Jay-Z is killing off Glastonbury festival

[crackerjack]

none of those hip hop acts were headliners though were they? they were somewhere else on the bill or on another stage. plus that was a time when mags like the nme or whoever would maybe run a bit on more rappers than they do these days.

Yeah, I was amused by the idea Jay-Z was booked because they want a younger audience. You barely see kids under 25 at hip hop gigs these days.

 

[PeteUM]

My idea of hell. Then again, it's my idea of hell as it is.

Well, I remember being there many years ago, on acid, seperated from my friends watching first Ozric Tentacles and then Hawkwind. Some kid wearing only very dirty grey jogging bottoms was hanging off the scaffolding of the stage, swaying from side to side and staring with druggy intensity at the crowd. The music was pretty much what you'd expect, but the spectacle was quite enjoyable in an understandably heavy kind of way. I spent a lot of time wondering whether I did in fact need a shit, and where I would take the shit if I did. Eventually I scrambled over a bank into a potato field which contained hundreds of examples of human defecation in discrete lumps every few yards. It was a kind of vision of hell, and I remember feeling a kind of profound existential loneliness. But if you asked me if I would swap the experience for one of standing next to some home-counties muppet with a hair wrap and a sun hat, waving her arms around to whatever NME-hyped skinny-tie cock jockeys are playing on the pyramid stage, then obviously I wouldn't.

I would go on, but I can literally feel myself aging as I type...

 

[mistersloane]

It was a kind of vision of hell, and I remember feeling a kind of profound existential loneliness.

Genius.

 

[bassnation]

Well, I remember being there many years ago, on acid, seperated from my friends watching first Ozric Tentacles and then Hawkwind. Some kid wearing only very dirty grey jogging bottoms was hanging off the scaffolding of the stage, swaying from side to side and staring with druggy intensity at the crowd. The music was pretty much what you'd expect, but the spectacle was quite enjoyable in an understandably heavy kind of way. I spent a lot of time wondering whether I did in fact need a shit, and where I would take the shit if I did. Eventually I scrambled over a bank into a potato field which contained hundreds of examples of human defecation in discrete lumps every few yards. It was a kind of vision of hell, and I remember feeling a kind of profound existential loneliness. But if you asked me if I would swap the experience for one of standing next to some home-counties muppet with a hair wrap and a sun hat, waving her arms around to whatever NME-hyped skinny-tie cock jockeys are playing on the pyramid stage, then obviously I wouldn't.

I would go on, but I can literally feel myself aging as I type...

ha ha, brilliant. totally in agreement with your conclusion too.

 

[Benny Bunter]

Watched this on the box last night. I've never really been much of a jay-z fan until now, but I thought he smacked it

 

[gumdrops]

i thought he was kinda crap.

lol.

that wonderwall cover - he got the tone right for the first verse then lost it and it ended up being just another singalong cover. hardly a gauntlet-throwing moment to indie/oasis. if he stopped it abruptly half way through then went into his own material to take the piss out of it that would have been better but instead he inadvertently ended up looking like he was kissing up to the crowd.

 

[Grievous Angel]

I thought he rocked it.

 

[slim jenkins]

Sadly, he failed to kill off Glastonbury.

Watched some of Whinehouse...Blake's coming out in two weeks, you know...she's serious...Blake's coming out in two weeks...

 

[fokse vektaire xeven]

if he stopped it abruptly half way through then went into his own material to take the piss out of it that would have been better but instead he inadvertently ended up looking like he was kissing up to the crowd.

I thought it was meant to be an inclusive gesture, "I embrace your culture"... hip hop by its nature can co opt almost anything. Still- pretty ropey set really, but kinda funny. seemed to win the crowd over.

 

[Benny Bunter]

How was it ropey? The band sounded good, Jay-z sounded good. It was as professional a show as you could hope for I thought. He played the hits, worked the crowd, rapped over 'A milli'...what more could you want?

I was quite surprised at Jay-z's diplomatic response to Noel Gallagher's ignorant comments. I thought he would have been a lot more angry, but he just seemed to take it in his stride in a light-hearted sort of way.

