2024 Headliners

[Wooderson]

8 minutes ago, Mardy said:

If it were down to me, I'd take O'Rod over Madonna in a heartbeat. One's the future, the other one firmly the past.

But, it doesn't matter a single, solitary f**k what I think, Glastonbury is not (and never has been) some kind of democracy. It's a benign dictatorship. And like @stuiesays, if you're not comfortable with that, or with the direction the festival is taking, it's maybe time to move on. This is completely where I am at the moment, but I don't blame GFL for doing what they're doing (OK, maybe I do a little bit). Personally, I think the huge names and the concentration of everybody at the Pyramid to see a huge name is to the detriment of the festival as a whole, but like I say, lets not pretend what you or I can affect that, or that it's going to change in the foreseeable. 

Once the BBC became involved things changed where headliner performances are now career/genre defining events rather than mere festival "turns". The cultural weight carried by these specific shows differs hugely from other tour dates or festival appearances. I'm all for this, have to say. Bowie's 2000 show, Blur's 2009 show, the Stones in '13 (to name but three) have and will live on into the future as crucial artifacts of an artist's career. All for this.

[Suprefan]

15 minutes ago, FloopFiller said:

There’s definitely room for adjustment if we’re going for banger after banger, but this being Madonna I’m sure it took a lot to even convince her a career defining show was a good idea so it’s not too surprising that she’s left out a lot of classics in favour of some slightly lesser known older stuff. Wonder if things will change up at all for the stadium leg of the tour. 

Doubt it. Its rehearsed and you dont change the sequencing really. It would seem like a possibility if she had done any variance when she was playing multiple nights in one city. But she didnt in London for example. Even Depeche Mode with how rigid their setlist is on a tour know to change it up on a multiple night run.

[sisco]

15 minutes ago, Suprefan said:

Thats not gonna happen until they run out of old timers which is something Ive been on about for a hot minute. Cause the argument is just about what the fest is going to do when they have nobody over the age of 70 to headline and they have to dip into a pool of just current artists. Theyre going to find that their trios will be like alot of other fests when that time comes and you just have to make the undercard very interesting for people. In the end the fest is still going to sell out so why should they be worried. They can program how they want without consequence. But they have this fear that they have to cater to the lawn chair crowd for some reason.

Is nobody ever getting to the age of 70 again? 69 and dead?

[stuie]

8 minutes ago, Suprefan said:

Thats not gonna happen until they run out of old timers which is something Ive been on about for a hot minute. Cause the argument is just about what the fest is going to do when they have nobody over the age of 70 to headline and they have to dip into a pool of just current artists. Theyre going to find that their trios will be like alot of other fests when that time comes and you just have to make the undercard very interesting for people. In the end the fest is still going to sell out so why should they be worried. They can program how they want without consequence. But they have this fear that they have to cater to the lawn chair crowd for some reason.

yeah, they'll have to start booking current artists like Billie Eilish, Kendrick, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kanye, Stormzy and stuff like that or something. 

 

 

[Mardy]

1 minute ago, Wooderson said:

Once the BBC became involved things changed where headliner performances are now career/genre defining events rather than mere festival "turns". The cultural weight carried by these specific shows differs hugely from other tour dates or festival appearances. I'm all for this, have to say. Bowie's 2000 show, Blur's 2009 show, the Stones in '13 (to name but three) have and will live on into the future as crucial artifacts of an artist's career. All for this.

yeah, fair enough, that's a valid viewpoint and the festival changes, it's no longer about the new. the relevant, the pop and exciting (with a few notable exceptions). Fair enough, Emily's call. Those of us shaking our fists about it are on a hiding to nothing. But it's undoubtedly a vicious circle, everybody goes to the Pyramid, so the rest of the site has no atmosphere, so even more people go to the Pyramid. Which again, is not how I'd go, but I'm not the one running the show, I'm not the one financially dependent on ticket sales.

[Wooderson]

1 minute ago, Mardy said:

yeah, fair enough, that's a valid viewpoint and the festival changes, it's no longer about the new. the relevant, the pop and exciting (with a few notable exceptions). Fair enough, Emily's call. Those of us shaking our fists about it are on a hiding to nothing. But it's undoubtedly a vicious circle, everybody goes to the Pyramid, so the rest of the site has no atmosphere, so even more people go to the Pyramid. Which again, is not how I'd go, but I'm not the one running the show, I'm not the one financially dependent on ticket sales.

