2025 Headliners

[fraybentos1]

Just now, NorthernSoul52 said:

Well, with LDR, probably because she's a bit of a headcase.

They booked her to headline other (and yes it was a mess but they couldn't have forseen that)

 

1 minute ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

But the answer might simply be that GNR were available, and by ticket-shifting and cross-generational metrics, there won't have been many bigger pulls, irrespective of their live capabilities.

Yeah absolutely, but what I'm saying is that in 2024 there would have been some sort of alternative to SZA who was male and a bigger ticket shifter ( think KoL or something) but they chose to go with SZA that year because she is female. They clearly changed approach between 2023 and 2024 and it was due to perceived criticism the earlier year.

[NorthernSoul52]

1 minute ago, fraybentos1 said:

They booked her to headline other (and yes it was a mess but they couldn't have forseen that)

 

Yeah absolutely, but what I'm saying is that in 2024 there would have been some sort of alternative to SZA who was male and a bigger ticket shifter ( think KoL or something) but they chose to go with SZA that year because she is female. They clearly changed approach between 2023 and 2024 and it was due to perceived criticism the earlier year.

Oh, I won't argue with that. But at the same time, the fly in the ointment there is Stevie Wonder. If he was indeed the replacement for Madonna, then it still would have been just the one female headliner.

 

I certainly think there was a notion to book more diversely.

[fraybentos1]

2 minutes ago, incident said:

Because in 2023 they didn't lose a headliner about a week before the announcement, and so had no need to bump someone up at the last minute?

is this madonna you mean? how do you know when they pulled out? 2023 wasn't that dissimilar anyway with taylor or Rhianna clearly not working late on. I'm not denying that of the people on the line up already SZA was the best/ only choice but clearly they have scrambled before to find someone new last minute such as The Who or GnR. 

 

4 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

As Incident says, of any of the other acts on the roster to move up to fill a gap in the headliners she was the obvious choice. 

why does someone already on the roster need to fill the spot? why not that same approach the previous year with Lizzo or LDR?

 

Dunno why you all seem so reluctant to admit that they seemed keen to have 2 female headliners this year. Seems obvious to me. 

[incident]

18 minutes ago, fraybentos1 said:

is this madonna you mean? how do you know when they pulled out?

 

I am referring to them losing Stevie Wonder, as is everyone else, as he was the generally accepted rumour at the time from credible sources. But you seem intent on ignoring the possibility that he was the one previously booked, as it runs counter to the narrative you're trying to push.

 

18 minutes ago, fraybentos1 said:

2023 wasn't that dissimilar anyway with taylor or Rhianna clearly not working late on.

 

I don't know exactly when they lost Rihanna (as she does seem by far the more likely of the two), but it doesn't appear to have been late on or even close to it. The headliner trio we ended up with were all rumoured quite a long way out - you seem to be suggesting that GnR were a late replacement, but they were being rumoured by a credible source as early as October 2022 - with any "doubt" over them mostly because someone loudly refused to accept it and insisted on telling everyone that at every opportunity.

 

18 minutes ago, fraybentos1 said:

why does someone already on the roster need to fill the spot? why not that same approach the previous year with Lizzo or LDR?

 

As above, 2023 isn't remotely comparable given all 3 headliners were seemingly in place at least 9 months before the festival so there was no "late replacement" at all. But for this year, and as I've already said - I have no idea whether they tried to look outside the acts they already had booked or not. Nor do you.

Edited October 2 by incident

[fraybentos1]

2 minutes ago, incident said:

I am referring to them losing Stevie Wonder,

They clearly never 'had' Stevie Wonder, they may have asked the question but clearly wasn't far down the line if he apparently had health issues and never ended up doing BST. Maybe 2025.

 

And I do believe they tried for Stevie and I'm not trying to 'push' anything. All I'm saying is wanting  2 female headliners and greater diversity high up the lineup based on comments re 2023 played a part in them going for SZA. Do you honestly disagree with that?

