Too Old For Oxegen, Just About Young Enough For Electric Picnic
Posted on Sunday, July 13, 2008I didn’t go to Oxegen, I’m not going to Electric Picnic, and this is starting to look like a worrying trend. I’m kicking myself a little bit that I wasn’t organised enough to buy a ticket, but there’s another side to why I didn’t go to Oxegen.
I think I’d feel too old.
Now, this is a bit strange when you consider some of the artists performing there. REM, Eddy Grant, the Manic Street Preachers. Echo and the Bunnymen. The Stranglers, for fucksake. These are the musicians that people of my age listened to while we bounced our baby children on our knee, so what the fuck happened? Our baby children grew up and said fuck off, you should be at home listening to Elton John. It doesn’t matter what you say. It makes no difference trying to point out that you were listening to this music before — and possibly while — they were conceived.
On top of that, I introduced my children to the music of My Morning Jacket, the National, the Hold Steady. Not to mention fucking Alabama 3, which is the final insult: not only did my daughter start taking an interest in their music, but she also became good friends with the fuckers.
This is an outrage. Don’t they realise I’m an award-winning music writer? Now, they’re all at the goddam concert, while I grumble at you about being too old.
How did this happen? I’d like to hear Rage Against the Machine. I want to hear MMJ live, and Amy Winehouse while she’s still alive, which won’t be long more. I’d like to hear Groove Armada shakin that ass. I want to hear the Prodigy, the Kaiser Chiefs and the Fratellis. I really, really want to hear the Raconteurs, but the place would be full of annoying seventeen-year-olds and I’d want to hit them.
Oh wait! Maybe that’s it. Maybe I’m just too grumpy to go.
Well, that makes me feel better. Thanks for listening.
Now, I wonder if there are any tickets left for the Electric Picnic?
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Also on Bock the Robber:
Leonard Cohen In Dublin - Concert Review
Stumble it!
July 14th, 2008
Suppose a ‘virtual’ Joe Dolan gig would be out of the question.
July 14th, 2008
Surely you must be in the Flat lake festival demographic?
July 14th, 2008
If you skip the weather, the will-they-sound-shite? factor, the traffic and the price of the drink, you still have to contend with the queue to have a wee. And I’m one of those shy, retracting vas deferens can’t-go-cos-there’s-someone-in-front, can’t-go-cos-there’s-someone-behind types. And I cannot afford to dilute the perfection of Leonard Cohen with any more gigs this summer anyhow. I shall survive the long winter by huddling around the steady ember of that one, with maybe a Blue Nile log thrown on there in a few weeks for extra warmth.
N
July 14th, 2008
Primal: you’re right. It would.
Conan: I’d go if forced at gunpoint.
Nick: Still, though. A three-day festival is great. I’ll have to go to at least one this year.
July 14th, 2008
bock…..The Stranglers{minus poor ol’ Joe}?,if my memory serves,does Hugh Cornwall ring a bell?,or is he back with The Clash?
July 14th, 2008
Sorry. You’re quite right of course, and thank you for correcting me. It was late when I wrote this and I’ve fixed it now.
What a strange set of connections though, causing a tired brain to put Joe Strummer in the Stranglers. Would you like to guess the bizarre series of mental steps?
July 15th, 2008
[…] G’wan the Bock. […]
July 15th, 2008
Grumpiness is what these festivals are all about. I’ll be at the Electric Picnic moaning about the campsite, the smell, the warm beer, the pints not being full pints, the indie haircuts I can’t grow, the bad sound, the long walk to the main festival area and so on. Do it. It’s cathartic.
July 16th, 2008
I seen 28 bands over the weekend, I’m 18 and hip with the youngsters and oldsters.
Echo and the Bunnymen was kinda depressing though.
Stranglers was kinda surprisingly great.
You haven’t lived til you’ve heard My Morning Jacket play One Big Holiday and Off the Record back to back live.