Music Classic Festival Line-Ups

Pogue Mahone

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Maybe this has been done before? Feck it, I'll crack on anyway...

Any festival you went to which turned out to have a lineup which looks absolutely classic, with hindsight?

This one I went to was pretty amazing, if you are/were a dance music fan.

Just a pity I spent most of my time there, tooling around on the dodgems and Ferris wheel....


homelands_mosney1.jpg
 
Technically not a festival but these three were by far the best DJs in the world at the time. From memory they did 2 hour sets back to back from 12 til 6.

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1998.08.29-poster-1.jpg

Went to this. Think it £80 for a weekend ticket. I never went to a festival again as I kept thinking a lineup like this was standard and the rest weren't up to scratch.
 
decorativeed said:
1998.08.29-poster-1.jpg

Went to this. Think it £80 for a weekend ticket. I never went to a festival again as I kept thinking a lineup like this was standard and the rest weren't up to scratch.
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What was it like in 1998? I went a decade later in 2008 and it was great fun but I'm thinking this might have been much better.
 
Vidyoyo said:
What was it like in 1998? I went a decade later in 2008 and it was great fun but I'm thinking this might have been much better.
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Yeah, Reading 98. I still look at the poster and regret all the great bands I couldn't watch while I was at another stage.

It was the year Beastie Boys and Prodigy had a spat about sexism as a result of the Smack My Bitch Up single. As a result, fans took sides and the spiky-haired domestic abuse champions were on stage first. When their set ended, about 20,000 just about-faced and walked away. Me and my mates had to dive over a fence into a speaker pen to avoid being trampled. I absolutely thought I was going to die!

Foo Fighters behind Supergrass on the bill is so weird in retrospect.
 
decorativeed said:
1998.08.29-poster-1.jpg

Went to this. Think it £80 for a weekend ticket. I never went to a festival again as I kept thinking a lineup like this was standard and the rest weren't up to scratch.
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Some real gems lower down the bill. Mogwai, Spiritualized, Roni Size. Although I think I’m the only person I know who is a fan of The Unbelievable Truth!
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Some real gems lower down the bill. Mogwai, Spiritualized, Roni Size. Although I think I’m the only person I know who is a fan of The Unbelievable Truth!
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I seem to remember one of them is related to a member of Radiohead?

I watched both Mogwai and Spiritualized. What isn't on the poster is that the band immediately before them was The Audience, who were drafted in as last minute replacements for Curve, much to the displeasure of almost the entire crowd. I remember Sophie Ellis Bexter telling everyone to go and watch someone else if we didn't like them, but I didn't want to give up my spot at the front. I'm glad I didn't though, because it was one of the last Spiritualized shows before J Spaceman fired the majority of the band and they became far, far worse as a result.
 
decorativeed said:
Yeah, Reading 98. I still look at the poster and regret all the great bands I couldn't watch while I was at another stage.

It was the year Beastie Boys and Prodigy had a spat about sexism as a result of the Smack My Bitch Up single. As a result, fans took sides and the spiky-haired domestic abuse champions were on stage first. When their set ended, about 20,000 just about-faced and walked away. Me and my mates had to dive over a fence into a speaker pen to avoid being trampled. I absolutely thought I was going to die!

Foo Fighters behind Supergrass on the bill is so weird in retrospect.
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That sounds interesting. Maybe I was under the wrong impression then as I didn't think Reading/Leeds got really big until a few years later. I was expecting it to be a bit less - for lack of a better word - mainstream than it eventually became.

To be honest, I think Reading/Leeds still put on good acts but its reputation as being for teenagers puts me off going now.
 
No idea how to share images but I went to reading 2002 as my first festival and that had a pretty great line up. 95 quid a ticket and I bought it at an independent record store in my home town.
 
decorativeed said:
I seem to remember one of them is related to a member of Radiohead?

I watched both Mogwai and Spiritualized. What isn't on the poster is that the band immediately before them was The Audience, who were drafted in as last minute replacements for Curve, much to the displeasure of almost the entire crowd. I remember Sophie Ellis Bexter telling everyone to go and watch someone else if we didn't like them, but I didn't want to give up my spot at the front. I'm glad I didn't though, because it was one of the last Spiritualized shows before J Spaceman fired the majority of the band and they became far, far worse as a result.
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Lead singer is Thom Yorke’s brother. It’s all a bit bland and inoffensive but some nice tunes. One of those albums that landed on me at a specific, memorable time of my life and has always stayed with me.

