Why Baaba Maal's morning Pyramid slot was the perfect Glastonbury moment
The ideal early afternoon for a Glastonbury still recovering from the night before
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The real talking points from Glastonbury are never the headliners. Sure, when you get home, everyone will want to know how Adele was, but it's almost guaranteed that if any festival-goer had to choose a highlight it would be someone/thing completely unexpected.
Enter Baaba Maal, the Senegalese singer who recently found a new audience thanks to a song with past-headliners Mumford & Sons. Most of the muddy campers standing before the Pyramid stage watching his 1.40pm slot were unaware of Maal previously, including myself.
Yet coming on stage with a flowing roster of other supremely talented musicians, he managed to absorb the crowd in his group's funky drum beats and rocking guitars. Whilst a bit camera shy, it mattered little, as Maal engaged mass wave-alongs, the clouds passing just in time for the crowd to be lit up by the sun.
After 15 minutes or so, everyone down the front was fully on board, those further back happy to dance along and sing when commanded to do so by their maestro. Later on in the set, a man having a fantastic time - pointing at his mug filled with a brown concoction of some form - flashes up on the two huge screens either side of the stage, the crowd bursting into laughter.
It's these moments that define what Glastonbury is: a moment of unison between all those watching while a genuinely talented musician - whose showmanship is more than enough to engage the crowd - captures everyone's attention.
Sure, very few people knew the words, but for a lunch time slot, it was ideal for those cracking open their third cider. The perfect early afternoon moment for a Glastonbury still recovering from the night before.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments