Glasto: numbers down

Eavis admits drop ahead of ticket pre-registration deadline

14 March 08 - Michael Eavis has confirmed that the numbers of people who have pre-registered for tickets for the 2008 Glastonbury Festival are down on last year's totals.

Michael spoke candidly ahead of the midnight deadline (14 March).

He admitted there's been less demand for tickets for June's festival which boasts Kings of Leon, The Verve, Neil Diamond and rapper Jay Z as headliners: "Its gonna be absolutely brilliant. It's not like a Radiohead or a Muse or a Coldplay or an Oasis is it? So we didn't expect the demand to be quite as high.

"Its genius or just completely stupid"
Tom, The Enemy on Jay Z @ Glastonbury

"We haven't got the super big, big headlining act anymore. We've gone for something that's sort of middle range, although Jay Z's huge in America."

News of Jay Z's appearance at the June Festival has divided fans of the festival.

Tom from The Enemy will be heading down to Worthy Farm to perform with his Coventry bandmates. He says the choice of Jay Z as a headliner could go either way: "It's controversial. I honestly haven't made up my mind yet whether its genius or just completely stupid. It's the sort of thing where you'd have to see it. The logic part of me says it's completely stupid but then I might sort of stand there and watch it and go '…actually, it's completely genius.'

"Its one of those where I suppose you'll always have to wait and see. But it's certainly risky."

Jacqueline Springer