I saw Spiritualized live once. Although not at a festival. Great show.
 
decorativeed said:
1998.08.29-poster-1.jpg

Went to this. Think it £80 for a weekend ticket. I never went to a festival again as I kept thinking a lineup like this was standard and the rest weren't up to scratch.
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I went to this one, I remember particularly enjoying Spiritualised and Bad Religion and loads in the smaller tents

didn’t enjoy the main stage so much aside from Rancid and Foo Fighters
 
I missed Reading 98 (far too young), but made it to 2000, which is still one of my best ever festival experiences:

Reading-2000.jpg


I recall the massive buzz around Queens of the Stone Age (lunchtime in the Radio 1 tent - it was couple of months after Rated R was released). They headlined in 2014 (crap lineup that year), and Homme remarked on stage, “the first time we played here was at 1 o’clock. Now it’s 10 o’clock. That means we’re now 9 hours better. So it should be pretty much f*cking smooth sailing from now on.”
 
Leeds Fest 2002.

Reading-2002.jpg


Me and my gf at the time were intent on only going for 1 day, and she somehow convinced me that the Saturday was the day to go, because she wanted to see New Found Glory, and literally nobody else.

There's about a dozen bands on the Sunday that I loved at the time, and a good few more I'd have been interested to see, and maybe 5 or 6 on the Friday that I liked too, but nah, we went on the Saturday, and the only band on the bill that interested me was Weezer. I did wanna see Guided By Voices too, but she didn't want to, so we didn't... I wasn't into Aphex Twin at the time, but I do wish I'd have gone to see him rather then watch The Strokes, who are the dullest band I've ever seen.

Actually, I just wish I could go back and slap 16 year old and tell him to go on the Sunday, because going to a festival to watch one band is dumb as feck. Could've watched a load of cool punk bands on the Sunday, but we had to go on the bland NME buttrock day instead.


Yeah, looks like I haven't let that go after almost 20 years.
 
had my tent and bag nicked on the first day but was only 19 so didn’t seem to impact my enjoyment too much

was off my face for most of it, obviously.. which helped

images

It’s a bit annoying that Travis are listed before Bowie on the poster, if I had to nick pick like
 
Tarrou said:
had my tent and bag nicked on the first day but was only 19 so didn’t seem to impact my enjoyment too much

was off my face for most of it, obviously.. which helped

images

It’s a bit annoying that Travis are listed before Bowie on the poster, if I had to nick pick like
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Awesome lineup on the two main stages. Dance tent a bit meh, though?
 
They don't make festivals like they used to! 1999-2003 was the golden age for festivals. This is still the best festival line-up I've ever seen:

rs_634x845-191009085111-634-1999-coachella-poster.jpg
 
oneniltothearsenal said:
They don't make festivals like they used to! 1999-2003 was the golden age for festivals. This is still the best festival line-up I've ever seen:

rs_634x845-191009085111-634-1999-coachella-poster.jpg
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Oh my…

Interesting the way none of these lineups include “classic” acts from previous decades. They seemed to have much more confidence in contemporary acts than whoever picks acts for festivals these days.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Oh my…

Interesting the way none of these lineups include “classic” acts from previous decades. They seemed to have much more confidence in contemporary acts than whoever picks acts for festivals these days.
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Interesting point, for sure. Maybe it reflects that in that 1999-2000 era people were a lot more focused on being in the moment without the social media and internet of today creating permanent nostalgia for previous eras.
 
oneniltothearsenal said:
Interesting point, for sure. Maybe it reflects that in that 1999-2000 era people were a lot more focused on being in the moment without the social media and internet of today creating permanent nostalgia for previous eras.
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I guess also because they were so much more affordable back then? So you could sell out to a young audience, without relying on huge swathes of middle aged, well off folk on a nostalgia tip to fill the venue?

My own memory of festivals in that era was them being full of people my own age. Anyone over 40 was very much in the minority and stuck out as some sort of weirdo crusty/hippy/trustafarian type. Never mind 50 or 60 year olds!
 
