Glastonbury has hosted everyone from Marc Bolan and David Bowie to Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar. Some headliners merely played the festival. Others defined it. From historic breakthroughs to all-time great performances, these are the 21 greatest Glastonbury headline sets…
21
Tyrannosaurus Rex, 1970
Marc Bolan and Mickey Finn stepped up to headline the very first Glastonbury after the Kinks, Wayne Fontana and The Mindbinders all pulled out. After a minute’s silence for Jimi Hendrix, who died the day before, the band – soon to be renamed T.Rex – played a genteel set in front of just over 1,000 people. A summer tradition was born.
20
Oasis, 1995
The band’s 1994 debut on the New Bands stage was arguably better, but this 1995 Friday-night headline slot caught Oasis in that sweet spot when the band still had swagger and energy, but weren’t yet taking anything for granted. The brothers returned to headline in 2004, with much less impressive results, and Oasis haven’t been back since.
19
Jay-Z, 2008
A groundbreaking set and outstanding performance as Jay-Z became the first hip-hop star to headline Glastonbury. He memorably responded to criticism from Noel Gallagher by beginning his set with a montage incorporating “Wonderwall”, his own “99 Problems” and AC/DC’s “Back In Black”. After that, there was no looking back.
18
New Order, 1981
This was pivotal for the creation of modern Glastonbury, as New Order became the first indie group to headline the first three-day Glasto. It was still far from the monster-sized festival we have today, and New Order – never the most reliable live act – delivered a typically unpredictable set, hindered in part by Barney Sumner having overindulged in Pernod and falling over while singing “Procession”.
17
Metallica, 2014
Another landmark, as Metallica brought the monster sound of Donington to the indie haven of Pilton – something that some believed was even more sacrilegious than hip-hop. But having played in front of crowds of this size at least once or twice in their career, Metallica were in their element, and delivered a greatest hits set of shuddering intensity.
16
Stevie Wonder, 2010
One of the best shows by any of the many legends to headline Glastonbury, Stevie played a set of classics before inviting Michael Eavis on stage for a mass singalong of “Happy Birthday” to mark the festival’s 40th anniversary. Mellow but miraculous.
15
The Prodigy, 1997
After Orbital’s landmark – but non-headlining – set of 1994 had shown that dance music could work at Glastonbury, The Prodigy were handed the responsibility of headlining Friday night in 1997. Appearing shortly before the release of The Fat Of The Land, they rose to the occasion, producing an electrifying set that was only dampened by one of Glasto’s worst mudfests.
14
Arctic Monkeys, 2013
The Monkeys had flunked their first stab at headlining in 2007, but returned six years later with a little more heft, more songs and a better understanding of what it takes to impress an audience of this scale. With AM due to be released later that year, the time was right and the band kicked off with “Do I Wanna Know?” before rolling through the hits all the way back to “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor”.
13
Beyoncé, 2011
A seasoned performance like Beyoncé had the Glasto crowd eating out of her hand only a couple of years after husband Jay-Z’s more controversial headline slot. She began with a bang – a great version of “Crazy In Love” – and then delivered hit after hit with the assurance of a consummate headliner. “You are witnessing a dream! I always wanted to be a rock star!” she said, during a set that included a cover of Kings Of Leon’s “Sex On Fire”.
12
Stormzy, 2019
The first British rapper to headline Glastonbury, Stormzy’s show was a masterclass of staging – one of the most ambitious and imaginative the festival had seen. Aimed at the TV audience as much as the crowd in Somerset, it was an extraordinary piece of theatre that confirmed Glastonbury’s continued importance in contemporary culture. Guests included Chris Martin, whose band, Coldplay, have headlined Glasto a record five times.
11
The White Stripes, 2005
If The White Stripes had headlined in 2003 when Elephant was released, it would possibly be a candidate for a Top Five set. And they were still no slouches in 2005, hitting the ground running with an incendiary opening salvo of garage growlers. “Jolene” and “Hotel Yorba” were lighter highlights, while the finale of “Seven Nation Army” provided the festival with one of its finest outros.
