Glastonbury 2010 - Hot Weather And Hot Acts

Last weekend saw the music festival circus move onto Glastonbury, for undoubtedly, one of the biggest music festivals in the world.  Celebrating its 40^th anniversary in 2010, the organisers of the event were hoping to put on a spectacular show.  They weren’t to be disappointed, though the headlining acts weren’t as strong as in recent years.

The festival-goers were treated to the unseasonably warm weather that has hit the UK in recent weeks.  Traditionally, Glastonbury is associated with mud-baths and foul weather conditions.  This time around, it wasn’t anoraks and wellington boots required.  Instead, it was sunglasses, plenty of bottled water and suncream.

The headlining acts on the main Pyramid Stage in 2010 were Gorillaz, Muse and Stevie Wonder.  Gorillaz kicked the entertainment off last Friday, having stepped in as late replacements for U2, after Bono was forced to withdraw, having undergone surgery on a back injury.  It was brave of Gorillaz to step in at the last minute, but as the critics have reported, they failed to win over the expected crowd.  Gorillaz are not the most well-known band and DARE aside, having had many star-studded hits.  Consequently, the attention of the crowd dwindled when they were on stage.  It was always going to be a tough act for them to step into U2’s shoes, and it showed. 

Pop took over on Saturday afternoon, with sparkling performances from the likes of Shakira and the Scissor Sisters.  The Pet Shop Boys rolled back the years, with a fantastic back catalogue of songs that made the crowd go mad.  It was the turn of Muse to headline on the Pyramid Stage, and they got mixed reviews, both from the audience and reviewers.  Muse is a personal favourite band of mine, but they do have the tendency to produce some absolute classics, then some songs that leave you thinking, ‘What on earth was that?’  Once again, the main feeling seemed to be a tinge of disappointment around the place, though it sounds like it was more livery than Friday’s disappointing start.

Last year, Glastonbury was overshadowed by the death of the ‘King of Pop,’ Michael Jackson.  This time around, it was England in the World Cup that gripped the attention of the fans.  A big screen last Sunday was set-up to watch our capitulation at the hands of the Germans in Bloemfontein, and that left everyone lacking the party mood to celebrate the finale.  Stevie Wonder finished things off on the Pyramid Stage, and sadly, the atmosphere seemed to be lacking the edge that Blur had when they signed Glastonbury off in 2009.  Whether that had to be down to the football result is questionable.  Stevie Wonder was always a surprising choice to headline I felt, and the general consensus was it was a performance that improved gradually, after a slow and dreary opening.

On the outset, Saturday seemed to be the better day overall, with Shakira a pleasant surprise and the Scissor Sisters turning out to be the strongest out of all the performers.  The headline performers slightly disappointed in all honesty, but the weather was exceptional and the spirit of Glastonbury remains as strong as ever.  It sounds like it wasn’t the best festival ever in its established history, but it was a respectable showing for its 40^th birthday.  Let’s hope it will be slightly stronger and less dominated by other global events across the world in 2011.    

U2 Out, Gorillaz In At Glastonbury 2010

The organisers of the Glastonbury Festival received a massive blow to their preparations for the 2010 event last Tuesday, when it was announced that Irish rock band, U2 have been forced to pull-out of their headline performance act.  Animated-band the Gorillaz, will step into their shoes for the top billing on Friday 25^th June.

U2’s front singer, charity campaigner Bono has just undergone back surgery for temporary paralysis and consequently, needs to rest for upto two months, meaning performing at Glastonbury was simply never going to happen.  Sixteen tour dates in the US and in Canada – scheduled for July have also been postponed, because of the recovery process.  Bono has admitted his heartbreak, as he was keen to see U2 put on a show for the crowds on opening night.  Behind such classic songs such as ‘Elevation,’ ‘Beautiful Day,’ and ‘Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me,’ U2 were due to share the headlining at the 2010 extraganvanza with Stevie Wonder and Muse. 

Glastonbury boss and founder Michael Eavis disappointment at seeing this dent in his line-up was cleared slightly by the quick announcement of the Gorillaz replacing U2 on the Pyramid Stage on June 25^th.  He said this of the announcement:

"This is going to be Gorilllaz's only UK festival appearance, and it'll be a massive audio visual spectacle which will really ignite the Pyramid on the Friday night, with Muse, then Stevie Wonder to follow.
"I'm very excited about Gorillaz's show coming here because they're so open to guests and collaborations. The alchemy of Friday's show is going to be astonishing, a perfect, contemporary way to kick off the 40th anniversary celebrations."

Despite the adequate replacement, there is no doubt that Glastonbury’s preparation for this celebration year has been badly hit.  Everyone wishes Bono a speedy recovery from his prognosis and hope he and U2 will be back touring soon, and the group’s fans will be devastated by this blow.  Let’s hope Gorillaz can step-up to the mark, because they no doubt have big shoes now to fill.   

Glastonbury 2010 - Promises To Be A Stunning Spectacle

On Thursday morning, the official line-up for the 2010 Glastonbury was revealed and as Michael Eavis, the founder of Glastonbury said: “This is it.  It’s the most staggering line-up to match the 40-year reputation of the Festival.’

On the weekend of Friday 25^th – Sunday 27^th June, hundreds of thousands of festival goers, will no doubt battle the weather elements to see some of the most iconic names in the music industry.  Last year’s festival, headlined by the likes of Blur was overshadowed by the tragic death of the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson.  Hopefully, 2010 will be remembered for the music on stage.

To celebrate its 40^th anniversary, the organisers have booked more than 350 acts to perform over the weekend, ranging from dance DJ’s, circus acts and famous musicians.  Once again, there will be extensive coverage on the twelve stages on the BBC, which has had the UK TV rights to the biggest music festival of the year since 1996.  Headlining the 2010 acts on the main Pyramid Stage are U2 on Friday night, Muse on Saturday and the legendary Stevie Wonder on Sunday evening.  Other performers on the various stages across the weekend include 2010 BRIT Award winners Dizzee Rascal, Ellie Goulding and Florence + the Machine.  They will be joined by the likes of the Scissor Sisters, the PetShop Boys, La Roux, Willie Nelson, The Tempter Trap, Editors, Ash and MGMT.

To many, this announcement was soon than what most had initially anticipated.  This is largely because the final batch of ticket for the annual Somerset festival bash were sold out at the beginning of last week.  If the line-up actually delivers on its promise, Glastonbury 2010 should be a spectacular music spectacle.