Glastonbury 2005: Your Highs and Lows

Your Highs...

The Glasto Spirit - Move over Dunkirk! Despite flash floods, mud baths, stages struck by lightening and hundreds left homeless, the Glasto spirit shines through like never before.

Making Poverty History - Glastonbury is once again unmatched at combining fun with raising funds and awareness for good causes.

Golden Oldies - Brian Wilson and Elvis Costello. 'Peace, Love and Understanding' was the real 'moment'.

Random Traders - cheap fags and beer when your money's running out can never be a bad thing.

Cider - A tenner for two litres of pear cider, you can't go wrong.

The She-Pee - Hygienic and amusing.

Randomness - Scissor Sisters in Lost Vagueness, Alabama 3 on a Pirate Ship at 2am, a giant, show-stealing blow up Dinosaur and bumping into your best friend from primary school. Only on the farm.

The Eavis' - without them we'd have nothing.

Tributes to the Dead or Ill - Joe Strummer, John Peel, Kylie; the nods to the greats were palpable and resolutely heart-warming.

Primal Scream - watching Bobby G make a warbling tit of himself to an unenthused crowd is surely worth the £125 alone.

Variety - Where else could you see backbreaking circus stunts, hilarious comedy performances, innovative theatre, a man in a cow suit with life-size, tweakable udders and acts as colossal as Coldplay? Leaving aside the music, you would need at least a week to properly explore everything the site offers.

And the Lows...

Artists cancelling - Ryan Adams is struck by a mystery illness and Cake are a no-show.

Babyshambles - for the love of God, two performances is more than enough!

Hedgerow Urinals - despite talk of piss patrols, lads just can't help but get it out. Something must be done...

Litter - would you chuck stuff down in your own garden? Don't bloody do it in someone else's.

Bare Chests - yes, it was hot, but put it away, seriously (the lads, that is -Ed!)

The Stench - a tidy sum will be rewarded to the first person able to create a viable solution to this olfactory horror.

High Prices - while Glasto has easily got the best food available at any festival, £6 for a sloppy veggie breakfast is kinda taking the mick.

People Hogging the Water Troughs - when hands are crawling with bacteria post-portaloo visit, it's no surprise that bad feeling creeps up in the queue when the person in front is using a deep conditioning treatment and shaving their armpits.

Clashes - Doves or Bloc Party? Primal Scream or The Las? The Tears or British Sea Power? Glastonbury's main problem is that there is literally too much to see and do, and often at the same time.

Monday - traditionally the worst day of the week in the Real World, the sun coming up over the hills at 4am signals the beginning of the end.

Despite the chaos and cancellations, Glastonbury 2005 was another legendary weekend that proved the Worthy Farm spirit can never be quashed.

As King Mob says on the message board: 'Are you glad to be home? No, I'd rather stay there with about 80% of the people who were there. The real world is shite and Glastonbury is still... a shining example of what is good about this country and its people.'

Amen.