Simon Says....

[Andy Leonard]

PLEASE EVERYONE …

Buy your tix this year so that we can all be there again next year!

The thought of losing Cropredy is horrifying!!

😥😥😥

Hi Jenny , at the risk of sounding like a Trump supporter MCGA , ( make Cropredy great again!) there have been some very interesting comments on here re people’s feelings about Cropredy.
We all have our fave times for different reasons.
I had a big gap between early 80’s and mid 90s .
95, I had met Sheena and we did our first Cropredy together, in the awning of a friends caravan ! Caravan field!
96 , we were sitting in a local pub , our backs to a couple and I heard the words Fairport. I turned round and we chatted music for 1.5 hours . They became very firm friends. From then on we were part of 18 people ( it varied) who travelled in convoy from S Leics to field 2. Special times. Friendships . 2 day fest so Thurs was spent in the village. Trad lunchtime pint on the  gravestones by Red Lion , quiz from the Canal club . Camped in a circle in field 2 , gazebos, village hall tables, candelabra, white picket fence , gnomes!
People were kidnapped and forced to drink wine if they invaded our space, some stayed for hours!!!!!!
These were the days when the fest was stewarded by volunteers ……you could wander on and off main field before it opened. I stood with 30 others watching RT sound check whilst he asked what we wanted to hear……30 mins of Vincent , Beeswing  etc.
So of course the fest changed when Peggy and Christine split, when it became a 3 day fest, when pro security  arrived and when the Thurs night headliner became more important than Fairports. We went cos it was Fairports Fest.
Yes of course I’m an old f**t , wallowing in nostalgia but they were halcyon days. Many of those friends have gone, aged, moved, died.Travelling and being with those friends, listening to music, some new to me, were special times. I thought Cropredy would always be important but as has been said, people, tastes and fests change.
My Cropredy went a long time ago. 2012 ,Sheena didn’t want to sit in seried ranks , we had lost friends , other fests called. Lamar Tree, Folk in a Field, Ely, NFFF, Langdale, Festiva on  the Edge, Warwick, camebridge, Magpies……. I came to Cropredy  on my own for a few years .camped opposite Bridge stores. Made new friends….
I saw Fairports tour last yr when Mattacks had put them on good form …
So, I hope it happens. I hope you have a wonderful time.
With real affection for the past and the fest…

Just a quick comment on the fact that the festival used to have volunteers and now there’s professional security. Firstly the festival was so much smaller so getting the required amount of volunteers was relatively easy. Secondly and more importantly, as the festival grew thieves from Banbury used to steal from the campsites when everyone was in the concert field. Therefore to stop this happening professional security were hired which stopped the problem immediately. Now all fields are manned and you have to show your wristband to enter a camping field. Having said that my experience with the professional security men and women has been great. Everyone has been friendly and liked a laugh and a joke. I hope that clears up why it’s professional security that are now employed.  

[hendo (Dave)]

A very special yr ……and we were all missing Maart!
http://fclist.org/cropredy-cropredy-line-ups/cropredy-1997

[hendo (Dave)]

PLEASE EVERYONE …

Buy your tix this year so that we can all be there again next year!

The thought of losing Cropredy is horrifying!!

😥😥😥

Hi Jenny , at the risk of sounding like a Trump supporter MCGA , ( make Cropredy great again!) there have been some very interesting comments on here re people’s feelings about Cropredy.
We all have our fave times for different reasons.
I had a big gap between early 80’s and mid 90s .
95, I had met Sheena and we did our first Cropredy together, in the awning of a friends caravan ! Caravan field!
96 , we were sitting in a local pub , our backs to a couple and I heard the words Fairport. I turned round and we chatted music for 1.5 hours . They became very firm friends. From then on we were part of 18 people ( it varied) who travelled in convoy from S Leics to field 2. Special times. Friendships . 2 day fest so Thurs was spent in the village. Trad lunchtime pint on the  gravestones by Red Lion , quiz from the Canal club . Camped in a circle in field 2 , gazebos, village hall tables, candelabra, white picket fence , gnomes!
People were kidnapped and forced to drink wine if they invaded our space, some stayed for hours!!!!!!
These were the days when the fest was stewarded by volunteers ……you could wander on and off main field before it opened. I stood with 30 others watching RT sound check whilst he asked what we wanted to hear……30 mins of Vincent , Beeswing  etc.
So of course the fest changed when Peggy and Christine split, when it became a 3 day fest, when pro security  arrived and when the Thurs night headliner became more important than Fairports. We went cos it was Fairports Fest.
Yes of course I’m an old f**t , wallowing in nostalgia but they were halcyon days. Many of those friends have gone, aged, moved, died.Travelling and being with those friends, listening to music, some new to me, were special times. I thought Cropredy would always be important but as has been said, people, tastes and fests change.
My Cropredy went a long time ago. 2012 ,Sheena didn’t want to sit in seried ranks , we had lost friends , other fests called. Lamar Tree, Folk in a Field, Ely, NFFF, Langdale, Festiva on  the Edge, Warwick, camebridge, Magpies……. I came to Cropredy  on my own for a few years .camped opposite Bridge stores. Made new friends….
I saw Fairports tour last yr when Mattacks had put them on good form …
So, I hope it happens. I hope you have a wonderful time.
With real affection for the past and the fest…

