Glastonbury 2005 comes to an end

I didn't go to Glastonbury this year. And in a way I'm glad I didn't. What they've now taken to calling "Flash Flood Friday" would not have been fun for an overseas traveller as waist high water in some cases filled the campgrounds. (Sean Hoffmann and I encountered not quite as bad a mudbath, but still pretty serious weather conditions last year at Roskilde.)

But as Glastonbury wrapped up last night, and I spent an odd night in, sitting in my hotel room drinking Stella Artois, I was able to watch several hours of festival highlights on BBC2, and I really feel I got the sense of what was probably one of the better festivals of the past ten years, rain or not.

I saw performances by (among others) The La's, a shirtless Rufus Wainright (performing "Gay Messiah"), Shirley Manson of Garbage (doing some dirty business with a blow-up doll during "Why Do You Love Me?"), Brian Wilson mesmerizing the crowd with the Beach Boys greatest hits (I see Mr. Wilson live next weekend), a hot outfit from Nashville called Be Your Own Pet, The Futureheads, Ian Brown, and a highlight for many, Rilo Kiley. Oh, and I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy some of final night headliners Basement Jaxx who probably won the prize for having the most people on stage at a time.