Glastonbury 2023 – latest: Elton John says thank-you to festival audience after farewell UK performance
Rocket Man bids farewell as he played what could be his final live show in the UK, with a jaw-dropping, career-spanning set of his greatest songs
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Elton John performed what will go down as one of the greatest headline shows in Glastonbury history last night (Sunday 25 June), to one of the biggest crowds the festival has seen in years.
Lil Nas X was the final artist to take to the main stage before the 76-year-old at Worthy Farm, Somerset, after a joyful Yusuf/Cat Stevens entertained fans with songs including “Wild World” and “Father and Son”.
The revered folk singer-songwriter performed with his band in the coveted Legends Slot, a gig previously handed to artists including Lionel Richie, Kylie Minogue and Dolly Parton. He also gave superfan/comedian Ricky Gervais a shout-out on his birthday, before playing his song “Tea for the Tillerman”.
At 9pm, John launched his performance with some of his best-known songs, including his 1975 cover of “Pinball Wizard” and “Benny and the Jets”. From the moment he sat down at the piano, the show was a pure blast of euphoria from one of the world’s greatest living entertainers, with surprise guests including The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers, and Gabriels singer Jacob Lusk.
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John is set to perform his last ever UK show at the Worthy Farm festival on Sunday 25 June, which also marks his debut on the Pyramid Stage.
While the musical acts began on Friday 23 June, Glastonbury co-founder Emily Eavis opened the festival gates to attendees on Wednesday 21 June. This year’s hefty line-up includes performers such as Lana Del Ray, Lizzo, and Cat Stevens, with headlining acts by Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses, and John.
Rina Sawayama appears to call out The 1975 frontman Matty Healy over podcast controversy
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The US artist has come a long way, from fun-poking, rough and ready alt-rapper to classy instructor for your best Girl’s Night Out ever
Guns N’ Roses review, Glastonbury 2023: Frontrunners for the worst Glastonbury headline set of all time
A painful two stars in this withering but brilliantly written (and well argued) review of Guns N’ Roses by Mark Beaumont:
Guns N’ Roses are frontrunners for the worst Glasto headliners of all time - review
Axl Rose flips between a lower register that resembles a clogged lawnmower and a higher one that sounds like Barry Gibb suffering the mother of all wedgies
And on that very dramatic note
I’m ducking out to help edit our critics who’ve filed their Guns N’ Roses and Lana reviews... Thanks all for following along and see you again tomorrow!
Lana Del Rey’s set has been cut short!
This is astonishing, it’s absolute chaos down at the Woodsies stage as Lana’s set was cut, after she started her set 30 minutes late. Fans are screaming and crying, and Lana is trying (not very successfully) to get them to sing a cappella. You can’t hear a word she’s saying.
Lana Del Rey appears to blame the 30-minute delay on her hair
Unless I heard that wrong, Lana seemed to say just now that it was her hair that caused the 30-minute hold up on her set tonight.
“I was so fucking livid that I am about to rush this set today,” she said. “If they cut power, they cut power, I’m super fucking sorry... my hair takes so long to do, I love you. Let’s keep on running this set as it’s supposed to go.”
Rina Sawayama appears to takes swipe at Matty Healy during Glastonbury set
Rina Sawayama seemingly took a swipe at The 1975 frontman Matty Healy during her Glastonbury 2023 set.
While introducing the song “STFU!” on the festival’s Woodsies stage, the 32-year-old Japanese-British artist made reference to Healy’s recent racism controversy, as well as his self-admitted pornography habits.
Crouching on the floor, Sawayama said: “Tonight, this goes out to a white man that watches Ghetto Gaggers, and mocks Asian people on a podcast... he also owns my masters... I’ve had enough.”
Full story:
Rina Sawayama appears to takes swipe at Matty Healy during Glastonbury set
Musician also claimed that The 1975 frontman owned the master recordings of her songs