Just a quick comment on the fact that the festival used to have volunteers and now there’s professional security. Firstly the festival was so much smaller so getting the required amount of volunteers was relatively easy. Secondly and more importantly, as the festival grew thieves from Banbury used to steal from the campsites when everyone was in the concert field. Therefore to stop this happening professional security were hired which stopped the problem immediately. Now all fields are manned and you have to show your wristband to enter a camping field. Having said that my experience with the professional security men and women has been great. Everyone has been friendly and liked a laugh and a joke. I hope that clears up why it’s professional security that are now employed.  

No probs. I completely understand why pro security happened, I was simply listing changes, As you said the fest grew, it changed, my point really….Sadly our initial interactions with security were not as tempered as yours were.
In tge ensuing yrs, when the security realised the nature of the fest it did stop being bouncers at a night club and became more relaxed.

[davidmjs]

PLEASE EVERYONE …

Buy your tix this year so that we can all be there again next year!

The thought of losing Cropredy is horrifying!!

😥😥😥

Hi Jenny , at the risk of sounding like a Trump supporter MCGA , ( make Cropredy great again!) there have been some very interesting comments on here re people’s feelings about Cropredy.
We all have our fave times for different reasons.
I had a big gap between early 80’s and mid 90s .
95, I had met Sheena and we did our first Cropredy together, in the awning of a friends caravan ! Caravan field!
96 , we were sitting in a local pub , our backs to a couple and I heard the words Fairport. I turned round and we chatted music for 1.5 hours . They became very firm friends. From then on we were part of 18 people ( it varied) who travelled in convoy from S Leics to field 2. Special times. Friendships . 2 day fest so Thurs was spent in the village. Trad lunchtime pint on the  gravestones by Red Lion , quiz from the Canal club . Camped in a circle in field 2 , gazebos, village hall tables, candelabra, white picket fence , gnomes!
People were kidnapped and forced to drink wine if they invaded our space, some stayed for hours!!!!!!
These were the days when the fest was stewarded by volunteers ……you could wander on and off main field before it opened. I stood with 30 others watching RT sound check whilst he asked what we wanted to hear……30 mins of Vincent , Beeswing  etc.
So of course the fest changed when Peggy and Christine split, when it became a 3 day fest, when pro security  arrived and when the Thurs night headliner became more important than Fairports. We went cos it was Fairports Fest.
Yes of course I’m an old f**t , wallowing in nostalgia but they were halcyon days. Many of those friends have gone, aged, moved, died.Travelling and being with those friends, listening to music, some new to me, were special times. I thought Cropredy would always be important but as has been said, people, tastes and fests change.
My Cropredy went a long time ago. 2012 ,Sheena didn’t want to sit in seried ranks , we had lost friends , other fests called. Lamar Tree, Folk in a Field, Ely, NFFF, Langdale, Festiva on  the Edge, Warwick, camebridge, Magpies……. I came to Cropredy  on my own for a few years .camped opposite Bridge stores. Made new friends….
I saw Fairports tour last yr when Mattacks had put them on good form …
So, I hope it happens. I hope you have a wonderful time.
With real affection for the past and the fest…

Just a quick comment on the fact that the festival used to have volunteers and now there’s professional security. Firstly the festival was so much smaller so getting the required amount of volunteers was relatively easy. Secondly and more importantly, as the festival grew thieves from Banbury used to steal from the campsites when everyone was in the concert field. Therefore to stop this happening professional security were hired which stopped the problem immediately. Now all fields are manned and you have to show your wristband to enter a camping field. Having said that my experience with the professional security men and women has been great. Everyone has been friendly and liked a laugh and a joke. I hope that clears up why it’s professional security that are now employed.  

I'm not sure it was so much smaller was it?  It's been roughly the same size since '87, hasn't it (and certainly since before Chris stopped being involved)?

