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Thursday 4 July 2013

GLASTO.. THE FESTIVAL FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS MND....... PART 2 (MY RUN-DOWN OF THE MUSIC)

OK! just to explain the title... I'm writing this Blog as a woman with MND, but also as a woman who lives a life.. so you'll get both here, the MND perspective and the festival goer perspective.


So the first dreadful night. When I hired the hospital bed it couldn't be delivered with a mattress because of (yet again) health and safety restricticions !!!!. I could get one off them but it would be expensive. SO.... I bought an inexpensive one from Argos ( Knowing Sweetie Pie, my grand daughter, would be on it when she visited)  This was a mistake... I could feel every spring when I did eventually get into bed...BUT  getting into bed. by now it was dark and we had little torch light.. Elsa has used a standing hoist but not the same one... so i gave her the 3min course on the hoist.... BUT  nothing could prepare either of us hoisting on grass!


So morning... I didn't want to spoil Glasto for my friends... so, leaving me with tea and a bacon sandwich , off they went to suss out the whole scene.

At 2 we got together and set off for the pyramid stage.

I had hoped to meander amongst the other stages and shops as ever... but one journey to the pyramid indicted that this would be impossible..

You see ,this a farm. Farms use tractors. Tractors leave rutts....wheel chairs on ruts go BUMP BUMP BUMP...... and it is very uncomfortable....  believe me.

But I got on the the viewing platform for the bands.....

Here is my three day run-down of all the music I saw...

FRIDAY
3:30  RITA ORA... Amazing !!! dressed in red.. I didn't understand why she wasn't higher up the performers list.
5:00 PROFESSOR GREEN.. what a waste of space !!
6:30 THE VACCINES... had never heard of them ( My problem ?) Inoffensive but that's all I can say!
8:30  DIZZEE RASCAL    Amazing!!!   He got the whole enormous audience, on his side and we all whooped away !!! YEY !!!!
10:30 ARCTIC MONKEYS... OH dear !!! I thought I was going to see Snow Patrol !! get the link.,. coldnesss.!!!! and Arctic Monkeys didn't do it for me !


SATURDAY
3:30  BEN HOWARD....  delightful !!
5:30 ELVIS COSTELLO...   well it was him and a good performance
7:00  PRIMAL SCREAM... By now, the whole of the Pyramid area was filling . the crowds were massive.. We were were all waiting for the Rolling Stones... Primal Scream were as they are, but the audience didn't please them . We didn't respond to their many requests to "Make some noise"... the lead singer seemed to get more and more frustrated and eventually said "Come on you Fuckers, make some noise "! Well after that who would..????     Not me !
9:30  THE ROLLING STONES... A beginning number Jumping Jack Flash with lots of fireworks... Lots of older tracks... but the BBC joined later and I don't feel the TV viewer got the best of the performance. I was electrified and the disappointment for me was that "Hey, You, Get Off My Cloud" was missed off the set. The whole experience of seeing the Stones was phenomenal for  me. It was a main thrill of Glasto with MND.
 And yes, unless ALL The Beatles reform !!!!then I wont go again.. this was my last Glasto.. after 12 yrs of going ... AMAZING !


SUNDAY 
3:45  KENNY ROGERS...  I arrived when the crowds were thick for Kenny. It was amazing .I simply said excuse me and the people parted.... like the Red Sea. This is soooo Glasto. 
I have never seen a fight or unpleasantness.. OK' people get drunk and/ or have too many drugs but they simply seem to sleep and /or just be happy. As I was getting through the crowd, people said excuse me to me ! !!!and they parted like the Red Sea ! eg    At one point,  a guy was sleeping and in the way, his mate kicked him ,and said get out of the way for the lady. He moved immediately . 
What kindness, what courtesy... 
I was touched. 
Sorry but,  this is supposed to be a commentary on Kenny Rogers.. 
Well, it seems traditional on Sunday afternoons at Glasto ,that you have a Kenny type person. Families sit down and chill. BUT this year plenty of families sat together and there were many standing... He was  sooo well received. Simply delightful with lots of one liners........................ sooo good. And I didn't expect to be saying this ! WONDERFUL 
5:30 VAMPIRE WEEKEND...  for me, unmemorable.. think I was chatting and eating and having the only pint of cider of the weekend!!!!!!!!....
7:45 NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS... Oh dear !  Can't say anything positive .because, I just don't like songs about death and crudity.!!!!!. but it seems, the very few do ! However there was great sigh of relief as they ended , ie from Anne and and I .. and the THEN he had the audacity to come back on for an encore !! And no-one had shouted for one. Anne and I simply looked at each other and said .. OH No !! Even the Security said.. surely they wont be back again,, and they were young.. so it just wasn't me !!!
9:45 MUMFORD AND SONS   the band I had looked forward to ,...... apart from the Stones,..... all weekend.... but 30 mins prior to their performance I started to feel very ill .I couldn't get my breath. I was soooo cold despite 2 jumpers, a thermal vest, a Tee shirt, a coat 2 blankets and a cagoule type cover-all. Basically I had been wearing Tena Lady pants all the time, as \I knew that if I were to need the loo when on the viewing platform , there would be no time to get back to tent and the commode.. BUT Tena Lady don't allow you to open your bowels.. Urine is OK but there is no space for the other.. I had had pains from Saturday but now when I really really wanted to be at the very end... No way ... we had to go back to the tent. I was hoisted onto the commode.. OH Joy, I went . I said Io Anne and Elsa , do go back and watch the end... But they valiantly stayed with me. We heard the end of the concert from our field and drank some wine....

This, in part, may seen negative.. ie re music... but it e
was brill just to be there , listening topeeeeeople.. I know that whilst I dont like eaxh band , it dimply doesny matter, basically Im ok for my values and I enjoyedevery moment of glasro s013

PART 3 HOW TO MANAGE GLASTO WHEN YOU HAVE MND... HOT TIPS !

HUG ME , I'VE GOT MND



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