Submitted by philbo on
...for Green Man regulars like myself who decided to give this one a miss...or ‘idiots’ as I like to call them.
I went to my first in 2006 and found the experience so wonderful that I vowed to return every year for the rest of my life. I went to the next six - every time it was easily the best weekend of the year.
At the last one we went to in 2012 we felt that things had changed, the magic had gone slightly, it felt a bit flat. There was discussion on this forum about it with several people feeling the same.
After a poor start with the announcements, the line up started to look fantastic – we still somehow managed to persuade ourselves that we’d made the right decision and anyway the weather would be really awful.
Now from reading things here and elsewhere it looks like this was the best ever. I was pretty choked up on Monday realising what we’d missed.
It’s shown what the Green Man means to me – every year I feel inspired, energised – renewed even. It gives me a massive boost to face a year in the ‘real world’. So this year I’m experiencing a huge Green Man shaped hole.
I won’t be making the same mistake again!
God, that sounds so much like
God, that sounds so much like me philbo! Only difference was with each passing month i began to find it more and more difficult to imagine not going.See you next year!
philbo replied on Permalink
Yes Krasnyi, I remember last
Yes Krasnyi, I remember last year you were one of the ones on the here - wondering if the festival had, in fact, changed for the worst and you were contemplating not going.
So are you agreement with those saying that this year was the best ever?
Definitely see you next year!
Mojopearl replied on Permalink
Philbo...I've now done 7 year
Philbo...I've now done 7 year at Green Man and this year was a good one aided by decent weather. The GM rising stage was an excellent addition. However, in my opinion the capacity change is really noticeable and a negative aspect. I think it now has a 20,000 capacity. What a contrast to the earlier years! At times all the sounds from varies areas seemed to merge and a felt more like a funfair! I certainly perfer GM as it was pre 2010. I love GM but am undecided whether I will purchase tickets. I nearly didn't go this year. I'm going to look around for a smaller festival, but I would miss the valley view!
Poppy9560 replied on Permalink
I don't know about capacity
I don't know about capacity but was told there were 13000 attendees and 2000 crew = 15000 people on site. It seems a reasonaable size to me but the only thing I hate is the camping - I prefer the Cambridge Folk Festival where you can camp on Coldhams Common in neat rows like a proper campsite
We were all wondering if
We were all wondering if numbers were down this year! There was so much space in family camping, and there was loads of room on the hill when Kings of Convenience were playing - a massive contrast to Flaming lips a few years back.
I certainly wouldn't want commercialisation to affect the range of booze/food on sale, but I could live with the "Evil Capitalist Mpuntain Stage" if it stopped prices going up
Didn't seem crowded to me at
Didn't seem crowded to me at all. I thought the site alterations made a huge difference to the Festival. It was a pleasure to be there. I spoke to a few people who said that they wouldn't be going to Cambridge again because it had changed so much! And the way they said it led me to believe not for the better. Tents in a row? Heaven forbid.
Long live random camping
Long live random camping patterns!
I actually found that there was much more space to camp than in previous years.
I did think that it seemed a little busier than last year but I put that down to the good weather and more willingness of folk to move between stages/areas.
CubanPedro replied on Permalink
feel for you philbo cause I
feel for you philbo cause I was identical to Krasnyi (and yourself to a point); i've been 5 years running now but came away from last year feeling the magic had gone for me and it would probably be my last. it was only really with the announcement of Patti Smith that I changed my mind and bought tickets for 2013.
and, i don't want to rub salt in the wounds, but thank goodness I did! i can only echo the (almost unanimous) praise for Fiona et al, volunteers, bands and just everyone who attended in making it the best GM, nay, festival experience ever for me. the thought gone into fine tuning layout, infrastructure and additions was spot on and there was an aura about the whole weekend that seemed shared by all. including the artists who all genuinely felt fortunate to be a part of it (of course they try to get the crowd onside but some of the comments, after long touring schedules in many cases, expressed real feeling). Patti Smiths set on Thursday is a case in point and really set the tone for me. I'll not go on listing highlights but Steve Mason is worth a special mention - thought that performance was outstanding!
anyway, in short, I'd say musically there have been better curated GM years for me that you'll also have been part, but that pales in comparison with the overall feeling you leave the place with and in that respect it topped all others for me. the sun turning up plays a part but i've never seen the area looking better and GM was back with a bang this year. shame on me for ever doubting it as the special, special event it is. we should all be thankful we have it and the principles it continues to stick to.
I think that there were more
I think that there were more people out and about because it was relativly dry. People weren't huddling in their tents or packing the cinema, literature and Chai Wallers for shelter. I was worried that Far Out might drown out the sound in the Cinema Tent, but it was OK. I thought also that the changes in signage, design and decor were really refreshing and added hugely to the overall feel this year. It was also clear to me that a lot of money had been invested in groundworks and stabalising the site. The extension of music on Thursday really worked for me too- Jon Langford and Patti Smith were two of my highlights of the whole festival. The festival has got bigger- from about 250 in the first year, to it's current capacity. I'm not an expert in the economics of festival promotion but I don't see how a festival of the quality and range of Green Man would be sustainable without the current numbers, especially given the commitment of the festival to it's independence, non-corporateness and support for local communities and busineses. Could you imagine 'The Carling Mountain Stage' or Shepards Ice Cream replaced by a mass of 'Mr Softee' vans? Or the bars only selling Sam Smiths, Tuborg and Strongbow? Personally, I think Green Man now is a far better festival than it was when it first moved to Glanusk. The first three at Craig y Nos and Baskerville Hall were different and special in their own way, but I felt that the festival this year was bang on. And I think it's cheap for what we get.
Wakestock replied on Permalink
Best yet for me, and I
Best yet for me, and I thought it was anything but crowded. My biggest fear was that they hadn't sold enough tickets. I can't really envisage a year without it now. Only 51 weeks until the next one!
Sian_E replied on Permalink
Philbo, I'm in the same boat!
Philbo, I'm in the same boat! Sounds like I missed a good festival this year. I'm trying EOTR next week instead, because I felt like I needed to try something new and also because the line up just appealed far more to me personally. I'll definitely keep an eye on the Green Man line up announcements for 2014 though, and maybe try it again next year after a break and after everyones brilliant experiences this year!
Last year seemed much more
Last year seemed much more crowded to me than this year though as cyfarthfa poits out this might have something tp do with the lovely weather, people spreading out a bit more and not just clustering around potential points of shelter. My understanding is that the capacity remains at 15,000 for licensing purposes and that there was something less than this number this year. Certainly not wondering about whether or not to come in 2014 - bring on those earlybirds!
a little otter replied on Permalink
The same boat,the first green
The same boat,the first green man i've missed in 6 years,due to me and my wife having our first child we decided to give it a miss this year and as predicted by myself it appears to be the best one ever,unless you are all lying.On a positive note we did take our daughter to the Cloudspotting Festival to test her resolve and she appeared to enjoy the experience so we will be back next year ready for the downpours.
Cloudspotting sounded great.
Cloudspotting sounded great. Would have gone but it clashed with our holiday - if we had though probably wouldn't have done GM so all for the best!
treesrus replied on Permalink
anybody who doesn't like such
anybody who doesn't like such big crowds could try the Kaya festival in N. Wales - an equally beautiful location, mostly african/carribean music and only about 1000 in the crowd.