[davidmjs]

Btw, I've been thinking about the Special Guest thing and FWIW I reckon it is 'just' Richard, and the reason it hasn't been advertised is because of wanting to maximise the footfall for his tour.  Once that's done and dusted it will be announced (to very little fanfare).

[Amethyst (Jenny)]

Thanks Hendo.

We all have our reasons for going or not.
I just love it and (apart from the covid years) haven’t missed a year since 1990.

It is very special for me and I really hope this year won’t be the last.

No need for me to say anything more really is there?

[Lubiloo (Lorna)]

Btw, I've been thinking about the Special Guest thing and FWIW I reckon it is 'just' Richard, and the reason it hasn't been advertised is because of wanting to maximise the footfall for his tour.  Once that's done and dusted it will be announced (to very little fanfare).

I was thinking this ( without the ‘just’ ) because there was clear publicity for Cropredy around the merch stall at his recent gigs, with a banner, flyers and bookmarks. ( Course, Dave Mattacks might have something to do with that as well).

RT is great, but may not necessarily swing it especially for people having seen him on tour …not that he wasn’t brilliant on tour, he was….but that many fans will have seen him in their local areas already.

[Andy Leonard]

Btw, I've been thinking about the Special Guest thing and FWIW I reckon it is 'just' Richard, and the reason it hasn't been advertised is because of wanting to maximise the footfall for his tour.  Once that's done and dusted it will be announced (to very little fanfare).

I was thinking this ( without the ‘just’ ) because there was clear publicity for Cropredy around the merch stall at his recent gigs, with a banner, flyers and bookmarks. ( Course, Dave Mattacks might have something to do with that as well).

RT is great, but may not necessarily swing it especially for people having seen him on tour …not that he wasn’t brilliant on tour, he was….but that many fans will have seen him in their local areas already.

Interesting thought but if that is the case why hasn’t he been advertised as appearing like every other time he’s appeared. Surely it would make sense to announce him hoping to sell more tickets. Mind you you could use the same argument if the special guest was Paul McCartney!! I have no evidence whatsoever but I do think it’s somebody big who maybe for contractual reasons he/she cannot be announced  My guess and trust me it is a guess, is it’s one of three. James Taylor, Cat Stevens/Yousef or Roger Daltrey. Please don’t ask me why, I haven’t a clue!!😁😁. I just think it has to be someone big because otherwise why say it’s a surprise very special guest. RT to my mind wouldn’t be classed as a surprise very special guest because he’s appeared so often in the past. In a couple of months we’ll find out I guess!!

[davidmjs]

Btw, I've been thinking about the Special Guest thing and FWIW I reckon it is 'just' Richard, and the reason it hasn't been advertised is because of wanting to maximise the footfall for his tour.  Once that's done and dusted it will be announced (to very little fanfare).

I was thinking this ( without the ‘just’ ) because there was clear publicity for Cropredy around the merch stall at his recent gigs, with a banner, flyers and bookmarks. ( Course, Dave Mattacks might have something to do with that as well).

RT is great, but may not necessarily swing it especially for people having seen him on tour …not that he wasn’t brilliant on tour, he was….but that many fans will have seen him in their local areas already.

Interesting thought but if that is the case why hasn’t he been advertised as appearing like every other time he’s appeared. Surely it would make sense to announce him hoping to sell more tickets. Mind you you could use the same argument if the special guest was Paul McCartney!! I have no evidence whatsoever but I do think it’s somebody big who maybe for contractual reasons he/she cannot be announced  My guess and trust me it is a guess, is it’s one of three. James Taylor, Cat Stevens/Yousef or Roger Daltrey. Please don’t ask me why, I haven’t a clue!!😁😁. I just think it has to be someone big because otherwise why say it’s a surprise very special guest. RT to my mind wouldn’t be classed as a surprise very special guest because he’s appeared so often in the past. In a couple of months we’ll find out I guess!!

That's exactly what I've been saying until very recently - he's never been a special guest before, he's always been billed.  But times are different now and maximising his own money making (which he's certainly been doing with his own ticket prices post-Covid) may have been higher up the requirement list than in previous years?

And given the very real and obvious problems with ticket sales this year, if it was one of those three, it makes literally no sense not to mention that fact in order to aid sales (although I do wonder how many Yusuf would actually add to the sales in any case)

[Lubiloo (Lorna)]

Btw, I've been thinking about the Special Guest thing and FWIW I reckon it is 'just' Richard, and the reason it hasn't been advertised is because of wanting to maximise the footfall for his tour.  Once that's done and dusted it will be announced (to very little fanfare).

