Best secret set of all time?

[not worthy]

Front row for the Killers was good, but really really enjoyed Klaxons in the Park too

[idb]

Frank Turner is Strummerville was great. Managed to share a beer with him after.

Also caught Lada Gaga in the early hours in a tent in the South East Corner.

[not worthy]

4 minutes ago, idb said:

Frank Turner is Strummerville was great. Managed to share a beer with him after.

Also caught Lada Gaga in the early hours in a tent in the South East Corner.

when you say caught....?

[westholtschic]

Another one for Elbow in the Park. Was beautiful in the sun with a great crowd around me.

[sabre-toothed tart]

2 hours ago, vintagelaureate said:

The Killers in 2017. 

The entire afternoon there was a blast. King Gizzard, then onto Frank Carter who got the tent bouncing, the the Killers. Immense. 

Exactly this.  Went on my own as my group couldn't be arsed 🤷‍♀️.  Managed to get to the front for Frank, who was one of my must sees and was amazing.  The atmosphere in the tent for The Killers was something else, and obviously Mr Brightside was a moment!

[Florian Saucer Attack]

Does anyone know when they first secret set was or when they became common place?

[Boomtowner]

2 hours ago, Tommy101 said:

Just been reminded of another highlight, Frank Turner at Strummerville in 2010 was pretty awesome, my first Glastonbury and definitely a bit part of me growing to love the festival

We were there for that one too,one of the highlights of that weekend, and that's probably my favourite ever Glastonbury. And whilst I also loved his 2019 secret set in Strummerville, it does highlight the issues we see with these sets. The behaviour of some of the people trying to get in was shocking. Spoke to a few stewards afterwards and they'd been sworn at and ignored. There was a time when a huge swathe of fencing nearly came down. It is one of the few times I've ever witnessed Leeds Festival style behaviour at Glastonbury. Felt really sorry for the stewards.

Heard similar anecdotes in 2007, about trying to get into see Fatboy Slim, after Madness played the Casino secret set. We were going to leave after the Madness set but couldn't due to the crowd outside.

As some have said previously, some of the sets are not that secret which can lead to issues for the stewards.

[FatAmmy]

2019 was a bumper crop for unannounced sets - I caught foals, vampire weekend, frank turner at greenpeace, plus Josefin Ohrn and squid in the coveted 1AM crows nest slots, and a kamasi washington surprise sit-in at the wormhole sunday night

[Fishman]

1 hour ago, BluePaul said:

Was The Last Shadow Puppets set in The Park in 2008 a secret set or was it scheduled?  Either way it was pretty good - Jack White guesting.

Yeah - TLSP were billed as Special Guests so a secret and the start of the best Park-run of TLSP, MGMT, Battles and CSS.

[Boomtowner]

1 hour ago, Fishman said:

Aye ... wasn't this then followed by Fat Boy Slim dressed as a Bumblebee?

It was, great atmosphere in the tent. As we'd been in the Casino before Madness, we'd had a prime spot, even enough room for some skanking. Everyone around us dressed to the nines with access to a great little bar. Awesome. God I loved Lost Vagueness, it was just so much better than what we have now. Every visit was a completely different adventure.

[Wanderlei]

Don't know how it went down, buy I wish I had been at The Big Moon's secret set at William's Green last time round. They're ace.

[wro_lap]

Foals were incredible on the Park - horribly kept secret, hearing songs that usually suit the black of night in daylight. Was a bizarre setting, but sweaty and fun.

 

+ The Killers, obviously, with wall to wall hits inside the JP. The videos of people having a ball outside the tent say it all.

[Leyrulion]

Not sure if it counts as a "secret set" but it was only written on a chalk board outside the tent. 

The Thursday afternoon run on BBC introducing in 2019 was incredible. Annie Mac into Jaguar, Wilkinson and Prospa each doing 30 minute sets of their best. Managed to get to the front as well, so the atmosphere was incredible.

[Hotchilidog]

1 hour ago, Boomtowner said:

We were there for that one too,one of the highlights of that weekend, and that's probably my favourite ever Glastonbury. And whilst I also loved his 2019 secret set in Strummerville, it does highlight the issues we see with these sets. The behaviour of some of the people trying to get in was shocking. Spoke to a few stewards afterwards and they'd been sworn at and ignored. There was a time when a huge swathe of fencing nearly came down. It is one of the few times I've ever witnessed Leeds Festival style behaviour at Glastonbury. Felt really sorry for the stewards.

Heard similar anecdotes in 2007, about trying to get into see Fatboy Slim, after Madness played the Casino secret set. We were going to leave after the Madness set but couldn't due to the crowd outside.

As some have said previously, some of the sets are not that secret which can lead to issues for the stewards.

I listened to that set from the hill on the other side of the trees, we could see Frank through a gap. Was a really pleasant way to enjoy the set. The BBC Introducing was great too. On the Friday I went from Gojira on the Truth Stage to Frank at Avalon, what night that was!

[Greenelk]

The Killers was incredible, made so much better by Frank Carter totally nailing in beforehand.  And Lady Gaga in Club Dada was pretty special, certainly not been many chances to see her do a full performance in such an intimate space!

 

[Neil]

2 hours ago, gigpusher said:

That wasn't a secret set. I'm pretty sure they were on the line up. It was an incredible set though. 

it wasn't kae tempest either it was Kate Tempest.

[nikkic]

Didn't watch Foals set on The Park live but have watched it back loads on iPlayer/YT.

Really was amazing.

[yehbutnobut]

2019, Carl Cox set Saturday night at The Rabbit Hole... pretty special to say the least.

[LeeHC]

21 minutes ago, Greenelk said:

The Killers was incredible, made so much better by Frank Carter totally nailing in beforehand.  And Lady Gaga in Club Dada was pretty special, certainly not been many chances to see her do a full performance in such an intimate space!

 

Lady Gaga in Club Dada is one of my most wtf Glasto moments. We were just mooching through Shangri-La and my mate looked over  and and went 'isn't that Lady Gaga' and thus it was. Epic and fireworks-in-the-bra bonkers!

[august1]

Lady Gaga in Club Dada was a mad one. Only 3/4 songs though

[rwhitehouse13]

The Pulp one in the Park was great, managed to get on the hill and watched from there...although many of the people around me didn't seem to know any Pulp songs...

The Radiohead one was annoying, managed to get into the Park but couldn't see anything as it was so busy and it seemed that most of the people around me had no interest in Radiohead anyway. They just seemed to have been there to say they had been there...I wasn't too happy!

[Butterz]

The Killers in the JP was probably the most energetic concert and crowd I've ever seen.  Thanks again to the people at the meetup who told us it was happening.

I'd also like to thank the people in this thread for helping me figure out that Frank Carter and Frank Turner are two different people.

[Dazmandingo96]

Fatboy Closing elrow @ lovebullets on friday of 2017 only to be joined by eats everything for a 3 hour set. some party that!!

[PiratePete]

Somewhat smaller scale than most of these, but Nick Mulvey in the tiny yurt in the Tipi Field in 2019 - one of my favourite artists with everyone belting out his tunes was absolutely epic. Might have cried a fair bit! 

[yehbutnobut]

8 minutes ago, Dazmandingo96 said:

Fatboy Closing elrow @ lovebullets on friday of 2017 only to be joined by eats everything for a 3 hour set. some party that!!

I was mortified when I heard this & wasn't witness to it.