 

[gumdrops]

i thought the set didnt really build up to much. and all the 'guest verse' cameos he did just looked like he included them to kinda coast off those songs appeal. who the fuck really cares about jiggas verse on umbrella? most people would prefer if it wasnt even on there. but he included it cos he knew the crowd knew that better than most of his songs. lame, imo. IMO the set just didnt have much momentum, too much start-stopping and odd selections (too much from the last few albums instead of older hits)/changes in pace. who would ever think excuse me miss would be a good song for glasto? lol. should have just been a non stop string of bangers (ride with me, roc boys, money aint a thing, do it again, dope man, snoopy track, girls best friend, its alright - this should def have been done - talking heads sample and bleek was with him so they could have traded verses) with occasional slower material. the u2 and linkin park mashups at the end just seemed a bit corny/desperate.

and i might be alone but i thought the band sounded a bit weedy. half the set they didnt even seem to be playing!

I thought it was meant to be an inclusive gesture, "I embrace your culture"... hip hop by its nature can co opt almost anything.

a half sarcastic/half pandering cover isnt really 'co-opting' imho, lol. he was in a tricky position, not wanting to offend 1000s off indie kids or their patron saint, but trying to do what he does - not sure he pulled it off. i find him quite dour/expressionless as a performer. hes not exactly a dmx or busta.

 

[Benny Bunter]

I dunno, I'm only just sort of coming round to Jay-Z, I came away really impressed by him. he's got a real star quality to him, its undeniable really. It was only right that he done stuff like Umbrella and all his big hits. Its Glastonbury for fucks sake, I would have been disappointed if he didn't.

 

[gumdrops]

but umbrella isnt even his hit! the point is he had dozens of other genuine hits of his own that he could have done but he didnt even do them. just a strange selection IMO.

 

[fokse vektaire xeven]

How was it ropey?

Well...with the dude in the waistcoat playing guitar...snippets of the prodigy etc...not a big fan of the whole showbiz"festival medley" approach! that's all. yes- very slickly done, no doubting that.

a half sarcastic/half pandering cover isnt really 'co-opting' imho, lol.

you forget, Americans aren't capable of sarcasm gumdrops

imagine oasis trying to do a jay-z cover and maybe you'll see what i mean. hip hop is an inherently very flexible form that way...

i thought if anything it seemed kinda generous! the best case scenario is after all this publicity him and noel gallagher have a matey public reconciliation and do, "Wonderwall 2008" with Jay busting a guest verse.

 

[gumdrops]

lol.

i could almost see that.

what he should have done is stop the song mid way, do that 'nah nah fuck that shit' thing rappers are really good at and then stormed into 99 problems.

 

[benjybars]

what he should have done is stop the song mid way, do that 'nah nah fuck that shit' thing rappers are really good at and then stormed into 99 problems.

haha.

it's true, rappers really excel at that 'nah nah fuck that shit thing' thing..

 

[optimum]

I thought he smacked it. Considering that it's main stage and a headline show he pulled it off. Wonderwall was a stroke of genuis, tho it would've been nice if he'd got Just Blaze or someone (Rustie lol) to sample it and turn it into a beat/new tune. Would've loved to see a light hearted version of Takeover too, with Nas replaced by Noel ha ha.

 

[Martin Dust]

I remember when hip hop meant something other than production values and one gag.

 

[bun-u]

i thought he was good too, not a massive fan of music concerts of that scale but he made it work

 

[jonny mugwump]

I remember when hip hop meant something other than production values and one gag.

This is more than a fair point but the issue here is a mainstream argument against the attitude of people like gallagher and the ridiculously narrow mindset that indie music is installing across the media.

I though the set was ok for what it was- more energetic in the first half, the oasis thing was nice but did go on too long and seemed to slightly backfire but that's more down to the dickheads in the crowd who sang along.

I guess what's sad is that this discussion ever had to take place and that every utterance issued by the cretinous brothers grim is still seemingly of interest to the media.