Friday, July 16, 2010

In Case You Missed It: Another "Cymbal Rush"

So last month at the 40th anniversary edition of Glastonbury, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood performed a secret set for the massive crowd of fans that found the rumors too compelling to ignore. During the nine-song set, the breathtaking and apparently versatile "Cymbal Rush" from Yorke's The Eraser was given yet another live interpretation. When performed at the Radiohead gigs in 2008, Thom Yorke took the stage alone at the piano. While not as different as Atoms for Peace's funky, tribal performance of the song, this new take benefits from Greenwood's French Connection, giving the already spell-binding song an added layer of eeriness.

So what's your favourite?

Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood at Glastonbury:


Atoms for Peace in Boston:


Thom Yorke (minus the rest of Radiohead) at the Santa Barbara Bowl in 2008:

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

So I Went to Glastonbury 2010

Last year I went to Glastonbury and loved it so much, despite the overwhelming nature of the fest, the weather, and the toll it all takes on the mind and body, that I just had to return this year. Read my formal review of Glastonbury 2010 here. For a recap, here is a far-more detailed account of last year's adventure.

How did they compare? Sadly, I got sick by Wednesday night due to the stress involved with getting there and setting up, plus breathing in all that dust, and those extreme drops in temperature between day and night. Yes, I had to go to the onsite emergency room and was prescribed antibiotics for my chest and sinus infection. I only got to have one cider the entire time. Life isn't fair.

But besides this, it was the best Glastonbury yet. The Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood performance and the Jarvis Cocker DJ set elevated a great lineup to the level of amazing, the artwork was better than ever, the weekend was full of Glastonbury moments that will be remembered for years, and the boiling heat and impenetrable cloud of dust gave us all a newfound appreciation for the rain and mud of previous years.

Some more photos:


Brothers Cider!


Massive crowd for England vs Slovenia


Sunset at Stone Circle is nice.


Subtle?


Deliciousness!


Every kind of craft imaginable is available at Glastonbury, and then some.


Best thing ever.


Our Father who art in Dublin, Bono be thy name...


A replica of Stonehenge made out of glowing cubes of light. This was a performance space, too.


The Rabbit Hole, an Alice in Wonderland-themed tent with "secret" tunnels that lead to all sorts of other places and venues, even a cinema. Sadly, I did not discover them all, but I got to see Jarvis Cocker dj here. Only at Glastonbury!


Scrapping plans to see Florence + the Machine, get a good dinner, and stake out a spot for Gorillaz in order to see if the Thom Yorke secret set rumours were true was the best decision ever. Jonny Greenwood was there, too!


Arcadia's amazing laser-firing, flame-spewing mega-stage monstrosity.


Dog-Faced Geisha Bar, and a bunch of tentacle-themed cartoons. Only at Glastonbury...and Japan.


Glastonbury has a Spiegeltent, and like everything else at the festival, it's a bar.


Snap!


Drum Machine. Very fun. If you did a good job playing it, it would say "the machine is happy" and you could hear every little thing you did, even with several others also doing their own thing at the same time. The best art is of the interactive variety.


Say no to crack.


Sunrise at Stone(d) Circle, aka the laughing gas capital of the world.