The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #115039   Message #2459492
Posted By: GUEST,Sandra
07-Oct-08 - 02:57 PM
Thread Name: Shrewsbury Festival - How disappointing
Subject: RE: Shrewsbury Festival - How disappointing
I think some comments deserve a response - so here goes.

We ordered a higher stage than we got. The marquees arrive on the Sun/Mon and each hour of every day is planned and jobs have to dovetail into one another. Getting the stage we ordered was not going to happen. Dave Higham, what would you have done? Would you have said 'right that's it - the festival is cancelled' I think not! In short we had to continue with the festival build.

If sound checks overrun it is always for a very good reason. For instance, Friday evening started late because two members of the Oysterband where let down by their own transport company and arrived one and a half hours late - they (and we) were upset but there was nothing we could do about it.

All concerts did not start 45 mins late.

Before we had a mosh pit people used to stand at the back, get very loud and upset people. The mosh pit had been requested for years before we decided to have one. I don't know how many feedback forms I have had this year but there must be over 1000 and NO one has said it's a bad idea or it doesn't work. They did, however, say the stage wasn't high enough but I have already covered that and it will be higher next year.

There were precisely 2000 seats in the main marquee.

Dancing in marquee two is definitely allowed in the side isles!

….and we do give a monkeys – that's why we improve things every year!

Sandra Surtees

SFF organiser