Bob Dylan 980628 at the Glastonbury Festival, England
Worthy Farm
Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts
Capacity: 100,500
Ticket price: £80
Phone number to order tickets: (0)117-976-7868
Subject: Glastonbury Festival
From: Damian Furniss (DHFurniss@SOMERSET.GOV.UK)
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 18:13:44 +0000
> Shame on the BBC also, they didn't show any of Bob's set from Glastonbury on
> Sun 28th. They showed Spiritualised and Pulp instead.
I think this was down to Bob or his people. The TV cameras were
inactive during his set and, to my knowledge, his set alone. This also
blanked the big screen side of stage and, therefore, the view of the
largest audience of the weekend in its first sunshine. (I'm sick of
mud... I'm in the thick of it.)
The press joked that photographers were banished to the next county
backstage. Certainly none were allowed in the pit although the
post-Glastonbury review had some good shots presumably taken by a
telescopic.
Stageside bystanders were also banished. The sets either side of Dylan
(Tony Bennett, Nick Cave) saw plenty of stageside action so I presume
it was insisted the wings were cleared.
I understand Bob stayed at Worthy Farm for little more than the
duration of his set - not surprising given the conditions and his
schedule - but was presented by a Daffodil by a kneeling admirer as he
climbed the ramp up to the stage. Does anyone know if he met Michael
Eavis - farmer and organiser of the finest performing arts festival in
the world - who had stated he'd tried to book him every year - the
festival started in 1970/1 - and was keen to meet him. Van plays most
years and Michael picks him up from the hotel and they talk farming
and countryside but then Van is a fan of the Avalon area.
I presume the setlist is already out there. If not, and off the top of
my head:
Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat
Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)
Cold Irons Bound
Just Like a Woman
Silvio
Cocaine Blues @
Masters of War @
Tangled Up In Blue @ (harp)
Highway 61
Love Sick
RDW 12 & 35
Blowin in the Wind @
Oh. Bob said something about playing Glastonbury being "like a dream
come true". There was one other comment besides the usual band into
and "thanks everybody"s, but it was incomprehensible to me.
The response was very enthusiastic - especially so, it seemed, for the
TOOM twosome. From the comments I herd during and after the
non-cognoscenti were impressed. The press reviews I've caught were
also very positive.
The sound quality was the best I've heard out of doors from my
position near the front. (And better than the Birmingham NEC on
Wednesday.)
Just a shame Bob (or his people) didn't allow the broadcast. It
would've reached several million people.
And made a great 'field recording'...
>BTW, I wonder if there really was an intention for Bob to headline
>Glastonbury on the 28th.....all info I have got points to Pulp being the
>official headliner for that day.
>
>Peter
The Glastonbury 'headliner' on Sunday plays in the late afternoon as
many people leave in the evening. It is also usually an act with
'cross-generational appeal' as the festival is open to all-comers -
and especially locals - on its last day. I didn't see the size of the
Pulp audience but Bob's was almost certainly bigger. I'd say bigger,
also, than that of the Friday (Primal Scream) and Saturday (Blur)
headliners. I remember this headliner wrangle between Bob and Suede,
Phoenix Festival '95.
You've got to be either cocky or stupid to claim you're headliner on
the same bill as Bob just because you play at a later hour!
