A Missive from Anna MC
Hello,
This is Anna M.C. here, checking in from WOMAD (along with
my sister-in-law,
Jen). I'm typing this at 9:00 am on Sunday at a Kinko's that charges
$12/hr
for Internet access, so I'm gonna make it fast. Please forgive
(and
correct) any typos!
First of all, I'll be writing an official letter of complaint
to WOMAD as
soon as I get home. Three (count 'em, THREE) WOMAD staffers e-mailed
me
that no cameras were permitted at the festival (I got ANOTHER
e-mail after
the two I forwarded to you). Well, I haven't seen so many cameras
since a
Kodak convention -- flash, non-flash, video, etc. One guy had
enough
equipment along to launch a Space Shuttle -- and WOMAD personnel
aren't
saying a thing. I even asked about the camera prohibition at one
of the
Infobooths, and got blank stares. So, thanks to me being an idiot
and
assuming they meant what they said with the rules, I didn't bring
a
disposable camera along on day one, so I didn't get any pictures
of him
during his opening ceremony presentation, despite being only a
few feet
away.
Not that I'm bitter.
At any rate, a quick summation of our experience thus far.
We arrived at
about 2pm for the gates opening and immediately staked out the
stage where
the opening ceremony would ostensibly be. We couldn't believe
it -- it was
a small, low stage, with pretty much nobody there. I couldn't
even find the
opening ceremony listed in the official WOMAD program, so if it
wasn't for
the Hill, we wouldn't even have known (three cheers for the Solsburians!).
We plopped down front and center, close enough to touch the microphone,
did
a happy little victory dance, and waited. And waited. We passed
the time
by talking about how neat it would be to have a group of folks
along with
T-shirts all printed with a single letter, spelling out "WE
WANT UP!" One
can only imagine the look on Peter Gabriel's face. ; )
So as we waited, we began to hear some nervous murmurings from
the press
people by us. "Stuck in traffic." "Presentation
will be delayed."
"Presentation will be at the main stage." "No,
it'll be here." "Wait, we
don't know." We waited in agony, and finally I got the guts
up to openly
assault a reporter with frantic questions. "WHERE THE [expletive
deleted]
IS THE DAMN CEREMONY GOING TO BE?" After withdrawing several
safe paces,
she told me she had no idea. She and her partners were going to
split up to
cover all the possibilities. Then, with a shrug of resignation,
Amizade
started up (they sounded terrific, by the way. If it wasn't for
our ensuing
game of Hide-and-Go-Seek Peter, we would have loved to stay and
listen).
After banging our heads against the edge of the stage for a
few moments in
frustration, I left Jen at the Amizade stage to listen for any
updates from
the media there, and commenced running around like an idiot all
over the
festival grounds, accosting any yellow-jacketed WOMAD staffer
I could find.
It was unanimous: Nobody knew what the heck was going on, only
that Peter
was late. The obvious jokes about Peter and lateness spring to
mind, don't
they?
One guy pointed out a small tent with folding chairs where
a few
impatient-looking folks with media badges were waiting, and said
he was
scheduled to do a press conference there, possibly before the
ceremony,
possibly after, who knew at this point. Finally, while wandering
by the
main stage, I heard a lady with a media badge talking on her cell
phone.
"Okay, the ceremony's going to be at the main stage? Great!
Thanks."
I immediately approached her and got confirmation. Her name
was Crystal Ann
(I think), and she was with an L.A. radio station, and I will
be eternally
grateful to her. ; ) Anyway, I ran back, got Jen, and the two
of us
stationed ourselves front and center and waited. This was a much
bigger,
higher stage, with a greater buffer distance, so it wasn't going
to be the
incredible intimate experience the other one would have been --
but hey,
we're not complaining. ; )
I got confirmation from another yellow-jacketed security guy
that the
ceremony was now here. We gave three cheers. Crystal Ann wandered
over to
join us (I guess we amused her), and our eyes eventually were
drawn to the
microphone at the opposite end of the stage. Was this where PG
would speak?
I ran up and bugged the staffer to check which end of the stage
we should
be patrolling. He gave me the single most incredulous look I've
ever seen,
and said, in a voice dripping with sarcasm, "Well, he can't
stand on top of
the drum set in the middle, and there's only the one microphone
on that
side, so yeah, I'd say it's a good bet that's where he'll be standing."
"Thank you," I replied meekly, and ran for my life.
In my defense, let me
note that one of my co-workers came down with appendicitis and
had to have
an emergency appendectomy the day before I came to WOMAD, so I
had to work
from 8am to 9pm to cover her shift. I had about 2 hours of sleep
in 48, so
my brain was pretty much in a holding pattern.
Anyway, as we waited, Crystal Ann showed us the planned schedule
of media
events (which was of course shot all to heck at that point), which
included
the press conference after the opening ceremony. I noted that
the one
yellow-jacketed guy I'd talked to before mentioned he wasn't sure
if the
press conference would be before or after the opening ceremony.