[incident]

Just now, fraybentos1 said:

And I do believe they tried for Stevie and I'm not trying to 'push' anything. All I'm saying is wanting  2 female headliners and greater diversity high up the lineup based on comments re 2023 played a part in them going for SZA. Do you honestly disagree with that?

 

A part? Sure, it could have been a small consideration, as one of numerous factors - but I don't think for a second it was an overriding concern. Whereas your previous statement was: "She clearly was trying to make the 2 female headliners happen at almost any cost".

[fraybentos1]

24 minutes ago, incident said:

 

A part? Sure, it could have been a small consideration, as one of numerous factors - but I don't think for a second it was an overriding concern. Whereas your previous statement was: "She clearly was trying to make the 2 female headliners happen at almost any cost".

Well we will have to agree to disagree. I think it looked an out of place booking and that was confirmed by the fact she played to about 8 people. A misjudgement by the festival which has done more harm than good imo.

[CaledonianGonzo]

7 minutes ago, fraybentos1 said:

Well we will have to agree to disagree. I think it looked an out of place booking and that was confirmed by the fact she played to about 8 people. A misjudgement by the festival which has done more harm than good imo.

 

Thats true, but it can be true despite SZA's gender 

 

I think it's fair to say that looking at what was hot / flavour of the month in 2024 played a sizable role in the SZA move.  Her walloping large. streaming numbers for one thing - and obviously in retrospect that's a flawed metric on which to place all your faith. 

 

But the fact she was headlining other large European festivals in the same timeframe still shows that Emily wasn't way out on a limb making mad moves just to tick a box.

[NorthernSoul52]

14 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

 

Thats true, but it can be true despite SZA's gender 

 

I think it's fair to say that looking at what was hot / flavour of the month in 2024 played a sizable role in the SZA move.  Her walloping large. streaming numbers for one thing - and obviously in retrospect that's a flawed metric on which to place all your faith. 

 

But the fact she was headlining other large European festivals in the same timeframe still shows that Emily wasn't way out on a limb making mad moves just to tick a box.

Concur on this. The signs and the metrics - those streaming numbers, the actual hard sales (they weren't a slouch either) and the other major festival dates mostly suggested that it wouldn't be a complete misfire on paper.

 

In practice, there's possibly a few things against her - understand the only option was the Sunday, but that really did feel like the kiss of death for people not interested enough to stick around.

[CaledonianGonzo]

The genre she works in played a role.  I really like SZA but didn't go as I didn't want to end the festival with some slow jamz.

[balti-pie]

It could very easily have been Emily's decision to make cos she loves SZA's album and out of all the potential ones to promote to the open pyramid headliner spot, she liked that one best!

She basically made Kings of Leon headliners in 2008 cos she loved them at the time, they weren't touring or anything, and as they got that headline slot they wrote 'bigger' songs that were aimed at a larger audience - which both made them (as headliners) and also broke them (cos they're fairly crap aside from the first three albums 😄)

So it might not be any more complicated than she promoted SZA to headline cos she really likes her. And if i were Emily Eavis you're damn right i'd do the same thing. 

[CaledonianGonzo]

Taking back everything I've said in Emily's defence after learning she f**ks with Kings of Leon.

[balti-pie]

4 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Taking back everything I've said in Emily's defence after learning she f**ks with Kings of Leon.

tbf they were good, sixteen years ago. Back when they were hairy and you couldnt understand a single word they sang. 

[MEGABOWL]

6 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Taking back everything I've said in Emily's defence after learning she f**ks with Kings of Leon.

First 3 album KOL? Nothing wrong with that. She wasn’t to know he was going to start setting Sexes on Fire and getting shat on by pigeons soon after.

Edited October 2 by MEGABOWL

[MEGABOWL]

2 hours ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

 

 

Except, again, she didn't say it.

I know it wasn’t exactly what she said but it was one of the few times she seemed to be floundering to me. Which I can understand in the circumstances.