10
R.E.M., 1999
The first of R.E.M.’s two headlining shows, this 1999 slot saw the band reconfigured as a trio following the departure of Bill Berry but showing they could still wow a crowd with the best of them. They made a spectacle of the familiar, showing that no matter how many times you’ve heard “Everybody Hurts” or “Losing My Religion”, there’s nothing better than seeing it live. And all this despite Michael Stipe almost getting kicked out when a security guard caught him without a ticket…
9
Bruce Springsteen, 2009
Following Neil Young’s excellent headlining slot on the Friday night, Bruce and the E Street Band offered festival goers a typically epic romp through the catalogue. Springsteen opened with Joe Strummer’s Glasto-referencing “Coma Girl” before blasting through the hits – including fan requests “Because The Night” and “No Surrender” – and giving the crowd a stadium-sized treat.
8
The Smiths, 1984
Three years after New Order signalled a potential shift in emphasis, The Smiths confirmed Glastonbury’s new indie-fied direction. Michael Eavis says this was the show that “changed the whole event… it suddenly became a big pop festival” rather than a weekend for hippies. The Smiths were relatively young and took a while to warm up but already had great songs pouring out of them, ending the show with half the crowd joining them on stage.
7
Paul McCartney, 2022
Macca’s second Glastonbury headlining slot was a glorious, nostalgic wallow through some of the best songs ever written. What made it even more moving were the headlining acts on the days either side – Billie Eilish and Kendrick Lamar – which meant festival attendees saw three very different acts all delivering impeccable performances on a single magical weekend. Isn’t music great?
6
The Rolling Stones, 2013
A long-time dream date for Michael Eavis, the Stones finally rolled into Worthy Farm to mark their 50th anniversary with a set that included a rewrite of “Factory Girl” – as “Glastonbury Girl” – and a couple of guest spots for Mick Taylor. Given the catalogue, this was easy pickings for Mick and Keef and they sashayed through a memorable evening.
5
Blur, 2009
If Bruce and Neil Young weren’t enough, Blur proved to be the pick of three outstanding headline acts in 2009. This sensational show came eleven years after their first headlining slot and it saw them cover big hits and fan favourites from “She’s So High” through “Popscene”, “The Universal”, “Tender” and “Beetlebum”. They even coaxed Phil Daniels into turning out for “Parklife”.
4
The Cure, 2019
The Cure first headlined Glasto in 1986, before returning in 1990 and 1995. That 1990 set was a classic, but there was something particularly special about this belated return in 2019, a hypnotic trawl through an immense catalogue that captured the attention through sheer sonic power and intense charisma before concluding with a kitchen-sink disco of Bob’s greatest pop hits.
3
Pulp, 1995
On a weekend of great headliners – Oasis and The Cure – Pulp, a late replacement for Stone Roses, edged out the competition with an unforgettable celebration of superior British pop. Once again, this was all about the timing with the show preceding the release of Different Class. Pulp gave live debuts to singles “Disco 2000” and “Mis-Shapes” as well as “Sorted For Es And Whizz” – a song that could have been written just for this occasion – before the mass singalong of “Common People” provided one of the defining moments of the entire pop decade.
2
David Bowie, 2000
The beginning of a new era for Glastonbury; instead of constantly looking forward the festival began to consciously celebrate the past, regularly finding a slot for legends of rock and pop. And how fitting that it was David Bowie, who had played the second ever Glastonbury in 1971, to first take on that role, delivering a set of bangers that majored on the singles and reminded audiences that they should never take genius for granted.
1
Radiohead, 1997
Coming less than a fortnight after the decade-defining OK Computer was released, Radiohead’s 1997 slot confirmed Glastonbury was the festival in the mid-to-late 1990s, finally edging out stiff competition from Reading. This was all about zeitgeist, with Radiohead arriving at just the right time to play the biggest album of their career so far, delivering a set that teetered on the brink of disaster before turning into a remarkable triumph. Incredibly, they were almost as good when they came back in 2003.