2022 Headliners

[westholtschic]

Just now, Ddiamondd said:

Rizzo?!

[PolygonWindow]

Still think we’re getting Kendrick OR a band (not Macca) on the Sat. 

[Matt42]

3 minutes ago, PolygonWindow said:

Still think we’re getting Kendrick OR a band (not Macca) on the Sat. 

Billie Eilish, Arctic Monkeys, Elton John would be a very glasto trio - and probably a very solid weekend. Lots of great BBC coverage from that, they would probably be salivating at that schedule.

If say that is the trio of the headliners I reckon that’s who they had planned for 2021 pre-pandemic, as it matches up completely with what Emily hinted at the NME awards Feb 2020.

Edited September 4, 2021 by Matt42

[Matt42]

Just had a theory. I welcome you all to rip it to shreds but I enjoy keeping this thread alive. I will try and explain as best as I can.

2020 headliners - Kendrick, Macca, Taylor.

As Emily hinted at the NME awards they already had three artists lined up for 2021. Let’s say it was Billie, Arctic Monkeys, Elton John. All three right up for it and it’s pretty much a done deal.

*pandemic happens and 2020 has to cancel.* all three of 2020’s headliners don’t know what they are going to do - so Glasto pencils in to go with who they had for 2021 and offer 2020’s headliners slots for 2022.

Festival gets cancelled again. All plans get pushed back a year.

Taylor and Kendrick rethink their plans and Macca doesn’t want to commit too far out. Taylor thinks this is a good time to do her re-recordings so doesn’t think she will be on the touring circuit till 2023. Glasto decides it’s best to stick with 2021’s intended headliners first, as 2020’s headliners will all be on fresh touring circuits by 2023. Elton is on his final ever tour and 2023 will be right at the back end of Billie’s touring cycle. They also want to get AM soon after they release their comeback.

Tldr - 2020’s headliners coming back on their new touring cycles, whereas 2021’s stick to their original plan (but delayed a year).

Really hope this makes sense.

[FloorFiller]

1 minute ago, Matt42 said:

Just had a theory. I welcome you all to rip it to shreds but I enjoy keeping this thread alive. I will try and explain as best as I can.

2020 headliners - Kendrick, Macca, Taylor.

As Emily hinted at the NME awards they already had three artists lined up for 2021. Let’s say it was Billie, Arctic Monkeys, Elton John. All three right up for it and it’s pretty much a done deal.

*pandemic happens and 2020 has to cancel.* all three of 2020’s headliners don’t know what they are going to do - so Glasto pencils in to go with who they had for 2021 and offer 2020’s headliners slots for 2022.

Festival gets cancelled again. All plans get pushed back a year.

Taylor and Kendrick rethink their plans and Macca doesn’t want to commit too far out. Taylor thinks this is a good time to do her re-recordings so doesn’t think she will be on the touring circuit till 2023. Glasto decides it’s best to stick with 2021’s intended headliners first, as 2020’s headliners will all be on fresh touring circuits by 2023. Elton is on his final ever tour and 2023 will be right at the back end of Billie’s touring cycle. They also want to get AM soon after they release their comeback.

Tldr - 2020’s headliners coming back on their new touring cycles, whereas 2021’s stick to their original plan (but delayed a year).

Really hope this makes sense.

I think this is probably true for both Kendrick and Taylor in that they’ll definitely come back when they’re touring European festivals again, whether it be ‘23, ‘24 or whenever. Hopefully the former.

As for Macca, I think if he’s not there next year then the chances of him coming back at all get a lot slimmer, and I personally think he’s gonna be back. Guy isn’t getting any younger and I’m sure he’d do his best to fulfil his touring commitments and I’m sure he’d be #1 on the festivals ‘need to get back’ list. Not that he couldn’t technically be back for ‘23 instead, but I just think they will’ve done everything they can to convince him back as early as possible.

[Matt42]

Just now, FloorFiller said:

I think this is probably true for both Kendrick and Taylor in that they’ll definitely come back when they’re touring European festivals again, whether it be ‘23, ‘24 or whenever. Hopefully the former.