Crystal Ann
looked alarmed, and said I should ask this event staffer what
the plan was
now, so far as they knew. I explained that the guy was probably
ready to
throw me out as it was. Finally, she approached him and asked.
After
talking a minute or two, she stomped back, grumbled that NOBODY
knew what
was going on, and that she'd go check with the information booth.
5 minutes
later, she returned with good news and bad news. The good news
was that the
ceremony was about to start. Bad news was that we had ALL missed
the press
conference.
After briskly banging our heads against the stage edge again,
we cheered as
we caught sight of Peter and company moving around backstage.
A very nice
English lady whose name escapes me came out and spoke, as well
as Peter
Gabriel himself. Some gal to my left was screaming "You look
awesome,
Peter!" as he was speaking, and hurled a CD onstage as he
walked on. I'm
not sure exactly what she hoped to accomplish (Get him to sign
it? Try for
something different than the stale "throw a rose" approach?
Decapitate him
with a flying disk? Search me). All in all, it was very exciting,
although I am still stewing
over 1. missing the press conference and 2. not getting pictures,
since I
was stupid enough to take three WOMAD staffer e-mails seriously.
I felt a
little less bitter yesterday, when an amiable hippie-looking guy
was
discussing the press conference with a WOMAD volunteer who'd had
no clue
Peter Gabriel had even done a press conference on site the other
day.
The weather is freezing, with intermittent rain. The local
newscasters keep
saying cheerfully how this time of year is usually so warm and
dry, and
isn't it funny how unusual it is? I ain't laughing. ; ) It's also
odd that
I haven't seen a single mention of WOMAD on the local news (maybe
their
media guys missed the press conference, too. Then again, the only
story
they keep covering is the stupid Ichiro Bobble Head Dolls that
the Mariners
are giving away).
The acts have been fabulous. So far my favorite's been Youssou
N'Dour,
although the weather got so bad by 10:45, and our hotel was so
far away, we
left a bit early to make sure we could drive our rental car back
without
killing ourselves. Despite the cold rain, the crowd was really
up and
dancing - "Shaking the Tree" was a highlight, of course.
We nursed hopes
that Peter Gabriel might join him for a duet, but no dice (unless
he came
out after we left, but I doubt it. I HOPE not, or I'll have to
bang my head
against a stage again). Daniel Lapp and Lappelectro, Kathryn Tickell,
and
Baka Beyond have also been great. The little I got to see of Amizade
was
wonderful, and when I caught two of their guys at a rhythm workshop
yesterday afternoon, it confirmed how talented (and funny!) they
are.
That's been a common thread here at WOMAD, how personable the
performers
are. Kathryn Tickell was amazingly charming, and had a rapport
with the
audience like nothing I've ever seen. Lappelectro had people dancing
like
crazy - the announcer predicted that they're poised for breakout
success,
and I hope he's right.
Jen and I have of course been playing "Try-to-Spot-Peter"
at WOMAD, since
we've read all the accounts of folks bumping into him happily
meandering
around the festival in prior years. Well, all I can say is that
I have
never seen so many balding, gray-haired, goateed men in one place
in my life
as I have at this festival. Either Peter Gabriel is setting a
trend,
following a trend, or he's hired extras to wander around and take
the heat
off him. ; ) Jen and I keep doing double-takes. "Look! There's
Pet-oh, no,
never mind. Wait! There - whoops, nope, sorry." We're probably
responsible for a lot of very nervous goateed men at WOMAD. ;
)
Lots of cool wares are on sale, from colorful ethnic clothing
to colorful
ethnic trinkets to colorful ethnic foods - seeing a trend? Colorful
and
ethic are the keywords. The opening gate consists of box-shaped
tents done
in multicolor patchwork; when lit from within at night, it's really
gorgeous. The stage designs are all magnificent, with huge banners
spelling
WOMAD out in - well, colorful ethnic designs. ; )
I'd better wrap this up, as Jen and I plan to be there when
the gates open
and stake out a spot at the main stage. We'll be taking shifts
all day to
make sure we don't lose our spot - and I've brought a disposable
camera this
time. Take that, WOMAD people!
So, the things I've learned:
1. Peter Gabriel is ALWAYS late. Always. For albums, concerts,
dinner,
whatever.
2. Never assume a member of the media knows more than you.
3. Never play by the rules where cameras are concerned, or you'll
end up
looking like an idiot. A bitter idiot, no less, wasting precious
WOMAD time
wailing "I should never have sent that e-mail asking if cameras
were allowed
at WOMAD." This could also be phrased as "Never assume
WOMAD staffers know
what they're talking about."
4. Peter Gabriel is ALWAYS late. This is worth stating twice.
5. Solsbury Hill is the single best source for Peter Gabriel info
- better
than the WOMAD site, certainly. ; )
Now, off to the festival! Here's hoping it doesn't pour freezing
buckets of
rain on the Peter Gabriel concert.
Anna M.C.
Still very, very bitter about the cameras.