For the first time in a long while, it doesn’t feel like a chore to be making the pilgrimage to the Isle Of Wight festival.
Headlined by The Prodigy, Blur and Fleetwood Mac, it’s the best line-up in years. Pop the weather forecast on top and it might be close to restoring IoW’s former ‘Europe’s equivalent to Woodstock’ glory.
But if ‘free love’ is lacking, at least festival organisers have thrown everything at it.
It’s 45 years since the late legend Jimi Hendrix played the festival. In 1970, the iconic guitarist was joined by The Who, The Doors, Joni Mitchell, Supertramp and Leonard Cohen among others, on a line-up which would make Michael Eavis quiver.
It was the last time Hendrix would play a festival as he died only three months later. But organisers have made sure his Isle Of Wight legacy won’t go unnoticed this weekend, with a world-record attempt planned to honour the musician.
With around 50,000 music fans expected to flock over on the ferries, the aim is to achieve the highest amount of people wearing Hendrix masks in one place, scheduled for the main stage on Saturday at 3.30pm.
Still, as much ‘fun’ as masks are, nothing can take away from the main draw of the weekend – the closing act of the festival, Fleetwood Mac.
Towards the back end of last year, when festivals were pitching against each other to secure the best line-ups, there were ‘rumours’ about where the Mac would headline this summer.
Okay, so a good number of fans have seen them in arenas up and down the country, but the big question was – what field were they going to play in? As let’s face it, seeing them on an open-air stage is the sweet spot.
Glastonbury founders Michael and Emily Eavis were reported to be in negotiations, then we saw a gorgeous festival-shaped hole in their tour schedule and we all assumed the Pyramid Stage is where they’d go.
But nope. Thanks to the Isle of Wight festival’s rock roots, the negotiations of organiser John Giddings – who reportedly offered a whopping fat cheque and a “huge helicopter” – managed to secure the hit-makers. And there you have a sold-out festival.
However, let’s not wish away the weekend until the Mac sweep us off our feet.
Before that we have The Prodigy to ‘Smack My Bitch Up’ and Britpop heroes Blur playing us their lovely new album The Magic Whip as well as The Black Keys, Pharrell Williams, Jessie Ware, The Charlatans, Billy Idol, Paolo Nutini and many more – making it the best Isle Of Wight line-up in years.
