The lineup this year didn't look too exciting to me, I could take a pass on two of the three headliners, but Glastonbury is probably the most famous music festival in the world, so what are you going to do? A few thoughts:
Lightning Seeds. I always likes them and when it comes to unexpectedly putting a smile on my face, Lightning Seeds performing their sublimely underrated 90's hit "Life of Riley" was a bittersweet moment for me.
Rick Astley. Ten years ago, what sort of betting odds could you have gotten on Rick Astley ruling Glastonbury in 2023? Somehow he's transformed himself from an 80's punchline into a respected crooner by ways of an internet breaking meme. By the end of "Never Gonna Give You Up", even the security guards were dancing. Astley performed a second set that day, collaborating with the Blossoms for an inspired set of Smiths covers, providing an alternate reality reunion story in a universe where Morrissey gets canceled once and for all.
Foo Fighters. I appreciate their boundless energy, ace musicianship, and incredible connections with live crowds. But after nearly 30 years, I still don't like hardly any Foo Fighters songs.
Kelis. For many of these bands, I only saw a track or two on BBC Music's youtube channel. Kelis played "Acapella", and it SLAYED. A booming masterpiece of a track and I'm ready for the full-fledged Kelis comeback.
ADG7. This Korean group was wacky but riveting, whimsically folksy yet also sleek and modern.
Royal Blood. I'm kind of a sucker for rock duos making shitload of noise (strange that I never cared much for the White Stripes though). This band was sort of a revelation for me, thanks to their blistering mini-epics and the guitarists' incredible ability to make his instrument sound like a bass and electric guitar at the same time.
Gabriels. I didn't recognize former American Idol finalist Jacob Lusk. Good on him for finding post-Idol success, and capping his weekend with an appearance during Elton John's set.
Blondie. The band these days consists of Debbie Harry, Clem Burke, and a few hired hands (including former Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock). I saw Blondie and in 1999 and could scarcely believe that they sounded so relevant and powerful "at their age". Now it's almost a quarter of a century later, and Debbie Harry still exudes the same effortless New York cool that she's had since her 20's and has never lost for a moment until the present day.
Lizzo. Yeah, she could have, and probably should have headlined on Saturday.
Yusuf/Cat Stevens. The concept of the "legends slot" is losing its meaning when this year's and last year's headliners are older. His voice sounds almost exactly as it did in the 70's.
Lil Nas X. He could have become a one-hit wonder trivia question, but he's built a great career for himself with a succession of post-"Old Town Road" hits. This was like Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" video stretched out over a full set, with bizarre fashion meets sex fantasy over relentless beats.
Elton John. Drawn in by the historic aspect of seeing a legend's final (allegedly) UK show, I watched Elton John's Sunday headlining set in its entirety. It's the first complete Elton John concert I have ever seen, in any format (live, streaming, DVD), but having been born between the years 1950 and 1980, I know all of the songs. Elton's vocal range is shot and his dynamic range rarely ventures beyond "loud" to "shouting". But he's still got the lungs and a remarkable, magnetic energy to his singing and playing. He and his band have decades of stadium experience and this "farewell" tour is stretching into its sixth year (with a two year COVID break), so there's no way this could be anything other than great. I don't think his set had that "end of an era" all-time great moment vibe like Paul McCartney's set last year did, where it will be remembered in 20-30 years time. Maybe that's not a fair criticism, but that seems to be where the bar is set these days for Glastonbury headliners. But it was undoubtedly a great send off for Elton.
