Glastonbury 2022: Six of the biggest talking points from the Worthy Farm festival
US rapper Kendrick Lamar’s headline set closed an impressive weekend of live music
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Your support makes all the difference.The final day at Glastonbury ended with a jaw-dropping performance by American rapper Kendrick Lamar.
Over the course of five days, fans had danced to performances by top artists such as Paul McCartney, Little Simz, Pet Shop Boys, Sam Fender, and Billie Eilish.
On the last day of the festival, George Ezra turned up at the John Peel stage in what was possibly the worst-kept secret set in Glastonbury history, while jazz-fusion legend Herbie Hancock delighted crowds relaxing at the Pyramid stage with a virtuosic performance.
Here’s a look back at six of the biggest talking points from the entire Glastonbury 2022 festival...
Roe v Wade
News of the US Supreme Court’s highly controversial legal ruling broke on Friday, and it was clearly on a lot of people’s minds at Glastonbury. It certainly didn’t escape the attention of the artists, many of whom were American. From Billie Eilish, to Phoebe Bridgers, to Olivia Rodrigo, to Kendrick Lamar, lots of the performers included powerful statements about abortion rights in their sets.
From the youngest ever headliner…
Eilish made history with her Friday night headline slot, delighting fans with an intimate but lively set of songs from the 20-year-old’s two albums. As the festival’s youngest ever solo headliner, the pressure was certainly on Eilish’s shoulders, but as Mark Beaumont’s five-star review attests, she pulled it off with aplomb.
…to the oldest
On the other end of the spectrum, we had Paul McCartney, who delivered an absolute barnstormer of a set on Saturday. Performing a range of hits from his Beatles and Wings repertoires, as well as his solo career (and a couple of covers), Macca delivered a Glastonbury experience for the ages. At 80 years old, he became the festival’s oldest ever headliner.
Kendrick Lamar
Closing the festival on Sunday was Kendrick Lamar, who held the Pyramid Stage in the palm of his hand from the start of his electrifying, career-spanning set to the end. The stunning climax of his set – a rendition of “saviour” performed while blood dripped from his diamond crown of thorns, before he began a furious chant about women’s rights – was pure chills-down-the-spine stuff.
Ukraine
The ongoing war in Ukraine was also a core political issue for many of the festival’s acts and attendees. Ukrainian flags were spotted commonly around the festival site, with McCartney holding one aloft in solidarity as he took the stage for his encore. The Pyramid Stage also played host to Ukrainian band Dakhabrakha on Sunday, one of several Ukrainian artists the festival championed.
A little help from my friends…
While Kendrick’s set may have been all him, many of the festival’s other acts deployed some heavyweight guest stars. McCartney brought Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl on stage towards the end. Olivia Rodrigo welcomed Lily Allen for a duet of “F*** You”. Phoebe Bridges joined forces with Arlo Parks (who had her own full set at the festival) for a couple of numbers. Pete Doherty even showed up on stage during Hak Baker’s performance, having performed with the Libertines shortly before. It was a festival chock-full of unexpected – but thoroughly enjoyed – cameos.
Look back at our live blog below:
How to watch Glastonbury live on the BBC
For the first time ever, BBC iPlayer will be hosting a special Glastonbury channel from Thursday (23 June), which will broadcast preview shows and live performances over the next four days.
Here’s the full schedule for the BBC’s Glastonbury coverage:
Full TV schedule of BBC’s Glastonbury coverage
Coverage will be spread across BBC channels over the next four days
Fans curious about Billie Eilish ‘leg tattoos'
Billie Eilish fans were confused by what some mistook for “tattoos” on the singer’s legs during her record-breaking headline set at Glastonbury.
The 20-year-old singer became the Worthy Farm festival’s youngest ever solo headliner with her performance on Friday 24 June.
During her set, Eilish was spotted wearing what appeared to be kinesiology tape, which is used with the aim of reducing the effects of shin splints – a type of leg pain caused by strenuous activity.
Billie Eilish fans curious about Glastonbury headliner’s ‘leg tattoos’
Eilish has spoken about suffering from shin splints in the past
Wellies out, Worthy Farm – blustery showers predicted in Pilton
The Met Office’s latest weather forecast for Pilton indicates the possibility of blustery showers, and a couple of thunderstorms on Saturday morning.
Sunny spells expected intermittently, through the day.