I was thinking this ( without the ‘just’ ) because there was clear publicity for Cropredy around the merch stall at his recent gigs, with a banner, flyers and bookmarks. ( Course, Dave Mattacks might have something to do with that as well).

RT is great, but may not necessarily swing it especially for people having seen him on tour …not that he wasn’t brilliant on tour, he was….but that many fans will have seen him in their local areas already.

Interesting thought but if that is the case why hasn’t he been advertised as appearing like every other time he’s appeared. Surely it would make sense to announce him hoping to sell more tickets. Mind you you could use the same argument if the special guest was Paul McCartney!! I have no evidence whatsoever but I do think it’s somebody big who maybe for contractual reasons he/she cannot be announced  My guess and trust me it is a guess, is it’s one of three. James Taylor, Cat Stevens/Yousef or Roger Daltrey. Please don’t ask me why, I haven’t a clue!!😁😁. I just think it has to be someone big because otherwise why say it’s a surprise very special guest. RT to my mind wouldn’t be classed as a surprise very special guest because he’s appeared so often in the past. In a couple of months we’ll find out I guess!!

That's exactly what I've been saying until very recently - he's never been a special guest before, he's always been billed.  But times are different now and maximising his own money making (which he's certainly been doing with his own ticket prices post-Covid) may have been higher up the requirement list than in previous years?

And given the very real and obvious problems with ticket sales this year, if it was one of those three, it makes literally no sense not to mention that fact in order to aid sales (although I do wonder how many Yusuf would actually add to the sales in any case)

Having seen Yusuf’s set at Glastonbury on TV last year, he might attract more people…it was totally different from the set he played at Cropredy previously and catered for fans of his past and present music, it was beautiful.

[Dubai Danny]

If the ticket sales don't pick up, at what point will the hardest decision of all have to be taken?

I'm presuming (possibly wrongly) that there's enough in the kitty to pay for this year, but unless there's a spectacular weather forecast spurring a major walk-up, there just won't be enough for the upfront costs for 2025.

So would FC call it and say, in advance, that 2024 will be the final Cropredy? Or will the future not be clear until afterwards?

[Nick Reg]

If the ticket sales don't pick up, at what point will the hardest decision of all have to be taken?

I'm presuming (possibly wrongly) that there's enough in the kitty to pay for this year, but unless there's a spectacular weather forecast spurring a major walk-up, there just won't be enough for the upfront costs for 2025.

So would FC call it and say, in advance, that 2024 will be the final Cropredy? Or will the future not be clear until afterwards?

For reasons already stated I cant go this year but would have had a difficult decision to make if I could. If I knew that this would be my last would I want my final memories to be of this awful line up, probably not. Last years was great (apart from Nile Rogers) so I'll stick with that.

[Andy]

If the ticket sales don't pick up, at what point will the hardest decision of all have to be taken?

I'm presuming (possibly wrongly) that there's enough in the kitty to pay for this year, but unless there's a spectacular weather forecast spurring a major walk-up, there just won't be enough for the upfront costs for 2025.

So would FC call it and say, in advance, that 2024 will be the final Cropredy? Or will the future not be clear until afterwards?

I believe that there's definitely no issues with proceeding this year (because the money is in the bank from previous years), but as you say, 2025 may well be a different matter.

After all such events, the finances take time to finalise, so I'd not expect any announcements for at least a few months.

The way I see it, there are very few options if the finances cannot support a 3-day festival next year.

Reducing the duration to one or two days sounds like it should save money, but I'm pretty sure that's not the case. The infrastructure costs are going to be very similar to a three-day event, although savings can be made on the cost of the artists booked. But the income from all the vendors will be vastly reduced and some may find it just as difficult as Fairport Convention Ltd to justify their continuing presence. Also, fewer acts probably means less diversity of appeal and fewer tickets sold. Fewer days would also be expected by punters to reduce the ticket costs.

Getting a sponsor would be good, but probably impossible because of the perilous financial state of the UK entertainment industry.

Taking a year off to try to rejig finances and costs might work. But I doubt it. Very few festivals can survive such a hiatus. In fact I can only think of Glastonbury as an example where the festival taking a year off was beneficial.

This malaise is not Cropredy-specific, it is industry-wide and I don't think Fairport have made many miss-steps as such, although this year's artists don't scream "attend me" on the poster as some previous rosters have. Not for the first time, really (for every Alice Cooper there's been a Petula Clark), but this year has pushed the boundaries.

