Text Box: Text Box: Text Box: Friday 27/6 The torrential rain did not lapse the whole evening and so it showed at daybreak. Glastonbury had returned to its muddy roots- now was the time to reach for those wellies. The rain didn't really ease off until mid-afternoon. Lupe Fiasco *Jazz World* 18:15- 19:15 approx. Call me naive, but I wasn't aware of Lupe's underground following. I was aware of some of his hits and that he had worked with a ton of R&B stars, but for a festival that is supposed to view hip-hop as some sort of antichrist, the turnout for a very-much secondary stage was nothing short of phenomenal. And Lupe certainly didn't disappoint, cycling through a catalogue of hits both from debut 'Food & Liquor' and follow-up 'The Cool'. The crowd were absolutely enthralled by the Chicago native and he managed to get in what was to be the first of many 'shout-outs' to Jay-Z. Ended with popular single 'Daydream' which ensured the crowd left as they had arrived- in a frenzy. 'Daydream' Crowd- 5 Performance- 4 Setlist- 4 Fun Lovin' Criminals *Jazz World* 19:45- 20:50 approx. Time for the fallen self-styled 'King of New York', yes everyone's favourite Pulp Fiction loving wannabe gangsters- The Fun Lovin' Criminals were next to adorn the cult Jazz World stage with quite the hard act to follow. I have only seen FLC once which was just after the release of 'Loco' in 2001 at Reading, a horrendous performance by a band clearly in decline. This time around it's fair to say that the performance was an improved one, but something about Huey's constant need to overdress the lyrics and use of profanity where there really is no need rather grates on me. The crowd on hand had reduced by at least 1/5 of what Lupe attracted. The last time the FLC played Glasto was in '99 where they played on the Pyramid Stage- that should tell you pretty much where the band have gone since the likes of 'Come Find Yourself'. Despite this, the general crowd rapport was as smooth as we come to expect from the NYC band, which generally reacted well to the setlist. A mediocre, if uninspiring performance. 'King of New York', 'Loco', 'The Fun Lovin' Criminal', 'Bump' Crowd- 2.5 Performance- 4 Setlist- 3.5 Estelle *Jazz World* 21:20- 22:30 approx. The Jazz World isn't the most centred stage you will find at the festival. It's pretty easy to spot what with its raging red flags and party atmosphere. What you need to understand about Glastonbury is that unlike other festivals where stages tend to downsize from the Main Stage on, virtually all the stages at Worthy Farm have a similar land mass adorning them, which shows you how much of an achievement Mr. Fiasco's crowd was. Well the second hip-hop act had probably an even harder task to pull off. The adopted American girl was up against indie newcomers 'The Enemy', indie sensations 'The Fratellis' and sultry Rolsin Murphy- formerly of Moloko fame. But you know what, there must have been just a good a turnout as Lupe pulled for the West London born star. Sadly I don't feel her performance matched the assembled audience. Estelle has all the tools to succeed- she's a very good singer, writes catchy tunes and rather like all successful Brit ladies, namely Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse- has a fantastic backing band. But well sometimes it's all about your charisma and stage presence. Estelle has both but instead chooses to enter into vast monologues explaining the origins of all the songs she plays with more than a tinge of bitterness in her words. That may be down to her rather lukewarm success on these shores but maybe there is a justified reason for that. She certainly can count on some die-hard supporters if this crowd was anything to judge by, but maybe she just isn't as likeable as other artists. Whatever the reason, her setlist was an accomplished one which flowed well- despite her constant commentary Also a predictable shout-out to "her man Jigga" who'd she'd seen the previous night in Dublin apparently. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Shawn Corey Carter was filming Jonathan Ross on Friday night... 'American Boy', '1980', 'Free' Crowd- 4.5 Performance- 3 Setlist- 4 Kate Nash *The Queen's Head* 21:30- 22:20 approx. Well if Jazz World is hard to find, blink and you would miss this one. A self-styled indie "pub atmosphere" is what they're going for here with The Smiths' 'Queen is Dead' connotations. A smart little venue and the site for Ms. Nash's first venture into the wet and wild atmosphere of this year's Glasto. This was quite a mixed-up set from the usually sombre Nash, who did two this year. There was a lot of musical improvisation going on which was good to see- an artist really enjoying themselves on stage. The only thing I would comment about that is some artists when doing things like this look completely natural- Winehouse, Doherty, Craig/Vines. However some really don't and sadly Nash falls into that category with the likes of Coldplay's Chris Martin's 'Mad Scientist' impersonation (think pianos in 'Clocks'). However we will give Nash the benefit of the doubt as the crowd certainly enjoyed it. 