As for Macca, I think if he’s not there next year then the chances of him coming back at all get a lot slimmer, and I personally think he’s gonna be back. Guy isn’t getting any younger and I’m sure he’d do his best to fulfil his touring commitments and I’m sure he’d be #1 on the festivals ‘need to get back’ list. Not that he couldn’t technically be back for ‘23 instead, but I just think they will’ve done everything they can to convince him back as early as possible.

Whilst I agree on Macca - if they had three artists already with 2021 marked up in their calendars, and when they asked McCartney to roll over he said “that’s too far out I can’t commit this early”. Would they wait and pass down someone they have ready any waiting for 2021, or would they let 2021 go first and chase McCartney the next year.

Whilst I understand he’s getting older, it’s much riskier for them to take one of 2021’s headliners out of the equation, wait a year and then McCartney says no. (If those acts listed are the correct ones) you can’t pass one down and then come back later and say “oh hey we can have you now because Macca said no”. They will move on and book something else. They’ve been burned in the past by acts like Prince where they have risked it and held out for him only to say no and then they’ve got to ring up people like the Who.
 

Also at the time when the vaccine wasn’t a thing and there was some serious doubts about the future of festivals I can’t see them taking a Prince style risk. 

[sisco]

If the rumours about RW Boutique are correct then Macca will be doing Glastonbury.  

If the info is correct (which I’ve no doubt it is) regarding Elton holding a 2nd BST date then he’s not playing Glastonbury

No reasons to doubt Neil on his Billie info, and backed up with the QOTSA stuff it just makes sense that they’re up against one another 

Personally still think Taylor Swift will be there even if it’s just a one off event, she seems to understand what Glastonbury is and means.  

My current guess based on that is:

Billie, Macca, Taylor

[Matt42]

2 minutes ago, sisco said:

If the rumours about RW Boutique are correct then Macca will be doing Glastonbury.  

If the info is correct (which I’ve no doubt it is) regarding Elton holding a 2nd BST date then he’s not playing Glastonbury

No reasons to doubt Neil on his Billie info, and backed up with the QOTSA stuff it just makes sense that they’re up against one another 

Personally still think Taylor Swift will be there even if it’s just a one off event, she seems to understand what Glastonbury is and means.  

My current guess based on that is:

Billie, Macca, Taylor

This is who I want more than anything I’m just trying to cushion the blow that if it isn’t this there is a good alternative 😂

[Gnomicide]

30 minutes ago, westholtschic said:

Stockard Channing belting out There Are Worse Things I Could Do on The Pyramid knocking Relton Ron into a cocked hat.

[Matt42]

1 minute ago, Florian Saucer Attack said:

it's a pretty bug leap of faith to sign up Billie Eilish by February 2020 to headline in 2021. What if her new material was a complete flop?

 

She was already headlining festivals in Europe in 2020 and had sold out a gigantic tour. It would have to be a huge collapse in her career to go to a position where her size would be doubted. She sold out something like 6 nights at the O2 already. Booking Stormzy to headline before his second album was a much bigger risk!

[balthazarstarbuck]

5 minutes ago, sisco said:

Personally still think Taylor Swift will be there even if it’s just a one off event, she seems to understand what Glastonbury is and means.  

Is there a record of acts doing a headline as a complete one-off without a tour though? Only one I can think of in recent memory (ironically enough) is Kanye. 
 

[Matt42]

1 minute ago, balthazarstarbuck said:

Is there a record of acts doing a headline as a complete one-off without a tour though? Only one I can think of in recent memory (ironically enough) is Kanye. 
 

Kanye I think is the only person who has genuinely done Glasto as a one off, but that’s his entire touring model tbh. He does one or two shows at festivals and that’s the whole album promo.

By one off though - Taylor could do a show in the states, one at Glasto and then various other small things for her fans and it makes sense. I don’t think Glasto will have her as a worldwide exclusive.