Here’s the weather forecast for the weekend:
Latest forecast predicts blustery showers and breezy weather for Glastonbury
The Met Office has indicated heavy rain showers, with the possibility of thunderstorms, over the course of a breezy Saturday
Billie Eilish review, Glastonbury 2022: History-making set is 90 minutes of noir-pop catharsis
Five stars for Billie Eilish, and her scene-stealing 90-minute set at Glastonbury Friday night.
In its way, Eilish’s historic headline set is just as significant as Jay-Z’s or Stormzy’s. Not because she’s the festival’s youngest ever bill-topper, although it certainly lifts the roof off every bedroom Tik-Tokker’s teenage dreams of glory.
But because it marks the ascendence of alternative pop: a home-made, personalised imitation of the mainstream that speaks far closer to the actual teenage experience of 2022. Certainly more than any amount of ultraconfident, oversexualised break-up bird-flips written by long-in-the-tooth Swedish production teams.
Alternative pop tones are dark and downbeat, its emotions raw and broken, its concerns doom-laden. Fame is wrought with insecurities, sex is regretful and drugs, when any are mentioned, are generally prescribed for anxiety.
Read Mark Beaumont’s full review here:
Billie Eilish’s Glastonbury set was 90 minutes of noir-pop catharsis – review
Eilish’s headline set is just as significant as Jay-Z’s or Stormzy’s because it marks the ascendence of alternative pop
Day three at Glastonbury - In five pictures
The weird and wonderful at Worthy Farm
‘F****** phenomenal’ : Fans react to Billie Eilish’s headline set
Fan reactions to Billie Eilish’s ‘epic’ headline set at Glastonbury on Friday are rolling in online.
One person wrote: “I’d never heard of Billie Eilish until tonight.. she’s 20 years old and she knocked it out of the park tonight at Glastonbury.. what a talent..”
“Catching up on #Glastonbury2019 with the help of BBC iPlayer, but I think I might end up just watching Billie Eilish’s set 20 or 30 times. She’s fucking phenomenal.” another fan tweeted, while one person wondered, “Billie Eilish is very impressive isn’t she?”
“I only know a couple of her songs but it’s great to see a 20 year old woman full of self confidence and being entirely herself bossing Glastonbury. To the complaining older men, she isn’t meant for you. Not everything is for you,” one person addressed some of the criticism over having Eilish headline the Worthy Farm festival.
ICYMI: Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky addresses Glastonbury crowd
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky urged festival-goers at Glastonbury to help “spread the truth about Russia’s war” against the eastern European nation, in a virtual address on Friday (24 June).
Noting that Glastonbury has retuned to Worthy Farm after a two-year, Covid-induced hiatus, he said, “We in Ukraine would also like to live the life as we used to and enjoy freedom, and this wonderful summer. But we cannot do that because the most terrible has happened – Russia has stolen our peace.”
“But we will not let Russia’s war break us,” Zelensky continued, adding, “And we will want to stop the war before it ruins people’s lives in other countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America – they are all under threat now.”
Addressing the “greatest concentration of freedom these days”, Zelensky said: “Spread the truth about Russia’s war. Help Ukrainians who are forced to flee their homes because of their war. Find our United24 charity platform and put pressure on all the politicians you know to help restore peace in Ukraine.”
“Time is priceless, and everything is measured in human lives,” he concluded, adding, “The more people that join us in defending freedom and truth, the sooner Russia’s war against Ukraine will end.”
“Prove that freedom always wins.”
Day, time and stage details for Sir Paul McCartney's headline set
After Billie Eilish’s historic headline set on Friday, Sir Paul McCartney will take the Pyramid Stage for an epic, two hour 15 minute set, on Saturday.
The former Beatle is expected to take the stage at 9.30pm and play until11.45pm.
His set will follow on from Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Haim and AJ Tracey.
Day 3 highlights – From Sir Paul McCartney’s surprise gig to roadside pizza deliveries
Here’s a recap of everything that went down on Friday at Glastonbury festival, returning following a two-year gap due to Covid:
The biggest highlights from Friday at Glastonbury 2022
Day three of the festival has included jaw-dropping live sets, along with a special address from Ukraine’s president Zelensky
How to catch all the action at Glastonbury if you’re not at Worthy Farm this year
It might not be quite the same as waking up at Worthy Farm and navigating the festival’s packed line-up but there are still plenty of ways to tune into Glastonbury festival from home.
Live sets will be broadcast here on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds throughout the festival, which runs from Wednesday 22 – Sunday 26 June.
Find out everything you need to know here:
How to watch the BBC’s live Glastonbury coverage
Kendrick Lamar, Diana Ross, Billie Eilish and Paul McCartney are all performing at this year’s 50th anniversary event
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