What The Hell Did You ACTUALLY Want?

[MEGABOWL]

For the 40th Birthday Saturday night we got rumours of rolling Stones, Bowie, Led Zep, Prince, Macca and instead we got a rent a festival headline band in Muse. It's not to say Muse are crap (tho not a big fan myself) but its just people expected something bigger and more legendary

[MEGABOWL]

Subjective

[Ed209]

Yeah but, to be a "proper" Glastonbury goer, you have to slate the Pyramid and Other stages at all times, and only go to small stages, on the fringes of the festival. If you want to be "proper" anyway

[Kyelo]

Yeah but, to be a "proper" Glastonbury goer, you have to slate the Pyramid and Other stages at all times, and only go to small stages, on the fringes of the festival. If you want to be "proper" anyway

[MEGABOWL]

Come on, not everyone can be that cool

[MEGABOWL]

lol touche!

I'm a bouncer in that I bounce between all ze stages, always end up in the dance village when drunk though haha

[gizmoman]

Tragically hip? Me? Don't think so. I've listed what I'd like elsewhere, but the point is we don't all like the same music, and it doesn't matter how big the band is - you either like them a lot/not much/not at all/who? If you were to use record sales/popularity as a measure of who should headline then Celene Dion is a dead cert. followed by Nana Mouskouri (difficult, admittedly, what with her being dead) - which would be embarassing for everyone rumoured for this year except for Led Zeppelin who are the only ones that have out-sold them.

[Bort]

Most of the headliners at the top of my list I can understand why they aren't playing, but it still stings:

Pulp - no idea why Jarvis won't do this, already. it was meant to happen this year. Verve, then Blur, then PULP, and that would have completed the britpop reunion trifecta.

David Bowie - besides doing a couple songs with the Arcade Fire, he hasn't done anything in several years. He won't play Coachella, either, and they ask every year. He wouldn't even play the festival he curated in 2007. Medical reasons?

Radiohead - Thom Yorke is flying solo...can we get his new act instead?

Prince - didn't he flake out in 2004?

Paul McCartney - just played in 2004, toured last year

Led Zeppelin - because only 20,000 people deserved to see them reunite for that one show, apparently

Daft Punk - if they had any plans to do live shows in 2010, they would already be confirmed for Coachella; too bad the Tron tour in 2010 rumors proved false

Other headliner candidates and why I figure they aren't playing:

Rolling Stones - Ronnie Wood is a trainwreck; 2010 tour scrapped

Madonna - relived she's not playing (or at least not headlining)

Gorillaz - not really big enough to headline Glasto, are they?

The Killers - maybe there is a god after all

Kings of Leon - ditto

[Tugger2k]

So the headliners are basically sorted and out in the open. The moment it's announced all of the Muse and Stevie threads (massive kudos to the guys that stuck their necks out and left them there while Emily was making negative noises about the Wonderman playing, by the way (Yes Tugger, I mean you!!!)) are full of people moaning that they don't like any of the headliners. Which confuses this bear of very little brain.

How can getting the biggest rock band in the world, the biggest name in funk and soul music and the band regularly named the best live band around be bad booking? I'm not saying you HAVE to like them but seriously, who were you hoping for? The sort of people who moan about bands like U2 headlining normally are the sort of people that go out of their way to be obtuse in their muscial taste (you know, love The Birthday Party but not keen On Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds; Favourite member of The Smiths was Mike Joyce; Prefers Whitsun to Christmas, etc.) and so I'm curious. What would have been good in your opinions? As you can tell I am very happy with the headliners and may (but still may not) check out all of them (SW is a definite, Muse are least likely as I've seen them before) but what would have floated the tragically hip's boats?

And before you embarass yourselves, remember we are discussing headlining the main stage at the biggest festival in the UK (Europe? Probably. The World? A lot would say so) so some of your overly cool suggestions will be pointless.

I'm not looking for a fight I just don't understand the negativity to what is clearly excellent booking.

[scaryclaireyfairy]

doesn't matter who's headlining, there are always gonna be moaners. muse are the only ones i'm not fussed about seeing but that's a joy rather than a complaint. don't want to be at the pyramid every night. besides, the clashes with the other/jp etc are going to be brain-meltingly difficult this year. i just feel it in me water. soon the complaints will be starting about all the 'good' acts playing at once.