I do think announcing a "Special Guest" will be there is an attempt to engender excitement but the lack of info has been counter-productive. Announcing, say, Robert Plant, would have brought in the punters by the score (probably) but it almost certainly isn't him.  In these circumstances, if it was, they'd have emblazoned him all over the poster. It could still be someone very interesting, my fingers are crossed.

Looking at the Band: Peggy is 76, Simon is 73, Ric 71, Chris 67 and DM 76. DM made it clear a while back that he isn't a permanent band member (although that may have changed, but hasn't been announced) and if Fairport are to continue, he will surely eventually need to be replaced. New blood may well be a good idea, it may change a few things. However, with good health, they can continue a while yet, Jagger and Richards are 80, after all!

I do wish the band and the festival well and have hopes that prospects could improve. We'll have to see how Crops 2024 goes.

[davidmjs]

Announcing Robert Plant would have brought in the punters by the score (probably) but it almost certainly isn't him.  

We've known it's not Percy for months - he's touring with AK in the US.

[Andy]

Announcing Robert Plant would have brought in the punters by the score (probably) but it almost certainly isn't him.  

We've known it's not Percy for months - he's touring with AK in the US.

Well, I didn't want to rule him out 100%, because aeroplanes. Thus "but it almost certainly isn't him".

But yes.

[Dubai Danny]

Looking at the Band: Peggy is 76, Simon is 73, Ric 71, Chris 67 and DM 76. DM made it clear a while back that he isn't a permanent band member (although that may have changed, but hasn't been announced) and if Fairport are to continue, he will surely eventually need to be replaced. New blood may well be a good idea, it may change a few things. However, with good health, they can continue a while yet, Jagger and Richards are 80, after all!

That's a topic all of its own. I think we're many years past the point at which the band could continue with new members, simply because the lineups have been too stable for too long (if you see what I mean).

[Amethyst (Jenny)]

I just hope to hear at the end Simon saying the magic words…

“Same time next year!”

[davidmjs]

Announcing Robert Plant would have brought in the punters by the score (probably) but it almost certainly isn't him.  

We've known it's not Percy for months - he's touring with AK in the US.

Well, I didn't want to rule him out 100%, because aeroplanes. Thus "but it almost certainly isn't him".

But yes.

I think the logistics in making that work out really would bankrupt Cropredy once and for all

[Will S]

Looking at the Band: Peggy is 76, Simon is 73, Ric 71, Chris 67 and DM 76. DM made it clear a while back that he isn't a permanent band member (although that may have changed, but hasn't been announced) and if Fairport are to continue, he will surely eventually need to be replaced. New blood may well be a good idea, it may change a few things. However, with good health, they can continue a while yet, Jagger and Richards are 80, after all!

That's a topic all of its own. I think we're many years past the point at which the band could continue with new members, simply because the lineups have been too stable for too long (if you see what I mean).

I agree.  I think it was a good idea when Simon originally said that Fairport could carry on with gradually changing members.  But changing them all at once is unlikely to work - look what happened when Ashley tried that with the Albions.  You get a good band of young 'uns, but they also want to have their own careers, so the Albion Band franchise has now disappeared, probably forever (though I'm sure many of us would be happy to see a reunion of the '77-78 Albions for one last blast while they are still all around).

[davidmjs]

Looking at the Band: Peggy is 76, Simon is 73, Ric 71, Chris 67 and DM 76. DM made it clear a while back that he isn't a permanent band member (although that may have changed, but hasn't been announced) and if Fairport are to continue, he will surely eventually need to be replaced. New blood may well be a good idea, it may change a few things. However, with good health, they can continue a while yet, Jagger and Richards are 80, after all!

That's a topic all of its own. I think we're many years past the point at which the band could continue with new members, simply because the lineups have been too stable for too long (if you see what I mean).

I agree.  I think it was a good idea when Simon originally said that Fairport could carry on with gradually changing members.  But changing them all at once is unlikely to work - look what happened when Ashley tried that with the Albions.  You get a good band of young 'uns, but they also want to have their own careers, so the Albion Band franchise has now disappeared, probably forever (though I'm sure many of us would be happy to see a reunion of the '77-78 Albions for one last blast while they are still all around).

I thought the new Albions were brilliant - a breath of fresh air in a stale old brand.  The only thing they did wrong (I think) was have a promoter who booked a ridiculously over optimistic range of venues for a tour.  They just needed to start small and steady.  An appearance at Cropredy would also have helped hugely.  I always thought that it was a little odd that didn't happen during their two (?) years of existence...