While the prospect of live performances in the scale of what it once was is still not a remote possibility now, the euphoric experience of grand musical convergences such as Glastonbury Festival is coming to a screen very, very near you.
Forget crowd surfing, because this year, virtual concerts and livestreamed music festivals will still be the main access to large-scale entertainment of this sort. Sure, slowly and surely, the rest of the more efficient world is easing back to a semblance of normal, but for the most part, caution and vigilance still has to be exercised until the pandemic will be sufficiently and confidently quelled. While there is still quite a long way to go until the eventual end to the punishing crisis, the life and culture-deprived population have been finding ways to divert their attention with amusement workarounds over the past year. Instead of skipping the spirit of song just as many have in response to the necessary limits and exercise of caution, there is a steady return of the concert scene, such as one of the longest running and highly anticipated, Glastonbury Festival.
Now, while there will be no convergence of the sweaty, sentimental, and sing-your-heart-out sort IRL just yet, safe, distanced, and digital iterations are the next best thing for now. If the performances and presentations online so far are any indication, then we are in for a treat. In fact, in an effort to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Glastonbury Festival despite the cancellation in 2020, the BBC special combining filmed performances and archived footage amassed a viewership count of a whopping 10 million.
With the visceral experience pared down to the device of your choosing, the magic of music and charm of coming together still exists in high-definition glory. So, yes, we may be surfing by way of the couch and channels for now, but at least we can take part of Glastonbury Festival with a lot more people in some way, shape, and form.
All Systems Go
Live at Worthy Farm, as is tradition with Glastonbury Festival, it’s all systems go for the contemporary performing arts celebration on May 23, 2021 (5PM PHT). Presented in the Philippines together with Karpos Multimedia, Globe, GMovies, and Upstream, the union of music, dance, theater, circus, cabaret, and for this broadcast in particular, spoken word, will be spread out in a five-hour production that will be filmed across iconic landmarks such as Pyramid Field and Stone Circle.
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“After two Glastonbury cancellations, it brings us great pleasure to announce our first online livestream,” says Emily Eavis, Glastonbury Festival coordinator, in a statement. “It will feature a rolling cast of artists and performers who have all given us enormous support by agreeing to take part in this event, showing the farm as you have never seen it. There will also be some very special guest appearances and collaborations. We are hoping this will bring a bit of Glastonbury to your homes and that for one night only people all over the world will be able to join us on this journey through the farm together!”
See You At The Farm
Promising to make the virtual solution just as good as the live one from the comforts of your couch, Glastonbury Festival will be headlined by a stellar lineup including the likes of Coldplay, Damon Albarn, HAIM, IDLES, Jorja Smith, Kano, Michael Kiwanuka, Wolf Alice, and DJ Honey Dijon. All that and possibly more for a sensible price of P1535? Sign us up, stat. Whether you are coming as a first-timer or a regular, remember, this is a one night only special, so you will want to get in on the legend and lore of the Glastonbury Festival.
It may not be what it was, but for what it’s worth, it means a whole lot for this to become a remote reality, especially in these times. So, while we may not be able to rock out and experience the euphoria live, the music still persists, doing what it does best when it counts.
