2022 Story, Part 3, Friday On My Mind.

Me at Pyramid Stage.

It was slightly cooler at Glastonbury on Friday morning and there was a bit of cloud cover as well, which I think most people appreciated after the scorching heat of the previous days. I had been at Worthy Farm for five days now, and it was time for some music. There was a choice of The Libertines or Ziggy Marley on the two biggest stages. I opted for Ziggy Marley who was the first act on the Pyramid Stage. It is easy getting right to the front for the early acts, impossible later in the day. My workmate Dan was there with his family as well. Ziggy and his great band put on a show of infectious joyful danceable music. Although he played some of his own songs, most of the show was a tribute to his dad Bob Marley. I can’t remember all the songs, but he certainly played I Shot the Sheriff, Get Up, Stand Up, Jamming, Is This Love, Could You Be Loved, and One Love. I asked Dan what he thought the last song would be, and he said One Love. I was hoping it would be No Woman, No Cry or Redemption Songs. It was One Love, so Dan was right.

Ziggy.

Rufus Wainwright was due up next on the Pyramid Stage. I was tempted to stay for his set but decided to head for the Acoustic Stage where there were a few acts on that I wanted to see. When I arrived, there was a band on called Pavey Ark. I had never heard of them before, but thought they were very good. They finished with their own version of Bowie’s Moonage Daydream. It was the following act I had come to see called Irish Mythen. She is from Ireland originally and now lives in Prince Edward Island in Canada. I only discovered her a few weeks ago when I heard her excellent version of Into The Mystic on youtube. She has an incredible powerful voice and can hold a note for an eternity. I was right at the front on the barrier and halfway through her set I shouted out, “Into The Mystic”, she looked at me and said, “I’m only here for 40 minutes, but maybe”. She didn’t sing it, but never mind, she wanted to promote her own songs, which is fair enough. 

Irish Mythen.

I can’t remember the titles of many of her songs now. One I really enjoyed was called Tullamore Blues. I think another was Gypsy Dancer which was voted song of the year in Canada a few years ago. She finished with a fabulous acapella version of The Auld Triangle. What a wonderful character she is. During her performance I met up with Conor & his wife from Ireland who I got to know in 2019 when we watched Lankum together. Next up were a band called The Mariachis from Mexico who sang popular hit songs in a mariachi style. They all wore huge sombreros and played guitars, accordions, trumpets and other instruments. I watched for about twenty minutes, then decided to go for a wander through the Theatre and Circus fields. 

Priti Patel.

Some people think that Glastonbury is just a music festival, but all the performing arts are represented. There were all sorts of weird and wonderful things going on. There were caricatures of political figures wandering about. Boris Johnson was demanding the right to party, Priti Patel was selling holidays in Rwanda, Michael Gove and Rishi Sunak were there as well, being ridiculed by passers-by. In Crooners Corner I spotted Jerri Hart who I have seen busking in Bath. He was singing songs like That’s Amore and people were dancing to it. I crossed Bella’s Bridge and was meaning to catch some of First Aid Kit on The Other Stage because I have seen them before. The crowds heading that way got too much though, and I turned back. This Glastonbury was the most crowded I have ever known, even worse than in the bad old days when 100,000 people used to climb over the fence to get in. I’m not the only one who thinks that. One lady said that on Sunday the crowd leaving after Diana Ross was frightening. I decided to watch the Sleaford Mods on the West Holts stage for a while. They were quite entertaining, every line of their songs seemed to end in an obscenity. They sang songs such as Jobseeker, Thick Ear, and Kebab Spider. They had a guest singer called Billy Nomates to sing Mork & Mindy.

Brian Kennedy.

After that amusing interlude, I made my way back to the Acoustic to see Brian Kennedy who I know from his years with Van Morrison. I thought I would only stay for a few songs for old times’ sake but stayed for his whole show. Brian has had some health issues in recent years, but he looks on top form now. He has a new album out called Folkie which he was keen to promote. I think my favourite song of his set was Carrickfergus. Other songs I enjoyed included Captured which was the first song of his I ever heard, A Better Man, Put The Message In The Box, Christopher Street, Get On With Your Short Life. He finished as expected with You Raise Me Up.

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

After Brian’s triumphant set I hurried back to the Pyramid Stage because Robert Plant & Alison Krauss’s set was already underway. It was getting quite windy, so I sheltered against one side of a mixing desk. They were on great form. Lots of people thought they were one of the best acts of the weekend. I have seen Robert Plant many times over the decades, but I don’t remember seeing Alison before. She is a beautiful woman, great singer and excellent instrumentalist. The songs I recall hearing include two Everly Brothers songs, Gone, Gone, Gone and The Price Of Love, Two Led Zeppelin numbers Rock n Roll and The Battle Of Evermore, When The Levee Breaks, Please Read The Letter. There were lots of others, but I can’t remember them now. I’m sure there is a setlist available somewhere.

After that I thought I ought to get back to base for some dinner and also get a coat and jumper for the evening because I knew it would get very cold later. On my way back I met someone who I have known for about 40 years, I know him as ‘Charlie the artist’ from Frome, so I had a chat with him and his wife. Later, I arranged to meet Odele at 10.00 by an ice-cream van to watch Billie Eilish. When she arrived, we made our way through the crowd to a good vantage point. I didn’t know anything about Billie Eilish at all but thought I ought to watch because she was a headliner. She is actually the youngest ever headliner at Glastonbury, only 20 years of age. I didn’t like the first three songs or so. They sounded a bit samey to me with a relentless drumbeat. I warmed to her gradually though after a few songs. She has a very nice personality, and very confident. She must have great parents. It is great that her brother who is also in the band is her best friend as well. Don’t ask me what the songs were, I haven’t got a clue, except one song called Your Power which was very moving. She was clearly upset because this was the day that the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v Wade ruling. More of Trump’s toxic legacy. I should have done my homework and listened to some Billie Eilish music before seeing her. Anyway, after about an hour I was getting really cold despite having a coat on. I said cheerio to Odele and headed off. I think I ended up in the warmth of the Bread & Roses Saloon. That brought Friday to a close for me. Saturday would turn out to be one of the most memorable days in the history of this great festival…..(Continued below)