Glastonbury: in and out with a bang
Speaking from festival site Worthy Farm on Tuesday, organiser Michael Eavis told the Fosse Way Magazine that his three chosen headliners, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and Blur were the biggest successes of the weekend.
"The encouragement and enthusiasm from the audience was so good during their sets. All three performances were so different, it's impossible to compare them, other than say that they were all fantastic," he said.
Mr Eavis revealed he had been worried about the weather before the festival began, particularly after listening to reports predicting heavy thunderstorms.
"The rain and thunder that was forecast on Thursday was scary stuff, but thankfully it wasn't half as bad as they predicted," he said.
The first cracks of thunder came during early Thursday evening and were followed with a shower of rain that churned the ground up for the rest of the weekend. But Friday, Saturday and Sunday saw the clouds hold off and temperatures soared. One last blast of thunder caught out festival-goers returning home late Sunday night when a torrential rainstorm poured down and made the ground muddy again.
Mr Eavis came under fire from Mendip District Council because of Bruce Springsteen's set overrunning 10 minutes past the official festival licensing time on Saturday night.
He said that he realised the festival would be fined £3,000 for the breach.
"It was worth it, because the last 10 minutes were the best part of the performance," he said.
Nigel Hewitt-Cooper, the council's portfolio holder for neighbourhood services, said: "We have to take this breach of the licence very seriously. We can not be seen as a council that sits back and allows event organisers to flout their licence."
The roles facing Mendip District Council during the festival focus on the health and safety of those on-site and protecting local residents from disturbances.
But the council also praised the festival for a fall in crime rates and noise complaints. Suzanne McCutcheon, head of the council's monitoring operation described the festival as having an "exceptional atmosphere."
It was not the first time the festival broke the licensing laws. A performance by Bjork overran during 2007 on the Other Stage. Mendip tightened the licensing during 2002.
Across the site, performers included Tom Jones, Lady Gaga, Status Quo, Black Eyed Peas, Lily Allen, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Rolf Harris, Franz Ferdinand, the Prodigy, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Magic Numbers.
Damon Albarn of recently reformed Britpop band Blur who closed proceedings on Sunday night told the crowd: "It seems like there's been a really, really positive atmosphere here."
London rapper Dizzee Rascal addressed the news on everyone's lips on Saturday by leading the crowd in a chorus of Michael Jackson's Thriller, plus snippets of other hits.
"We lost a legend this week," he said. "So I think we should do a little something to remember all the great music he brought us."
Avon and Somerset Police reported crime figures as being down by almost half. A total of 138 arrests were made out of 139,634 visitors on the site. It was the first time the police had joined forces with the Festival Security Team.
Sergeant Kerry Williams said: "Working in conjunction with festival security we have managed to detect more crime. This goes a long way in protecting festival-goers. Our focus is to make sure everyone is safe, and enjoys their time."
The majority of arrests were drug related. Police said the rate of thefts from tents had decreased significantly.
Three people were diagnosed with suspected swine flu during the festival and were taken off site. It was one of the largest organised gatherings of people since the pandemic began.
Meanwhile, one woman gave birth in the Green Fields at the festival – the first festival birth since 1998.
And 10,000 visitors had their faces painted blue in protest against climate change in connection with charity Oxfam, one of the organisations the festival raised funds for.
Bands are already being booked for next year's festival, which will mark its 40th anniversary.
Laura Male
lmale@bvmedia.co.uk
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