'Merry Happy' Crowd- 4 Performance- 4 Setlist- 3 Jimmy Cliff *Jazz World* 23:00- 00:15 approx. Another great attribute that Glasto has is the ability to play on as long and as loudly as they wish- who's going to hear you in acres of farmland miles from civilization (you don't know how true that is sometimes). Now here's a man who knows how to work a crowd- 60 years young and still as vibrant as ever. Now I did mention the Jazz World had somewhat of an underground following- but if it did that following just rose up and took over the whole site. It was breathtaking the difference in mood after the reggae superstar came on stage. A real party atmosphere, blink and you might think you were in the Rio Carnival rather than the wet farmlands of Somerset. Absolutely fantastic performance from a legendary frontman, whose sounds reverberated long and far round the site. 'Wonderful World, Beautiful People' Crowd- 5 Performance 4.5 Dizzee Rascal *The Park* 22:45- 23:30 approx. One of the more bizarrely situated stages of the festival- Right in the south-western corner of the site lies 'The Park' with its grand design and marble arch. Inside lies a feast of musical venues including the 'BBC Introducing' new music stage and the cult 'Rabbit Hole'. Dizzee, probably as surprised at his endless festival billing as we are was busy telling the crowd that they wanted him to come off but "Fuck them."- not entirely true, as it turned out, but luckily for Dizzee we weren't to know that until long after he'd gone. A very large gathering had assembled, but let's not forget this was originally Doherty's slot and news doesn't travel that fast in these constricted fields. Dizzee was certainly making the most of the extra exposure and it is fair to say that a fine proportion of the gathered spectators were there to see him. 'Fix Up, Look Sharp', 'Jus' a Rascal' Crowd- 4 Performance- 3.5 Setlist- 3 Pete Doherty (solo acoustic set) *The Park* 0:00- 0:50 approx. Relatively short set for a headlining act but I really can't speak highly enough of the Babyshambles frontman's performances. I never saw Pete perform with the Libertines (Reading '02) as that was around the time he was being incarcerated for burgling his bandmate's flat. And indeed he mentioned "Mister Carlos Barat" before launching into 'Can't Stand Me Now'. The rumours were rife beforehand that the rather dishevelled Dirty Pretty Things main man was to join Pete, well if he was planning to he may have been a bit too early! Pete who will be familiar with all the surroundings of Worthy Farm explained his poor timekeeping. Dressed in his trademark suit and bowler combination, Docho also managed to sport some Glasto wellies in his on-stage ensemble. Apparently Pete had got his days wrong and thought he was playing on the Saturday, only after a panic had Doherty been informed of his error. And that for me sums up why he is such a musical genius- the set he put on was so spontaneous and just flowed. It must be very difficult to perform in front of a large crowd who are constantly hoping you will mess it up; indeed one hack behind me was overheard remarking: "Oh he's wasted, he's fucking mad." And why? Well he repeated the same line during 'La Belle et la Bete' you see... obviously must be out of it to do that, not that there's a difference between live and studio performance, mind. That aside Pete took a highly captivated audience to the 'Tine days of 'What a Waster', the 'Shambles classics 'Beg, Steal or Borrow' and 'Albion' and debuted some new material from his forthcoming solo effort. It was a truly polished performance from an established artist who is all too often tarred with the same brush that mars the likes of Winehouse, the difference being if Pete was high as a kite you could never tell from his musical display. The acoustic set really seemed to suit Doherty and maybe solo work is where his future lies. He just looked like a guy that wanted to concentrate on what he does best- making beautiful music. 'What a Waster', 'La Belle et La Bette', 'Albion', 'Beg, Steal or Borrow', 'Can't Stand Me Now' Crowd- 4 Performance- 5 Setlist- 4.5 Glasto ‘08 Part 3 Text Box: Links and affiliates Contact Me Text Box: Doherty– a true star of this years’ Glasto Text Box: The much-missed Jiggaman Text Box: Ratings Key- In italics are memorable songs played Acts are rated out of 5 for their: Crowd– general turnout and reaction Performace– How well the act performed Setlist– The choice of songs performed and the flow. Text Box: Jimmy Cliff– a crowd pleaser