With the Glastonbury Festival just over a week away, it always sends me into a spiral of reflection to a land of musical nostalgia.
Glastonbury Festival will always have a special place in my heart for many reasons and one year has particular significance - 1999 was a year to remember. Years on, its memory still lingers, not because it was roasting hot for a change, not because it was the first year I was an actual fully fledged Glasto performer with a special pass and private campsite, no, the memory that remains is one of great sadness. 1999 was the year that marked the death of Michael Eavis’ wife Jean.
Music, of course, can be many things, sometimes it emotionally uplifting, sometimes spirit-crushingly depressing, occasionally exhilarating and fun, but most of all it can be the greatest social leveller, bringing people together from all walks of life to share an experience and, that being, the joy of music and, well, life itself.
That year, in scorching summer heat, REM headlined the pyramid stage on Saturday night and as Michael Stipe dedicated ‘ The Great Beyond’ to Michael Eavis’ late wife, a field fell silent.
I cried.
The man next to me cried.
We all cried.
We all hugged.
We all knew we were together.
Powerful.
The lyrics still resonate now.
I'm breaking through
I'm bending spoons
I'm keeping flowers in full bloom
I'm looking for answers from the great beyond
So for those making their way to the hallowed ground next week.
Enjoy.
Keep close.
Hug.
Kiss.
Make memories.
Keep dancing until the break of dawn.
One can never predict what the future holds.