Ray Davies

[Cardboard Box City]

...was f**king immense.

[themuel]

Agreed!

[whatmidlifecrisis?]

Agreed!

[Poppydog]

Ray Davies draws huge crowds to Glastonbury Acoustic Tent headline set

The Kinks frontman rolls out the classics at the festival

Huge crowds turned up to see Ray Davies's headline set in the Acoustic Tent at Glastonbury tonight (June 26).

The Kinks legend played an hour-long greatest hits set that saw fans inside and outside the tent sing along for the duration.

Davies had the audience in raptures as he played an extended version of 'Dedicated Follower Of Fashion' early on - stopping and starting the song several times and ad libbing its lyrics throughout.

"I'm feeling really good about this," Davies quipped before playing a spirited version of 'Sunny Afternoon'.

Davies' laid back approach continued throughout his set. He turned 'Dead End Street' into a rockabilly pastiche, before ordering his band to stop playing so he could scat the song's lyrics a capella.

On a break between songs, he asked the crowd, "You don't mind if I drink do you?" before picking up a nearby can of beer and yelling "Stella!" into the mic.

At the song's end, he and his band left the stage, thanking and waving at the audience on their way off.

After a short break, Davies returned to the stage and sang a nursery rhyme-like version of 'Days' a capella, garnering a huge response from the crowd.

Davies then introduced what was scheduled to be his final song of the evening - 'All Day And All Of The Night' - as "the tune that no record company wanted to buy".

He then left the stage for a second time, but with the crowd chanting "we want more!", Davies returned once again to perform perhaps his best-loved song, 'Waterloo Sunset'.

Stripped down to a simple acoustic ballad, he had the whole crowd singing along. After singing the "I am in paradise" line from the song, Davies stated "so am I", and again left the stage - though again he returned and kicked straight into 'Lola', his last song of the night.

Ray Davies played:

'I Need You'

'Where Have All The Good Times Gone'

'Til The End Of The Day'

'Apeman'

'Dedicated Follower Of Fashion'

'One More Time'

'Autumn Almanac'

'Sunny Afternoon'

'Celluloid Heroes'

'A Well Respected Man'

'I'm Not Like Everybody Else'

'Dead End Street'

'Tired Of Waiting For You'

'Days'

'All Day And All Of The Night'

'Waterloo Sunset'

'Lola'

Wandered away from Neil Young and fortunately strolled into a wonderful Festival moment.

A major highlight from this year

Edited June 29, 2009 by Poppydog

[Nyika]

He was amaaaaazing!

[Nyika]

He was amaaaaazing!

[septemberwillow]

Wandered away from Neil Young and fortunately strolled into a wonderful Festival moment.

A major highlight from this year

[1000yardstare]

I dont mind admitting I had a lump in my throat for a lot of the whole set and when have you seen the whole of the acoustic stage crowd being raucous on the way out of the gig...absolutely unreal

[Cardboard Box City]

I dont mind admitting I had a lump in my throat for a lot of the whole set

[When Jokers Attack]

that is some setlist there!

wasn't missing mr young for anyone though

[Andrew24620]

Could only get there late on cos of clashes - got there for last 4 songs - one of my all time festival highlights listening to an icon.

[Dominic1983]

Bloody hell, what a setlist! I assumed he'd play mainly solo stuff, with only one or two Kinks songs thrown into the mix. But to focus almost entirely on the aforementioned band, that's just immense! Still, I wasn't going to miss Neil Young for anyone either.

[Edi M]

Absolutely fantastic.

Is it on iplayer or youtube yet?

The reason I ask is, although I was there and loved every second, I couldn't actually see the stage.

[mc88]

Was my highlight of the weekend. Decided spur of the moment to watch him over Doves & was the best decision i made all weekend.

I've not been able to find any clips and im a bit disappointed at that, but maybe that makes it slightly more special.

Come on everyone now, Oh Yes He Is

[Poppydog]

Some kind soul (Peloquo23) has put up around half a dozen songs on YouTube from this Acoustic Tent set:

Ray Davies Glastonbury 2009

and Waterloo Sunset:

The great atmostphere that night comes across very well

[Joe_]

Easily one of the best artists i saw over the festival! i only really remember the hits as i was a little worse for wear but he was fantastic and the sing a longs were great! Waterloo Sunset was fantastic as was lola! but where was you really got me!

[irons]

We watched a bit of NY then strolled over to see Ray Davies, he started half an hour later. Best decision we made all weekend, he was simply superb. Probably in my top 3 acts of the weekend.

[jameshunt]

We watched a bit of NY then strolled over to see Ray Davies, he started half an hour later. Best decision we made all weekend, he was simply superb. Probably in my top 3 acts of the weekend.

[curtains]

Saw him at the Glasto Extravaganza not last year i think it was year before and he was good back then too.

[Poppydog]

Some of the various comments beneath the clips say it all:

........This show was so incredibly good that i was in tears backstage because the atmosphere was so incredible. To see and hear so many really young people totally knowing the words of all his songs - well it just blew me away. The highlight of my Glastonbury......

........don't think anyone bettered this set all weekend, stunning............

.......The best gig I've ever attended. Thanks for uploading! .......

......been telling everyone for the last week that Ray Davies was the absolute highlight of the whole weekend for us.........

.......man i was so hoarse after that gig....sang along to every song.....thank goodness the real ale tent was just next door.......

Great stuff

Edited July 9, 2009 by Poppydog

[MartinGooding]

epitomised the galstonbury atmosphere for me, i definately had that lump in my throat for most of the set and i was left completely in awe, waterloo sunset was just beautiful

[scorp]

ray @ glastonbury 07...with lola...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFM3O8Doo24

that was a glastonbury festivals event :-)

[nina3d]

It was truly excellent. I wasn't that keen on going, having not been much of a Kinks fan. But I didn't fancy seeing Neil Young, and Venus led Nyika and I along (thank you Venus!) - what a brilliant and unexpected highlight. I was continually surprised I knew so many of the words of the songs. It was one of my best moments of the festival. (especially when everyone was singing Lola as we drifted down the hill and out of the Acoustic field...)

I heard Waterloo Sunset on the radio at the weekend and had to bound over to it in an overexcited state and turn it up and sing along!

[jesusofsuburbia]

I was right at the front, and i can't believe just how good he was!! the atmosphere in the tent was amazing, and although he could easily still carry it off on a main stage, i think the fact he was in relatively small venue worked in his favour. A set chock full of classics, which not many artists can claim to manage, and he genuinely looked like he was having just as good a time as we were. And despite being a 24 yr old rugby player, i have no shame admitting that Waterloo Sunset reduced me to tears all the way through!! A true festival gig, was the highlight of the weekend for me, or of any festival ive ever been to come to think of it!!