American rapper Kendrick Lamar is preparing to close the Glastonbury Festival on Sunday, the day after a concert by Paul McCartney, who performed Beatles classics on Saturday evening and was joined by Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl. In doing so, the singer, who turned 80 last week, became the festival’s oldest headliner, when pop star Billie Eilish became the youngest (20).
McCartney was joined on stage by Bruce Springsteen for I Wanna Be Your Man and by Nirvana alum Dave Grohl for I Saw Her Standing There. The 100,000 spectators at the South West England festival honored the ex-Beatle with a “happy birthday“, before feasting on the classics Can’t Buy Me Love, Love Me Do, Blackbird, Helter Skelter, let it be or Hey Jude.
The concert was hailed hailed as ‘theone of the most exciting, exhilarating” at Glastonbury by the Sunday Telegraph. The Observer pointed out that “something incredibly charming to see the childish delight on Springsteen’s face when he and McCartney exchanged lines“. Also on the bill, soul legend Diana Ross, Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, New Zealand singer Lorde and the Pet Shop Boys.
The festival was also marked by a message on a giant screen from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who asked festival-goers for their support in the face of the Russian invasion, which is preventing Ukrainians from “enjoy the freedom and this wonderful summer“. On the stage on Saturday, environmental activist Greta Thunberg meanwhile underlined the “historical responsibility” which weighs on the population in the face of global warming, attacking the double discourse of world leaders who are developing fossil fuel infrastructures.
The festival celebrated 50 years in this edition two years late, after the cancellations of the last two editions due to the coronavirus pandemic. In 2021, the festival was replaced by a large concert without an audience broadcast live on the internet, featuring British rockers Wolf Alice, pop rock trio Haim and festival veterans Coldplay.
It is sold out this year, with the majority of entries going to ticket holders from previous canceled editions.