Glastonbury Festival has seen some incredible gigs over its 49-year history. But which sets were the biz’s absolute favourites? Music Week polled some top artists and execs for their personal Glasto moments…
BOY BETTER KNOW, 2016
“Seeing Boy Better Know play the Pyramid Stage was when urban music, in my mind, started to become part of mainstream culture. Seeing the guys on stage is a definite Glastonbury highlight for me.”
SAFIYA LAMBIE-KNIGHT, LEAD, URBAN, SPOTIFY
BILLY BRAGG/RALPH McTELL, 2017
“They were performing at the same time that Jeremy Corbyn was on the main stage, and I chose to watch Billy Bragg and Ralph McTell and it was awesome, it was absolutely awesome. It was a little piece of what Glastonbury is, 100%.”
MELVIN BENN, MD, FESTIVAL REPUBLIC
ARCADE FIRE, 2007
“My first Glastonbury in 2007 was before I was working for Mercury, so I didn’t get a free ticket, I had to pay like everyone else. But it was the wettest festival they’d had in years. I did stupid things like putting my jeans over my wellies because I had no idea what I was doing. But, at the time I thought Arcade Fire were the best band in the world, they’d just released Neon Bible and it was insanely exciting, and they played the Other Stage, second top, and then Björk headlined it. That was the best night I ever had, it was incredible.”
MICHAEL RIVALLAND, GM, VIRGIN
DOLLY PARTON, 2014
“It’s great that Kylie’s doing it, but Dolly really set the benchmark, and after that I think everyone else had to step up to the plate. For me, that one was the one that really stood out. She has an amazing set of songs, but every song had an appeal and they fitted the time of day. And it worked for the radio as well.”
JEFF SMITH, HEAD OF MUSIC, BBC RADIO 2
RADIOHEAD, 1997
“There was apocalyptic rain, stages were disappearing and gigs were being called off. Radiohead were playing, they did No Surprises and the fireworks were going off and it was utterly stunning. I was doing TV coverage with John Peel and he gave me a piggy back and we walked off into the distance, the mud was up to our thighs.”
JO WHILEY, DJ, BBC RADIO 2
“There are so many to choose from but it’s got to be Radiohead in 1997. It captured a particularly exciting time in my own life, but generally music felt very exciting at that time.”
JAMIE NELSON, DIRECTOR OF A&R, BMG
PROSUMER, 2015
“Walking back from Shangri-La at 5am and seeing a small garden shed where Prosumer was playing an incredible ’70s disco set. Dancing there as the sun came up is one of my most memorable Glastonbury moments.”
JAMES CATOR, HEAD OF PODCASTS, EMEA, SPOTIFY
REM, 1999
“There have been so many over the years, but it comes down to three defining moments: experiencing Lost Vagueness for the first time; watching REM headline my first Glastonbury in 1999; and Brian Wilson in the middle of a gloriously sunny day in 2005.”
PAUL REED, CEO, ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT FESTIVALS
PULP, 1995
“It was my post A-levels Glastonbury and the 25th anniversary party. It cost £65 all in and there was a long, long coach ride from Leeds. I was one of the only people who paid to get in as everyone else had breached the fence. I slept under a pylon and was convinced the cracking sound was rain all night. I remember Oasis on the Friday. Pulp replacing The Stone Roses on Saturday and putting on an absolutely outstanding performance. Lou Reed putting on a dreadful performance. The Verve, Elastica, Belly, Supergrass, The Prodigy on the NME stage. Getting sunburnt on my parting and wishing I’d brought a hat...”
ANNABELLA COLDRICK, CEO, MUSIC MANAGERS FORUM
JAY-Z, 2008
“Jay-Z was incredible, especially the opening when he literally destroyed everyone who had been critical of him headlining. Other highlights? Biffy’s surprise set at the Park Stage. The first time I walked round the whole site and discovered the true magic of Glastonbury and all the places I’d never seen before. The time myself and Paul Samuels from Atlantic were leaving the site, got lost and it was so wet that I wanted to give up and sleep wherever we were, but he persuaded me that was not a great idea. And all the wonderful moments I can’t remember!”
