A river ran through it
by Jacqui De Wet

Having never been to Glastonbury, the ‘bumper-sticker’ phrase “It’s not a festival unless it rains”, has never held much meaning for me…..

At least not until….

Ericsson @ homelands england
1pm saturday may 27 – 6am sunday may 28 2000  
the bowl, matterley estate nr winchester, hampshire, england

It poured and poured and poured and poured!!!!!

I suppose I should’ve expected it, since the weather report had quoted hail and thunderstorms for Winchester, but with the sweet taste of Mezz(anine) still in my mouth and the witty company of a very hung-over DJ Vino, Stuart & Darren during the drive up from Slough, the forecast was taken more as an Ali G one-liner than a prediction.

Not even being forced to join the Clubbers ‘Pit-Stop’, which is the M3 Traffic Jam (just outside Winchester), could dampen our spirits at this point.  Instead, we used the unscheduled 20-minute break to grab, pull and argue over the festival’s line-up:

The boys being into the likes of Leftfield, Public Enemy, Moby, Scratch Perverts and Ian Brown (all scheduled for Ericsson @ home in Arena 1);

And myself having a personal flair for the likes of Jeremy Healy, Pete Tong, Paul van Dyk, Judge Jules, Steve Lawler, Seb Fontaine and Dave Pearce (who were scheduled across all 11 of the arenas);…..

I knew we’d be separated from the word ‘Drop’!!!!

My first stop was the press tent and with heavy rumours that Moby was on his way, I decided to ‘hang’ for a while.  Further rumour has it that Moby is called Moby  because his (Great) Grandfather wrote Moby Dick.  (Mute Press Office was not available at time of printing to confirm this as fact.)

Other visitors to the press area were Leftfield, who have just released their new single ‘Swords’;  and the epic BT, who also has a new single out ‘Dreaming’ off his album ‘Movement in Still Life’.  Me not having reached the dance-floor yet, decided to unleash my bevvied-up energies on the unsuspecting BT, jumped on his lap and had a few snappies taken by Alistair of E-Clubber (copies of which will be distributed once the geezer who stole the equipment coffs up!!!).

7 o’ Clock saw me running between Slinky (Arena 3) and the BBC Radio 1 Outdoor Sound Stage, trying to find the Judge (an Ericsson DJ Line-up typo had the Judge playing both Arenas at the same time).  Charged like a light bulb and Slinky being Slinky, I was drawn into the pumping crowd and tried to muck in with the best of them, only the muddy, uneven, unprotected sludge carpet had me doing ‘running-man’ rather than Givin-it-Large!

Eventually the cold (and the evening’s interview schedule) banished me back to the press tent, where the weather held me captive for the rest of the nite.

The rain was now coming down in torrential flow, forcing queues outside each arena, as Homelanders desperately tried to seek cover & continued entertainment inside the tents.  But nature was the Victor and 2am saw a river running through the middle of the main dance arena.  For me, not even a quality Mitz-induced haze could keep me out this nite and, separated from my friends, I decided to test the travel facilities that usual Festival-goers have to endure.  Two buses and one train later, I was snug in my bed in Chelsea………