The Glasto blame game
The nonsense over why there are still tickets on sale for this summer’s Glastonbury festival continues.
Oasis’s Noel Gallagher entered the fray this week, telling BBC’s Newsbeat show that it’s all Jay-Z’s fault.
“Glastonbury has a tradition of guitar music, do you know what I mean?” claimed Gallagher. I’m not having hip-hop at Glastonbury. It’s wrong.”
Leaving aside the fact that Gallagher thankfully doesn’t book the festival, Glastonbury’s sales slump is due more to the audience’s bad experiences with the weather in previous years than to some collective decision by the British middle classes to diss Jigga.
“Glastonbury has a tradition of guitar music, ”
Says someone who’s probably never seen the outside of the VIP enclosure.
He sounds like a bit of a wolly with those comments, but it is a fairly bold step to put Jay-Z as a headliner. I’ve no doubt he’s a good performer, but his music lacks ‘communal vibe’
Comment by Peter | April 18, 2008 at 11:16 amWell
Orbtial
Prodigy
Chemical Brothers
Fatboy Slim
have all headlined mainstage at glastonbury without a guitar in sight.
Looks like it’s the usual mix of quiet racism you can expect.Still i don’t think many of jay-z’s fans would be seen dead at an oasis concert either.
Comment by Cj | April 18, 2008 at 11:28 amI wonder does Noel and the brother have an album or tour or both happening at the moment.
how easy would it be to for any musician to take a pop at Noel G? quite, but not been a musician myself i couldn’t say for sure! it is however boring at this stage that Noel or his brother for that matter insist on slating people. Jay isn’t I admit the strength he once was, but he is still, as you said yourself, Jigga!! Selling out tours after God knows how many records!! Oasis only made two didn’t they???ha.
Comment by Adrian | April 18, 2008 at 12:52 pmWhilst I don’t completely agree with Noel Gallagher’s comments, he’s always been good at provoking debate. I think there is a element of truth in what he says about Glastonbury & guitar bands - would the majority of potential Glastonbury ticket buyers be interested in seeing Jay-Z? Probably not. But I do think that if Radiohead were headlining the festival it would have sold-out by now.
Comment by Conor Furlong | April 18, 2008 at 1:29 pmNoel Gallagher is a great interviewee - one of the funniest and best I’ve ever met - but this is a load of nonsense. As CJ points out, Glastonbury has had many non-guitar headliners but Noel G would prefer to see such dross as his own band or Radiohead in that pole position.
But I do think that if Radiohead were headlining the festival it would have sold-out by now.
Well, there are still tickets on sale for their Dublin, Glasgow and Manchester shows - http://www.ticketmaster.ie/artist/945173/?search_redirect=radiohead&tm_link=tm_header_search - so maybe not
Comment by Jim Carroll | April 18, 2008 at 2:48 pmI still think Noel’s right when it comes to a reason why tickets are still on sale. A headlining act at Glastonbury is always a euphoric, communal moment - as Peter@1 says. And whatever your personal opinions about Orbtial, Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Oasis, Radiohead etc, they do provide a crowd-pleasing finale. A Jay-Z slot (whilst thoroughly entertaining) would not provide the communal, flags-waving finale most potential Glastonbury punters would look for. Therefore, Noel has a point. I certainly don’t think it’s cos of the prospect of lousy weather - it’s lousy every year!
Comment by Conor Furlong | April 18, 2008 at 3:05 pmMy interest in this was peaked when NME tried to fire up a pathetic blog-style debate on it a few weeks ago. It was followed by reams of dribbling comments by UK indie mugs expressing their sheer horror at the ‘tradition’ of Glastonbury being eroded and replaced by something more horrid. The lack of even the most basic comprehension of Jay-Z’s importance as a musician was laughable enough. However, the simmering resentment running through some of the sentiments wasn’t that funny. It was practically racist. Also laughable, many comments were all about getting someone like Kanye to play because it would be more appropriate. Maybe Kanye is a little more reassuringly ‘white’ sounding to these kids than Jay-Z.
Comment by gardenhead | April 18, 2008 at 6:40 pmi’m gonna re-inforce my “the verve aren’t able to sell tickets which is why they’re doing festivals” statement.
Kings of Leon as a headliner is a joke too.
It’s not all Jay-Z’s fault by any means.
Comment by B | April 18, 2008 at 7:59 pmand jim,
Comment by Leigh O'Gorman | April 18, 2008 at 8:37 pmradiohead’s tickets for victoria park in london are still on sale after five months too
Conor 6-just wondering but have you seen jay-z live ?? or are you speculating on a show you haven’t seen?
When you say “crowd pleasing” you are actually saying mainstream in a funny way.
Anyway glastonbury main stage is really a tiny fraction of why people go and i reckon it hasn’t sold fast is because of the hundred of festival alternatives now available.
Comment by Cj | April 19, 2008 at 1:24 pmNoel sort of has a point. while there’s always hiphop at Glasto, it’s never been headliner, which is I presume what he meant. It definitely has a tradition of guitar music like pretty much every mainstream festival around.
Comment by Ciaran | April 19, 2008 at 8:56 pmi’m not sure Jay-Z is the reason for low sales though. he has reasonable enough crossover appeal to people who don’t listen to hiphop who think that he’s a good rapper (see also: Kanye, Lupe, Clipse fans), granted his recent output is awful, but there’s enough well known hits there to entertain the average glasto-goer who camps at the main stage all day, and he does put on a decent enough show. perhaps he’ll do a full-band gig like the Fade To Black shows at MSG…
Kings of Leon on the other hand are laughable in a headline slot, that’s before getting to their diabolical music. they’re more suited to the Other Stage around 8pm.
The Verve aren’t a very safe choice either, as while they may seem like a typical guitar band headliner, most people only know 4 songs off Urban Hymns, and will stand there in bewilderment when they play some 9 minute pre-UH song, as good as it may be.
so basically, I doubt that Jay-Z is really the reason for low ticket sales. I would imagine the hassle of the festival, plus the weather from last year, and the abundance of festivals around at the moment probably held people off buying tickets this year. it’ll obviously sell out in the end either way….
ozric tentacles, the levellers for glasto 2009
Comment by petee | April 21, 2008 at 8:28 am