But then… that isn’t Taylor’s style. When she tours she tours big!

[Matt42]

Just now, Florian Saucer Attack said:

There is no guarantee any artists next album will be a hit just because the current one is. 

Think what you are saying they had booked Eilish to headline in 2021 before she played her 7pm slot on the other stage. That doesn't make any sense to me.

Stormzy was a risk but at least he had already played the festival and was well received

Wouldn’t surprise me tbh. Emily is a big fan of her and when she did play the other stage she was on top of the world. She is front and centre in the Glasto 50 book and Billie has had a meteoric rise to fame since 2019. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if Emily wanted to get her early.

[balthazarstarbuck]

9 minutes ago, Matt42 said:

 

By one off though - Taylor could do a show in the states, one at Glasto and then various other small things for her fans and it makes sense. I don’t think Glasto will have her as a worldwide exclusive.

But then… that isn’t Taylor’s style. When she tours she tours big!

Until there’s some evidence she’s emerging from the studio I can’t take it too seriously. She’s probably still the third most plausible headliner in the absence of anything else concrete for other artists, but leagues behind Billie and even Macca in terms of likelihood.

[Matt42]

4 minutes ago, Ddiamondd said:

I'm with @Matt42 — Billie has almost certainly been in mind to headline since 2020, plausibly locked in as early as the end of 2019.

If anything, Happier Than Ever has underperformed against expectations. But only insofar as expectations were absolutely enormous, a sure bet for the new decade's next superstar. When you have a Grammy sweep and a world tour awaiting, plus the backing of mainstream media, you're simply not going to fall out of contention that fast.

Her team will have said to Glasto: 'Here's the next 24-36 months of touring, albums, films and general campaign activity. Are you in or are you out?' Emily has an excellent sense for timing, and she would have signed up without hesitation.

Not forgetting that Emily’ is a big subscriber to the 50:50 initiative. She will absolutely want to be part of new female headliners coming onto the market. She saw the bandwagon before it left the station.

[Matt42]

5 minutes ago, balthazarstarbuck said:

Until there’s some evidence she’s emerging from the studio I can’t take it too seriously. She’s probably still the third most plausible headliner in the absence of anything else concrete for other artists, but leagues behind Billie and even Macca in terms of likelihood.

Even her fans say that Taylor has gone pretty dark as of late. She’s very busy recording at the moment and it wouldn’t surprise me if she’s keeping her head down while touring is still in a tricky stage, as when the world is fully fully back open she won’t have the time to do these re-recordings again. Soon she will want to start working on TS10.

Edited September 4, 2021 by Matt42

[kingcrawler]

26 minutes ago, Ddiamondd said:

I'm with @Matt42 — Billie has almost certainly been in mind to headline since 2020, plausibly locked in as early as the end of 2019.

If anything, Happier Than Ever has underperformed against expectations. But only insofar as expectations were absolutely enormous, a sure bet for the new decade's next superstar. When you have a Grammy sweep and a world tour awaiting, plus the backing of mainstream media, you're simply not going to fall out of contention that fast.

Her team will have said to Glasto: 'Here's the next 24-36 months of touring, albums, films and general campaign activity. Are you in or are you out?' Emily has an excellent sense for timing, and she would have signed up without hesitation.

Would Happier Than Ever have been ready for this summer in normal circumstances? Given she was due to do a fairly big tour in 2020, she ended up with a big chunk of extra time to write and record which she wouldn’t have normally had. I don’t know too much about this, perhaps everything would have been ready and COVID delayed the album anyway but I’m not convinced she’d have been ready to do another big tour alongside a new album just a year after the planned 2020 tour. 

I do think she’s someone Emily has had in mind for a while as you say, but more in terms of a future headliner to try and book when they’re next touring, rather than someone who was already pencilled in for 2021. I would guess that the festival tried for Kendrick again in 2021, as we know he was touring then, but quickly moved on from him for 2022 when it became clear that Billie Eilish would be touring next year and Kendrick wasn’t planning to.

