June 24, 2007

Hyde Park Calling

Finally a music festival! I can't remember the last festival I went to, it's been a few years I think....Hyde Park Calling was a nice reintroduction - it was a very laid back with a line up that was reflected in the crowd. The headline act was Peter Gabriel, with Crowded House and Buena Vista Social Club preceding, so there were a lot of older people and kids. First festival I've ever been to without witnessing ecstasy fuelled revellers sucking lollipops and still dancing when the music has finished!



We arrived late as we were primarily going just to see Crowded House, and it had been raining most of the day. The sun had come out and everything seems relatively dry, but there were threatening purple clouds on the horizon. We caught a bit of The Feeling, watched the end of the Borne set, then went and waited for Crowded House who were playing the main stage outside.



Crowded House were fantastic, but as with all festivals, there was a conflict in the schedule - Buena Vista Social Club started playing on another stage in a huge tent half way through the Crowded House set, and I wanted to see them. We decided to head to the tent for a couple of songs, then go back to Crowded House. After a couple of songs the heavens opened up outside and it started pouring, so we stayed for a little bit longer. Eventually we decided to brave the rain and go see the end of Crowded House, but as we were about to leave the tent we heard that it had finished early due to the rain! We stayed and boogied (salsaed?) to the Social Club.



When the rain stopped there were saturated people everywhere, the ground was sodden, and there were puddles galore. Thank god for waterproof boots! I think the highlight for Sarah was when she found herself with a beer in one hand and fairy floss in the other!



Peter Gabriel was crap...... We waited and waited for him to do 'Sledgehammer', which he finally did, but we had to listen to quite a bit of his new garbage to get to it.

Check this below. Looks like seats don't they? The puddles underneath should give it away......



They're not seats, they are portable troughs in the mens toilets!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

me is a very jealous girl ....... you have seen Buena Vista Social Club!!!
It is good that you watched that instead of Crowded House, when I was reading on your story I thought you would give up Buena for Crowded, silly silly, but it was meant to be that you saw Buena :)
Hope they come to Ozzie one day .....