Portrush beach party 2008

Chemical brothers live
Eric prydz
Steve Angello
Fedde Le Grand
Col Hamilton

Was class for NI at the time. Needless to say this was an unreal day totally sober.

There's one in Belfast end Aug that has Carl Cox bicep and camelphat which would be class
 
Infra-red said:
I missed Reading 98 (far too young), but made it to 2000, which is still one of my best ever festival experiences:

Reading-2000.jpg


I recall the massive buzz around Queens of the Stone Age (lunchtime in the Radio 1 tent - it was couple of months after Rated R was released). They headlined in 2014 (crap lineup that year), and Homme remarked on stage, “the first time we played here was at 1 o’clock. Now it’s 10 o’clock. That means we’re now 9 hours better. So it should be pretty much f*cking smooth sailing from now on.”
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Jesus fecking Christ. I'm a big metal fan and that Friday is ridiculous. Blink182, Slipknot and RATM all easily headline Download and have done for a LONG time now.

They've also got Foo Fighters 3rd down on the Sunday who are bigger than all of the 3 I just mentioned.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
I guess also because they were so much more affordable back then? So you could sell out to a young audience, without relying on huge swathes of middle aged, well off folk on a nostalgia tip to fill the venue?

My own memory of festivals in that era was them being full of people my own age. Anyone over 40 was very much in the minority and stuck out as some sort of weirdo crusty/hippy/trustafarian type. Never mind 50 or 60 year olds!
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Yeah, that's a good point. I remember festivals being filled with people our age. I remember a few 30/40-year-olds that still looked 25 though. And yes to the weird hippies as well :lol:
 
Apart from Franz Ferdinand it's a fecking incredible line up. Probably the goat festival for the emos (need a magnifying glass to spot Paramore).

Reading-2006.jpg
 
P-Ro said:
Apart from Franz Ferdinand it's a fecking incredible line up. Probably the goat festival for the emos (need a magnifying glass to spot Paramore).

Reading-2006.jpg
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See, for me, that's really poor. About three bands on there that I care about. I don't think I'd even bother going near the main stage. Loads of bands that I felt were inexplicably big back then that most people wouldn't even remember now. Each to their own, mind!

The comedy stages look pretty great though (Russel Brand and John Bishop aside). Could definitely spend a great weekend in there.
 
decorativeed said:
See, for me, that's really poor. About three bands on there that I care about. I don't think I'd even bother going near the main stage. Loads of bands that I felt were inexplicably big back then that most people wouldn't even remember now. Each to their own, mind!

The comedy stages look pretty great though (Russel Brand and John Bishop aside). Could definitely spend a great weekend in there.
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Each to their own I know but the lineup you posted there's probably only the Foo Fighters and the Prodigy who are either big enough currently or have recently headlined Reading. From the one I posted Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, Muse, Arctic Monkeys, My Chemical Romance & Paramore could still headline. A lot more bands in 2006 who were on their way to becoming huge.
 
Volumiza said:
I was at that one. I think I had fun, can’t quite remember much, bit of a blur.
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Yep, complete blur to me as well. No idea how I got back from there either with third degree gurns.

Pogue Mahone said:
Outrageous. The only downside being that I would have spent the entire 48 hours paralysed by drug induced confusion about which tent I should be in. Either that or spend the whole weekend in one tent and regret that decision forever.
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That summed it up well for my experience. I was in the Godskitchen & Bedrock tent for all of Saturday with a highlight of a remix of mine being played in the GK tent. Then regretting on the Sunday not hearing anything of the Carl Cox tent.
 
P-Ro said:
Each to their own I know but the lineup you posted there's probably only the Foo Fighters and the Prodigy who are either big enough currently or have recently headlined Reading. From the one I posted Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, Muse, Arctic Monkeys, My Chemical Romance & Paramore could still headline. A lot more bands in 2006 who were on their way to becoming huge.
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I think that's more damning of how few good new bands there are at the moment. I know I'm getting into bitter old man territory, but it just seems like nostalgia acts and boring crap like Ed Sheeran now have set a very low bar for things.

Like I say, it's all personal taste and completely subjective, but I never liked the Prodigy back then or now, and I wouldn't listen to a Foo Fighters record they released after 2000, since when they have became as popular as I thought they deserved to be back in the 90s, when they'd be playing daytime slots and venues like Manchester Apollo.
 
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