"I'm about two years late for tonight. Traffic was a bitch."
As opening lines go, it's a belter. Two years is exactly how long Dave Grohl has been preparing for this moment, ever since his band were regrettably forced to pull their 2015 Glastonbury headline slot due to injury.
Their loss was Florence + The Machine's gain. Belatedly promoted to the top of the bill, she grabbed the opportunity with both hands, covering the Foos' 2003 hit Times Like These in tribute along the way - much to the gratitude of its creator.
Two years on, the spotlight is all Grohl's. When he emerges, initially alone, armed with his trusty blue Gibson, Times Like These is the song he powers into, in a figurative high-five to his newfound friend. What follows is an incendiary burst of high-octane rock bangers: All My Life, Learn To Fly, Something From Nothing and The Pretender all spat out with world-beating precision.
It's one of the great opening half hours in Glastonbury history - such a blistering start, in fact, that the pace is impossible to maintain. Hyper-extended versions of Wheels, My Hero and Best Of You test the patience in an ever-so-slightly overcooked 135-minute, 20-song set, but another highlight is never far away ("We're like a rollercoaster - we hit you hard then we bring you down," quips Grohl).
Walk is dedicated to the surgeon who nursed him back from a broken leg; drummer Taylor Hawkins swaps roles with the frontman for a deft run through Queen & David Bowie's Under Pressure; and Everlong provides a fitting, firework-assisted climax to a show worth every one of its 24 months in the making.
"This was exactly what I hoped it would be," smiles Grohl, relishing every last second. He's not alone there.