[CaledonianGonzo]

5 minutes ago, MEGABOWL said:

I know it wasn’t exactly what she said but it was one of the few times she seemed to be floundering to me. Which I can understand in the circumstances.

Yeah - she was on the defensive, when she didn't really need to be.  Arctics / GnR / Elton still a strong trio.

[MEGABOWL]

2 hours ago, fraybentos1 said:

Tabloids? This is the BBC article:

 

Glastonbury Festival organiser Emily Eavis has said she has recently been offered a "really big American artist" who she hopes will headline next year.

 

She didn't reveal their identity, but told BBC podcast Sidetracked she is aiming to book two female headliners.

 

 

Ok maybe she was talking about Dua and Madonna but if you are saying you're getting flack for having 0 female headliners in 2023 then for 2024 say you're aiming for 2 female headliners, you're kinda backing yourself into a corner. 

 

Which is exactly how it played out cause she booked SZA to do it to a tiny crowd. She clearly was trying to make the 2 female headliners happen at almost any cost cause she felt bad about 2023.

Now look what that became when it hit the tabloids

 

The Suns reimagining

[MEGABOWL]

2 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Yeah - she was on the defensive, when she didn't really need to be.  Arctics / GnR / Elton still a strong trio.

Agreed. Glastonbury as a festival have done more for gender diversity than most others, and she had three actual stadium acts headlining for the first time ever, and she got heavily criticised for it. 

[gfa]

how are we back on SZA and 2 female headliners thing ffs

 

(lack of news)

 

Need these T Day Dates asap

[fraybentos1]

12 minutes ago, MEGABOWL said:

Now look what that became when it hit the tabloids

 

The Suns reimagining

Yeah for sure, the Sun was talking shite but still Emily set out the 2 female headliners thing:

 

“But next year it's looking like we’ve got two female headliners, so fingers crossed.”

 

I'm aware that she isn't guaranteeing anything there but she never needed to say that. 

[UncleJunior]

GnR weren't drafted in as late as some might believe I think.

[Crazyfool01]

@roughbloke any thoughts on next year ? Or is it as up in the air as this thread ? 

[MEGABOWL]

28 minutes ago, fraybentos1 said:

Yeah for sure, the Sun was talking shite but still Emily set out the 2 female headliners thing:

 

“But next year it's looking like we’ve got two female headliners, so fingers crossed.”

 

I'm aware that she isn't guaranteeing anything there but she never needed to say that. 

That’s the point. She doesn’t say that.

 

She says “

“So I feel like the pool is going to be bigger soon. And who knows next year, we might get two.

And I'd certainly I can say that the legend is female.”

 

Thats from the actual transcript.

 

From Sidetracked with Annie and Nick: Emily Eavis on Glastonbury, Footballers Tackling Music and Life Is A Cabaret, 26 Oct 2023
 

[fraybentos1]

9 minutes ago, MEGABOWL said:

That’s the point. She doesn’t say that.

 

She says “

“So I feel like the pool is going to be bigger soon. And who knows next year, we might get two.

And I'd certainly I can say that the legend is female.”

 

Thats from the actual transcript.

 

From Sidetracked with Annie and Nick: Emily Eavis on Glastonbury, Footballers Tackling Music and Life Is A Cabaret, 26 Oct 2023
 

Apologies I assumed it was a direct quote 

[northernangel]

52 minutes ago, MEGABOWL said:

Agreed. Glastonbury as a festival have done more for gender diversity than most others, and she had three actual stadium acts headlining for the first time ever, and she got heavily criticised for it. 

Much easier I would say as well to book 3 male stadium acts.

 

Just for instance, what are people saying if Emily booked Olivia, Beyonce and Adele as that's probably what we're talking about for 3 female acts that can headline stadiums acts in the UK to play. How would that go down? I would only watch one now, I can't see it going down well but you're probably booking the 3 biggest female artists in the world.