Edited February 3, 2010 by scaryclaireyfairy

[yasgursfarmhand]

By 10.30pm at Glastonbury I tend to need a bit of waking up. Therefore, I like my headliners to be loud and right in my face. Therefore Zeppelin,Stones, AC/DC, Foos, Metallica etc. would have been out of this world. Even Prodigy, Faithless etc. Obviously Floyd, although soporific would be legendary.I have never seen U2 live so will go and see them, although always thought they never matched Under a Blood Red Sky.

probably go and see them.

Stevie Wonder is a legend, but I am pretty sure funk is not going to it for me as a headliner. He's a bit "Paul McCartney", without doubt one of the greatest, but maybe better suited to the 02 than a field in Somerset. To tell you the truth,I am racking my brains to even remember a Muse tune. would just have been nice to have heard some amazing news(zeppelin/stones/floyd) to really get the juices flowing.

All opinions are obviously personal. There is always a silver lining though as we will have up to 30 stages to chose from.

[russycarps]

(you know, love The Birthday Party but not keen On Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds; Favourite member of The Smiths was Mike Joyce; Prefers Whitsun to Christmas, etc.)

[Tugger2k]

What the hell is this nonsense, who prefers the birthday party to the bad seeds?? Point them out to me immediately.

Actually, I think john peel did actually. gah.

In response to your question, I would rather have seen Arcade Fire, The Flaming Lips and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds as headliners

[st00ka]

...are the sort of people that go out of their way to be obtuse in their muscial taste...

[ampersand]

you might still - thats got second division (other) written all over it.

i'll stick with the premier league.

[scudetto_boy]

I think people expect too much regarding the Glastonbury headliners & which acts in general might play. Normally i don't pay too much attention to the headline acts but because its the 40th anniversary, i'd hoped Led Zeppelin might play. Although this is probably unlikely, it was still something i'd hoped for.

Now they're unlikely to play, i'm not too bothered about who plays to be honest. I'll be happy to go & watch U2 & Stevie Wonder when they play.

[st00ka]

you might still - thats got second division (other) written all over it.

i'll stick with the premier league.

[scudetto_boy]

For the 40th Birthday Saturday night we got rumours of rolling Stones, Bowie, Led Zep, Prince, Macca and instead we got a rent a festival headline band in Muse. It's not to say Muse are crap (tho not a big fan myself) but its just people expected something bigger and more legendary

[ampersand]

I know what you mean regarding Muse & hearing the other rumours, had hoped for someone bigger. I'm sure there will be other great acts on other stages though.

Edited February 3, 2010 by ampersand

[russycarps]

you might still - thats got second division (other) written all over it.

i'll stick with the premier league.

[Diamond Solitaire]

I'm quite happy that I'm only interested in one of the Pyramid headliners. I'm not a massive fan of the Pyramid stage in general but I always make an effort to see one of the Pyramid headliners each year. Although I am a little disappointed that its Muse I'm going to be seeing as I'm not quite as big of a fan as I was a few years ago (The Resistance is a bit rubbish) and some of the other rumours (Bowie, Pulp, Radiohead) got me really excited. I think we just over hyped the whole 40h Anniversary thing a bit too much and expected unreasonable acts to be playing. Bands are going to reform or do special shows most likely on their own terms and not when a festival asks them to.

[Tugger2k]

I'm quite happy that I'm only interested in one of the Pyramid headliners. I'm not a massive fan of the Pyramid stage in general but I always make an effort to see one of the Pyramid headliners each year. Although I am a little disappointed that its Muse I'm going to be seeing as I'm not quite as big of a fan as I was a few years ago (The Resistance is a bit rubbish) and some of the other rumours (Bowie, Pulp, Radiohead) got me really excited. I think we just over hyped the whole 40h Anniversary thing a bit too much and expected unreasonable acts to be playing. Bands are going to reform or do special shows most likely on their own terms and not when a festival asks them to.

[abu hamster]

Prince Wonder Rage would have been my choice.

Really unsure about u2 have seen Muse already this year and in awe of Stevie Wonder!

[Langdale Wolf]

Prince Wonder Rage would have been my choice.

[st00ka]

Prince Wonder Rage would have been my choice.