[parsonjack]

I'm also thinking the Taylor thing is off the table...for 2022 at least.  Let's not forget that there was some talk of ME getting her because the grandkids were fans....pound to a penny says they're now wanting Billie instead. 

Billie - Macca - Relton.....all guesting with each other. 

[SwedgeAntilles]

5 hours ago, Hugh Jass said:

At best you’re a B+ dog.

 

[Supernintendo Chalmers]

Does genre balance make any difference? I just can't see it being both McCartney and Elton. The latter has never played and it's either 22 or never for him. Macca has played before so if he doesn't play again, I don't feel they'll see it as a significant loss. That said, if they're both available and willing I guess they'd have no choice, I just wonder if they'd prefer to have a more balanced trio. Or do they compensate for that on the Other Stage? 

[Matt42]

20 minutes ago, Supernintendo Chalmers said:

Does genre balance make any difference? I just can't see it being both McCartney and Elton. The latter has never played and it's either 22 or never for him. Macca has played before so if he doesn't play again, I don't feel they'll see it as a significant loss. That said, if they're both available and willing I guess they'd have no choice, I just wonder if they'd prefer to have a more balanced trio. Or do they compensate for that on the Other Stage? 

I don’t think 2022 is a normal year but in a normal year I’d say so. Things have been so messy following two cancellations I imagine they will sign who they can - but also what works.

If you look at headliners in isolation they never look diverse - but it’s on top of a huge lineup they always look better in context.

I’m crossing my fingers it’s Billie, Macca, Taylor - which probably isn’t very diverse - but then I don’t see Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and Blur as diverse - but it’s still a good trio.

I think the problem is that 2020s headliners we’re extremely balanced. A modern hip hop legend, a true heritage act, and an established female pop star. So any different trio doesn’t look as balanced.

[BFisherr]

I think one thing working in Taylor's favour is she has plenty of recent form for doing one off events, Amazon Prime Day Concert, City of Lover Concert, Jingle Bell Ball... Pretty much every event since the end of the reputation tour has been part of some form of stand alone televised concert. And when they haven't been possible we've had things like the Long Pond sessions film. 

While in 2020 this was going to be part of the Lover tour, there's also the question of what her next tour would be themed around now. I would guess a folklore/evermore tour takes on a more intimate style rather than the festival style of Lover, so to do festivals might require a different approach than a world tour this time anyway. If the plans are not for a full tour in 2022 then it might just be that she decides a set at Glasto keeps the televised content out there and keeps the interest up. 

 

[Supernintendo Chalmers]

2 minutes ago, Matt42 said:

I don’t think 2022 is a normal year but in a normal year I’d say so. Things have been so messy following two cancellations I imagine they will sign who they can - but also what works.

If you look at headliners in isolation they never look diverse - but it’s on top of a huge lineup they always look better in context.

I’m crossing my fingers it’s Billie, Macca, Taylor - which probably isn’t very diverse - but then I don’t see Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and Blur as diverse - but it’s still a good trio.

I think the problem is that 2020s headliners we’re extremely balanced. A modern hip hop legend, a true heritage act, and an established female pop star. So any different trio doesn’t look as balanced.

That trio in 2022 is arguably the strongest in the festival's history, isn't it? What an event that would have been

[Matt42]

3 minutes ago, Supernintendo Chalmers said:

That trio in 2022 is arguably the strongest in the festival's history, isn't it? What an event that would have been

In some weird way I am happy that we didn’t have Taylor headline before folklore and evermore - as this is arguably her best material to me.

A set from her after the release of these two albums excites me more than off the back of Lover. Sometimes things happen for a reason.

[Supernintendo Chalmers]

2 minutes ago, Matt42 said:

In some weird way I am happy that we didn’t have Taylor headline before folklore and evermore - as this is arguably her best material to me.

A set from her after the release of these two albums excites me more than off the back of Lover. Sometimes things happen for a reason.

Taylor's biggest issue now is shoehorning a set into 100 minutes...