PAUL CRAIG, CEO, NOSTROMO MANAGEMENT
DISCLOSURE, 2014
“It was the wettest Glastonbury on record. We were trying to get up to Arcadia to watch Disclosure do a DJ set. It was so muddy, you literally had to pick up each foot with your two hands and pull it out of the mud and take the next step. It took us about 90 minutes to get up there and [DJ] Charlie Sloth had pulled his groin. We were just making this pilgrimage up to the Arcadia stage, half carrying Charlie, then we got there and it was this big moment. Disclosure started and it was crazy. It felt like we had made it to the promised land.”
DJ TARGET, JOINT MUSIC LEAD/DJ, BBC RADIO 1XTRA
COLDPLAY, 2016
“Before they started their set they had the crowd going ‘woah-oh-oooh-oooh-oh’ from Viva La Vida and throughout the set, the crowd kept on doing it – that is the sign of legacy songs. It was like, ‘Oh my God, they’re doing it unprompted!’ Watching them do Fix You was incredible, and then there was one part in the set when Chris made a mistake and it was so hilarious. He started the song and said, ‘We completely fucked up at Glastonbury – no big deal’ – and they did it again.”
RUTHANNE CUNNINGHAM, SONGWRITER
BEYONCÉ, 2011
“Because it’s Beyoncé! She came on to Crazy In Love and you can’t think of a better song to come on to really, it was just incredible. She is an unbelievable performer: everything from the voice to her choreography and showmanship. It was like, ‘That’s how you headline’.”
PREETI RAJAN, SOCIAL MEDIA AND CONTENT MANAGER, AEG PRESENTS
ADELE, 2016
“The anticipation was peak. Nobody was moving, everybody had found their spot in the field, then those big eyes came on… I remember she was a tiny bit delayed and I had the gallery in my ear saying, ‘Can you just fill for a bit longer?’ I was like, ‘Yes, she’s been seen in Tesco allegedly…’ They told me she was ready and then it was ‘Ladies and gentlemen, here’s Adele…” That was such a fun moment, there was so much excitement about her return. She’s the nation’s sweetheart, so to be able to have that moment with the audience was really special.”
CLARA AMFO, DJ, BBC RADIO 1
CHIC, 2013
“They played on the West Holts Stage. Get Lucky had not yet become huge and there were many in the crowd who didn’t quite know or understand the magnitude of the act they were seeing. This became evident as Nile Rogers reeled off in between songs the amount of hits his Chic organisation had actually been behind. Chic then played each one of these hits, from Bowie’s Let’s Dance to Madonna’s Material Girl, to cries of, ‘They did this song too?’ from the audience. Chic were incredible that night. I had bought a cigar too and it lasted for nearly the whole gig as myself and the missus danced the night away. I predicted nearly every song that they were going to play by Nile playing the opening two notes of each song warming up beforehand – that’s how much of a fan I am! I love Glasto surprise performances that shake the festival – this was one of them.”
KWAME KWATEN, MD, FEROCIOUS TALENT
SKUNK ANANSIE, 1999
“Glastonbury is the best music festival in the world, and I would know, because I’ve played hundreds and I’m doing another 30 this summer! We were the last band on the Pyramid Stage in that century, that’s quite an achievement. I remember this one moment standing onstage and I said, ‘Do you want us to do another song?’ and the cheer that came from the crowd was a real genuine, people-have-enjoyed-themselves moment. We were at the peak of our thing at that point, we were on form and everything good was happening to us. I feel warm hearted whenever I think or hear about Glastonbury, but it’s weird because the press almost tried to pretend we didn’t do it. I guess you could say I was the first black woman to headline Glastonbury, not Beyoncé. I thought it was quite a funny moment. I kept getting all these texts and DMs going, ‘Why does Beyoncé keep saying she’s the first black woman to headline Glastonbury?’ I was just like, ‘Space for everybody!’”
SKIN, SKUNK ANANSIE
