Gallery 2008
T in the Park saw in its 15th birthday in style with a whopping 180 acts taking to 12 stages in what proved to be a four day extravaganza! For the first time fans had the chance to settle in to park life with Thursday Camping making it's debut. Here, Balado revellers shaped up in the Silent Disco and mused over a movie making it the ultimate start to a festival weekend. In addition campers could pitch up with a chilled can of Tennent's as the launch of 'Be Chilled' the pre order lager service made settling in stress free. Following the success of an additional night of entertainment in 2007, the 60,000 strong campsite army of fans once again took to the Main Arena on Friday for what proved to be an unforgettable three days of award winning fun.
Not only that but thousands captured the true spirit of T joining friends in a fancy dress frenzy as they went to every effort to impress rocking up dressed as everything from Tennent's cans to Scooby Doo.
Friday kicked off with a sing a long session from Newton Faulkner, Scotland's sweetheart KT Tunstall brought out the sunshine and shopstopping reunion set from the most highly anticipated reunion act of '08, The Verve whose classic track 'Bittersweet Symphony' reminded fans of their 1995 T performance on the then Stage 2.
Having recently reformed, the most notoriously political and highly influential band of a generation, Rage Against The Machine stepped onto the Main Stage to headline Saturday having not graced fans with a fiery show since they played the inaugural T in the Park back way back in 1994. A hero's welcome was however unreservedly offered to Glasvegas for their Futures Stage slot, which saw fans literally trying to take the walls of the tent down in a clamour not to miss the country's hottest act's homecoming set. In the end, rows of fans 40 deep watched from the outside of the 1,500 capacity tent as James Allan stepped back from the mic to hear fans sing every last emotive word of 'Daddy's Gone'. Ian Brown went on to give his performance a certain Scottish flavour when he was joined in King Tut's Wah Wah Tent by a bagpiper, shouting 'Scotland, I love you back' as fans repeatedly chanted his name.
Paolo Nutini provided the biggest surprise of the weekend when he performed new material on the T Break Stage under the pseudonym Snake Derek and the Vipers to an astonished crowd who couldn't believe their luck and after failing to appear in 2007, speculation was rife as to whether soul chatreuse Amy Winehouse would make her 2008 date. Arriving just in the nick of time, she took to the main stage on Sunday as promised, to the delight of thousands of fans as they formed a Balado brigade full of back up vocals for the five time grammy award winning star.
The ultimate challenge for any festival goer is trying to decide on the last act to watch of the weekend. That was a right toughy this year as to round off more than was thought possible of the 15 year celebration. Scot rockers Primal Scream were cranking it up in King Tut's with their jangly pop, over at Radio 1/NME stage the hypnotic, electronica prince's The Prodigy were sending fans into 'Out Of Space' whilst REM proved to fans they were worth a weekend of waiting, singing hits that span a mighty 25 years. As far as Birthday bashes go it was T's best yet cemented by the award winning end to the year which saw the loyal T community rocket the festival to win UK Festival Awards Best Line Up and the Vodafone Live Music Award for Best Music Festival of the Year. Hip hip hooray, get ready for 09!
