From: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org (seven-seas-digest) To: seven-seas-digest@smoe.org Subject: seven-seas-digest V2 #760 Reply-To: seven-seas@smoe.org Sender: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org Precedence: bulk seven-seas-digest Tuesday, September 16 2003 Volume 02 : Number 760 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2003 07:03:15 -0600 From: "K. F. Smith" Subject: seven-seas Glastonbury http://www.chartattack.com/DAMN/2003/09/1517.cfm LIVE: Glastonbury 2003 Monday September 15, 2003 @ 05:00 PM By: ChartAttack.com Staff We send super-photographer Richard Beland to the Glastonbury Festival every year to capture all the rock action. As a bonus, he's provided us with an account of his 2003 adventures. Check it out... I recently heard somewhere that we are only truly happy when daydreaming about future happiness. Well, in the case of the Glastonbury Festival - and for those of you familiar with my yearly review of the festival - this adage simply doesn't apply. I don't think there's any need to live at the mercy of your future wants and desires when happiness can be grasped right here down on the farm. Sure, the line-up of bands stumbles occasionally, and the annual improvement to the porta-johns moves in increments comparable to that of human evolution; nevertheless, the feeling of unity with 130,000 other music lovers always prevails at Glastonbury and easily makes any festival-site challenge all the more bearable. On that note, let's dispense with the dramatics and get on with the band reviews: Inspiral Carpets From the rubble of the "Madchester" music scene rises the familiar organ sound of the Inspiral Carpets. I probably sound far more theatrical than realistic. While it is true that I'm here cuttin' the rug with the Carpets, I wouldn't call this the most inspired of Inspiral gigs. From the stage, lead singer Tom Hingley claims: "This is the best gig we've ever done!" Perhaps. But I think he's a little overwhelmed by the numbers of people and, perhaps more correctly, it's probably the biggest gig the Inspiral Carpets have performed since 1990. Echo & The Bunnymen Surely even the most surly people can have fun too! For someone known for his chilly disposition, you'd never know it by the look on Ian McCulloch's face today. Leading the Bunneymen through a flawless greatest hits set, our boy Echo barely stopped smiling long enough to sing. The Music Hey, it takes sizable balls to call your band "The" anything, let alone "The" Music. That's a bold gesture indeed. So, do they live up to the name? No. At least not yet. But of any young band on the planks these days, I believe they have what it takes. They have the songs, the look, the charismatic frontman and well, the "The" name. In between his spells of Skelator bone-rattlin' dancing, Robert Harvey gets on quite well aping Robert Plant's stage antics. You know what, though, it doesn't bother me that Mr. Harvey pulls a Bob Plant now and again because, let's face it, it could be worse - he could be trying to cop a Joe Elliott or a David Coverdale. Argh... Suede Like a jack-in-the-box whose spring has all-but-sprung, Brett Anderson definitely gives the impression that he and his band have something to prove. Even desperately so. Unfortunately, Suede are no longer as smooth as in days past, and you can see in Brett's eyes that he's been taking far too much guarana with his granola. The band still has the songs, but Brett's voice sounds tattered. What was once Suede is now well-worn leather! REM Being one of the biggest international bands around carries with it a heavy burden; while this is an unquestionable fact, you wouldn't know it from watching and hearing REM. Whatever potentially mythic expectations there are to live up to are all but disregarded by this band that easily outperforms any/all expectations. They not only put on the set of the day, but they did it with humility firmly intact. What makes Michael Stipe so special is that he treats the audience with respect and speaks to them as if he is a guest rather than a performer. Where Glastonbury can at times challenge the listener with its daytime itinerary of acts, it traditionally fills the headline slots with acts who deliver music for the masses. Tonight, REM live up to this calling and deliver a show second to none. Jimmy Cliff In a world dominated by spiritual neglect and indifference, music may offer the only true salvation; given the positive message of reggae, the genius of it represents the soul savior. Today's messenger is Jamaican legend Jimmy Cliff. The sun is shinning bright and about 30,000 people are dancing and singing along with Cliff on "I Can See Clearly." You tell me - is there a more peaceful place on this Earth at this moment? I don't know whether to smile or cry, but I can tell you one thing: if the often misguided warriors of the world would lay down their arms just for one hour to hear what I am hearing right now, we could at least put in motion ideas like peace and harmony. Radiohead Next to headlining Madison Square Garden and the Royal Albert Hall, occupying top billing on Saturday night at the Glastonbury Festival is surely a crowning achievement of any band. For this year's festival, Radiohead are the luminosity that emanates from the mythic Pyramid Stage. Alas, Thom Yorke strolled on stage to begin Radiohead's set while barely containing a smirk of smugness. In all fairness, though, can you blame him? With mind-bending songs and a fantastic light show, Radiohead live up to the critics lazy ruminations that cast them as a contemporary Pink Floyd, but all the while they prove that they should only be judged on their own merits. Before leaving the stage, Thom said thank you to Michael Eavis, Glastonbury's father, and left us with some final words "Peace, love and no more idiots in charge." Yes Yes, a band that all-but defined progressive rock during the '70s, is most definitely a band of Pyramid stage quality. However, in a fortunate turn of fate, I find Yes booked to play the much smaller One World stage. Seeing a band of this magnitude and grace on a stage of this size is indeed a rare honour. From the photo pit, I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to watch an entire set of masterful musicianship rarely witnessed anywhere and on any stage in today's music. Manic Street Preachers One can only wonder how it must feel to headline the Pyramid Stage four short years ago, only to be reduced - for all intents and purposes - to being the support act for Moby at the 2003 festival. Actually, the term "support act" may be a bit harsh, but I am justified in my ill-will towards the Manics. Why? Halfway through the band's first song, I momentarily looked away from my camera and at the same time saw a large object sailing from the stage towards my head. Instinctively, I jerked my head sideways to avoid incoming debris. And I'm happy I did! A split-second later, a kick drum peddle flew past my cranium. At the end of the song, James Dean Bradshaw announced that Sean Moore was upset with his kick drum and had thrown his peddle towards the pit. Well. the fucking peddle damn near killed me! And I'm not exaggerating. This type of behavior truly reaches the most dizzying heights of irresponsibility and disrespect. Not to mention stupidity. Fuck him, that fuckhead bastard! I'm not too sure how this dose of irresponsible rock star arrogance fits the Manics' socially and politically-correct agenda, so I'll leave it at that. Moby His Royal Mobyness wasted no time in securing his place as the closing act for this year's festival. Moby, at best a hamster among the titans of rock, opened the show with three tried and tested crowd pleasers: "Natural Blues," "Go" and "Porcelain." This was no doubt a wise move, as he has some seriously large shoes to fill. While not as important as Saturday night's headline slot, the last set of the festival is what people are left remembering until next year. I could be enticed to stick around, but the lure of beating the traffic to London pulls harder than watching Moby spin his exercise wheel until he's dizzy. I'm grateful to hear what I have and, with that thought in mind, I take off. Since last year's festival, a lot of nasty shit has gone down in the world. Nonetheless, I found Glastonbury this year just as I left it the previous year: an oasis. It's a place to come for a spell and forget about the hassles and disappointments of life. It's like being at a kids' camp; it offers activities all day and singalongs each night. Like a kid, I often feel totally exhausted by bedtime but still find it difficult to sleep because I'm so jazzed from the day gone by. Well, I'm signing off for now but I'll be back soon - 362 sleeps and much daydreaming from tonight! - -Richard Beland ====================================== http://www.bunnymenlist.com ====================================== ------------------------------ End of seven-seas-digest V2 #760 ********************************