Glastonbury 2011

I had intended on following up yesterday’s Blog about U2 at Glastonbury (from the point of view of a TV viewer) with one about Coldplay. I started watching the Coldplay set but I’ll be honest I got bored and switched to other more interesting and diverse Glastonbury coverage.

I’m no expert on Coldplay and didn’t recognise the opening song. I think it was one of the new ones. It seemed a strange way to start and the crowd went almost silent. They should have started with the second song they performed which was ‘Yellow’. The crowd sung every word and it came across very well on television. After this it all went a bit flat and boring so I switched over and waited for the Chemical Brothers to come on.

While waiting for the Chemical Brothers I caught some of Aloe Blacc who was cooler than an Eskimo sat on an iceberg. I also watched Jessie J who did her whole set sat down because of a broken foot. Jessie J was joined on stage by a little girl from the crowd to join her singing Price Tag. The young lady in question was a 7 year old called Shay and she lit up the whole event. It was one of those wonderful Glastonbury moments.

There was also some coverage of Omar Souleyman from The Glade Stage. Omar Souleyman is Syrian and his sound is hard to describe. It’s like the Islamic call to prayer with a trance beat. I loved it.

The Chemical Brothers headlined the Other Stage. They are an amazing live act but it doesn’t always come across very well on the television. Last night’s coverage worked really well though and with the sound cranked up a notch was very enjoyable. It’s the sort of music that makes you want to drop one and go out and party.

After the Chemical Brothers I watched the Coldplay highlights on the red button. I really enjoyed it. I do like Coldplay but if you take away the best 4 or 5 songs it’s all a bit bland. The highlights were the best way to watch it. Chris Martin is a remarkable talent and I wish him and his band continued success. They certainly gave U2 a lesson in festival headlining. I just prefer something a bit less middle of the road.