Is that not a question of the festival's scheduling/curation? The biggest heritage shows arent for everyone - but thats not necessarily a bad thing guv.

When Diana Ross was on I watched Nubya Garcia to a crowd of ~1500. If anything the atmosphere was better as the people there really wanted to be there. The Pyramid acts like a twatmagnet in that respect.

[Colorblindjames]

7 minutes ago, Mardy said:

yeah, fair enough, that's a valid viewpoint and the festival changes, it's no longer about the new. the relevant, the pop and exciting (with a few notable exceptions). Fair enough, Emily's call. Those of us shaking our fists about it are on a hiding to nothing. But it's undoubtedly a vicious circle, everybody goes to the Pyramid, so the rest of the site has no atmosphere, so even more people go to the Pyramid. Which again, is not how I'd go, but I'm not the one running the show, I'm not the one financially dependent on ticket sales.

They might not be as financially dependent on ticket sales if they didn't spunk so much on the headliners. 

Where does it end? They extended the pyramid field last year to take more people. By 2030 will the field extend to Shepton Mallet? They need to stop chasing the publicity and tone it down a bit for a few years. Show some love to the other stages which after all is where the real heart of the festival lies. 

[1986]

49 minutes ago, Tranquility of Solitude said:

I don’t know what this means.... sorry!

Ha sorry Deezer is (was?) another streamer that had ads on TV for a while. Don't know much about it besides the name.

[Wooderson]

6 minutes ago, Colorblindjames said:

They might not be as financially dependent on ticket sales if they didn't spunk so much on the headliners. 

Where does it end? They extended the pyramid field last year to take more people. By 2030 will the field extend to Shepton Mallet? They need to stop chasing the publicity and tone it down a bit for a few years. Show some love to the other stages which after all is where the real heart of the festival lies. 

The field has two examples of config change in 25+ years. It will be fine, the person that needs to tone it down is you.

[glast0gal]

I’d love to see Lady Gaga perform at the farm. Really surprised she’s not been back since 2009 (if I remember correctly?) I do think sometimes it seems like certain performers aren’t really given a look in until they’ve kind of…gone past their heyday? Might be way off the mark with this but I did find it funny when my friends maintained that Elton had apparently never been asked to play the festival before? I cynically believe and said that there’s no way Glasto hadn’t asked him and that he was probably offered a decent amount (by Glasto’s numbers/standards, lower than other gigs) and they were told to not bother unless they produced the coin. But now, given what the festivals reputation has metamorphosed into, it was an attractive way to finish his live performing career. I mean, fair dos to both parties there. Great last gig to have for Elton and still an impressive booking for the festival. I do, however, personally think Glasto headliners are at their best when it’s a performer or an act who are clearly making waves and are in the prime of their artistry and performing career. A good performance leaves a lasting impression on me much more than ticking off bucket list songs to hear live. I’d rather make my peace with the fact that I won’t hear them in the way that I’d want to. Potentially unpopular opinion, but that’s my general feeling.

As far as 2024 headliners, I can see Madge being lined up for it. Would love Gaga and the third spot is open for me. Coldplay done to death for me now but saw them at Glasto in 16 and they were good, but would probs give it a miss again as I’m not bothered. Would probably want a different style of headliner for a bit of variety.

[Suprefan]

27 minutes ago, stuie said:

yeah, they'll have to start booking current artists like Billie Eilish, Kendrick, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kanye, Stormzy and stuff like that or something. 

 

 

Uh huh. When everyone is under the age of 30 youre going to get a load of moaning about it. Watch. If it was Olivia, Sam Fender and Dave, the never ending screams for "good old bands" will be heard across the atlantic.

[Colorblindjames]

4 minutes ago, Wooderson said:

The field has two examples of config change in 25+ years. It will be fine, the person that needs to tone it down is you.

Wise up and stop the personal attacks. Muppet. 

[Hotchilidog]

58 minutes ago, Wooderson said:

The current version of "Live To Tell" is a standout. A paean to heroes lost to HIV.

Absolutely superb at the 02. That would be a showstopper on the Pyramid.

[CaledonianGonzo]

11 minutes ago, Colorblindjames said:

They might not be as financially dependent on ticket sales if they didn't spunk so much on the headliners. 

Coldplay and Dua Lipa will be playing for buttons.  Probably for free in the case of the former.

As soon as start booking less popular headliners, tickets will accordingly be a tougher sell and the long-term future of the festival is less certain.

Marquee name acts like Reg and Madge help subsidise the variety elsewhere, not undercut it.

 

[CaledonianGonzo]

1 minute ago, Suprefan said:

Uh huh. When everyone is under the age of 30 youre going to get a load of moaning about it. Watch. If it was Olivia, Sam Fender and Dave, the never ending screams for "good old bands" will be heard across the atlantic.

Or they could do what they actually do in reality.....and have a mix.

[stuie]

14 minutes ago, Colorblindjames said:

They might not be as financially dependent on ticket sales if they didn't spunk so much on the headliners. 

Please give an example of a festival that is not financially dependent on ticket sales. 

 

[gfa]

47 minutes ago, Suprefan said:

Thats not gonna happen until they run out of old timers which is something Ive been on about for a hot minute. Cause the argument is just about what the fest is going to do when they have nobody over the age of 70 to headline and they have to dip into a pool of just current artists. Theyre going to find that their trios will be like alot of other fests when that time comes and you just have to make the undercard very interesting for people. In the end the fest is still going to sell out so why should they be worried. They can program how they want without consequence. But they have this fear that they have to cater to the lawn chair crowd for some reason.

I don't think its to appease the lawnchair crowd necessarily, these are acts ME will have listened to for decades and want to book - and so EE will try and make it happen if possible.

While the festival is always selling out they may as well go after these mega acts while they are still about. Its not like theres usually more than 1 of them anyway - that leaves two slots for great, newer acts e.g. 2022.

[Suprefan]

14 minutes ago, Colorblindjames said:

They might not be as financially dependent on ticket sales if they didn't spunk so much on the headliners. 

Where does it end? They extended the pyramid field last year to take more people. By 2030 will the field extend to Shepton Mallet? They need to stop chasing the publicity and tone it down a bit for a few years. Show some love to the other stages which after all is where the real heart of the festival lies. 

They dont spend that much on headliners lol. The budget is supossedly £10 mil? Coachella spends twice that on headliners alone and still have to book another 200 acts after that. Thus why the whole "play for exposure" type of payment for acts is how they make it work.

[Colorblindjames]

2 minutes ago, stuie said:

Please give an example of a festival that is not financially dependent on ticket sales. 

 

If they spend less on the artists they need to sell fewer tickets. I'd have thought this was obvious. 

[Colorblindjames]

1 minute ago, Suprefan said:

They dont spend that much on headliners lol. The budget is supossedly £10 mil? Coachella spends twice that on headliners alone and still have to book another 200 acts after that. Thus why the whole "play for exposure" type of payment for acts is how they make it work.

Which makes the courting of over the hill legacy acts even more bizarre. 

[CaledonianGonzo]

1 minute ago, Colorblindjames said:

If they spend less on the artists they need to sell fewer tickets. I'd have thought this was obvious. 

It famously doesn't spend much on artists

[1986]

Not going to say that the booking of heritage acts hasn't become of the festivals identity because it clearly has. But if these acts didn't sell massive amounts of tickets in their own right, therefore making them headliner worthy, they wouldn't be booked as headliners.

Blame the public at large, not the festival.

[Colorblindjames]

Just now, CaledonianGonzo said:

It famously doesn't spend much on artists

So why focus on old legacy acts? 

[Suprefan]

2 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Or they could do what they actually do in reality.....and have a mix.

Well again, youre literally running out of older acts so something has to give. And they shouldnt care what the audience thinks because again, this thing sells out regardless. I think if they would dare experiment with have a normal lineup announcement and a ticket sale to follow we could see how it goes and if the audience changes drastically or not. Just because the festival skews older doesnt mean it has to stay that way forever.

[stuie]

Just now, Colorblindjames said:

If they spend less on the artists they need to sell fewer tickets. I'd have thought this was obvious. 

They do spend much less on the headliners compared to other festivals.  I'd have thought that was obvious.