The worst sets at Glastonbury

[Leyrulion]

Come on, we hate to admit it but some people have had their chance to shine at the farm and not risen to the occasion. 

Who's on your list of worst sets performed at Glastonbury?

 

[a6l6e6x]

Ellie Goulding 2016 

[incident]

Radiohead 2017. I arrived about 20 minutes after it started, and should have taken note of the fact that there was a mass exodus from the stage going the opposite direction. They damn near sent me to sleep. Made even worse by it being a straight toss up between them and the Lips, and watching the coverage when I got home re-enforced how big a mistake a I'd made.

[a6l6e6x]

Just now, incident said:

Radiohead 2017. I arrived about 20 minutes after it started, and should have taken note of the fact that there was a mass exodus from the stage going the opposite direction. They damn near sent me to sleep. Made even worse by it being a straight toss up between them and the Lips, and watching the coverage when I got home re-enforced how big a mistake a I'd made.

Possibly controversial on here but I completely agree with you 

[Leyrulion]

Now someone's taken the hit with Radiohead (were they bad or just marmite?).

I'd like to nominate Janet Jackson 2019. She was late, didn't perform the big hits. Even the guardian described her set as "one for the purists".

 

 

[Punksnotdead]

27 minutes ago, incident said:

Radiohead 2017. I arrived about 20 minutes after it started, and should have taken note of the fact that there was a mass exodus from the stage going the opposite direction. They damn near sent me to sleep. Made even worse by it being a straight toss up between them and the Lips, and watching the coverage when I got home re-enforced how big a mistake a I'd made.

The Lips were fucking amazing. Sorry, didn't mean to rub it in. 🙂

[kalifire]

Lauryn Hill. The danger signs were there from various videos of prior sets online, but Miseducation was so seminal, and an appearance so rare, I think many of us felt duty bound to be there and hope for the best. Unfortunately we all lost that bet. Firstly, she was late. Second, much of her valuable time was used by a DJ playing ‘warm up’ tunes (for what purpose? You don’t need to hype us up, it’s fucking Glastonbury!). When she eventually appeared, yet again her perfectionism spoilt what could have been a wonderful Glasto moment. She seemed consistently annoyed with the sound, gesticulating wildly to sound crews and her production team, at one stage even stopping proceedings between songs and visibly laying into someone verbally, side of stage. We just wanted the hits and a singalong, but Ms Hill didn’t seem to want to be reduced to that, betraying a huge disconnect between the artist and crowd; the kind that kills sets. Killing Me Softly was dutifully trotted out as a kind of token last-song offering but it was too late. Many of us were disappointed, regretting our decision to sacrifice The Comet is Coming at West Holts for this. 

Edited June 27, 2021 by kalifire

[Suprefan]

4 hours ago, incident said:

Radiohead 2017. I arrived about 20 minutes after it started, and should have taken note of the fact that there was a mass exodus from the stage going the opposite direction. They damn near sent me to sleep. Made even worse by it being a straight toss up between them and the Lips, and watching the coverage when I got home re-enforced how big a mistake a I'd made.

From somebody that cried at Radiohead, I strongly disagree. Wayne cant even sing anymore and its just a different variation of confetti and blow up animals theyve been doing for 20 years. If you wanted silliness during a set you shouldve gone to the Park, pure and simple.

[dirtysteve]

20 minutes ago, Suprefan said:

From somebody that cried at Radiohead, I strongly disagree. Wayne cant even sing anymore and its just a different variation of confetti and blow up animals theyve been doing for 20 years. If you wanted silliness during a set you shouldve gone to the Park, pure and simple.

Wayne Coyne has never been able to sing, which is part of the Lips charm tbf. 
 

My worst set, or certainly most disappointing, was Arcade Fire on Other Stage in, I think, 2007. Was piss poor and a real let down. 

[sisco]

Kate Nash - if I remember rightly couldn’t sing and kept abusing he crowd

Ms Lauryn Hill - for the many reasons listed above

Kris Kristofferson - Felt so bad for him, looked like he had no clue what was going on

[Yeo-vile idiot]

Keanu Reeves Dog star 1999 dog s&@t more like 

[Hugh Jass]

Oasis 2004 - just awful.

James Brown 2004 - go watch it on iPlayer, guy only sings for about five minutes in the entire set. Sad to see a legendary performer so blatantly past it.

Mumfords 2013 - Dull as fuck.

Sheeran 2027 - See above.

[Radiochicken]

1975 were one of the “secret” acts on Williams Green on the Thus. Dunno if it was the sound in the small tent, but they were awful. At one point someone threw a drink at the stage, and Matty had to be stopped from decking the “fan”. He was grumpy for the rest of the set.

[Losing my hair]

4 hours ago, kalifire said:

Lauryn Hill. The danger signs were there from various videos of prior sets online, but Miseducation was so seminal, and an appearance so rare, I think many of us felt duty bound to be there and hope for the best. Unfortunately we all lost that bet. Firstly, she was late. Second, much of her valuable time was used by a DJ playing ‘warm up’ tunes (for what purpose? You don’t need to hype us up, it’s fucking Glastonbury!). When she eventually appeared, yet again her perfectionism spoilt what could have been a wonderful Glasto moment. She seemed consistently annoyed with the sound, gesticulating wildly to sound crews and her production team, at one stage even stopping proceedings between songs and visibly laying into someone verbally, side of stage. We just wanted the hits and a singalong, but Ms Hill didn’t seem to want to be reduced to that, betraying a huge disconnect between the artist and crowd; the kind that kills sets. Killing Me Softly was dutifully trotted out as a kind of token last-song offering but it was too late. Many of us were disappointed, regretting our decision to sacrifice The Comet is Coming at West Holts for this. 

All of this except I left after 30 mins so, so disappointed. 

I guess the "tour dj" thing at the start of the set is to stop her being fined for being late. 

Too late for Comet is Coming but ended up near the front for Idles. 

[Matt42]

7 hours ago, incident said:

Radiohead 2017. I arrived about 20 minutes after it started, and should have taken note of the fact that there was a mass exodus from the stage going the opposite direction. They damn near sent me to sleep. Made even worse by it being a straight toss up between them and the Lips, and watching the coverage when I got home re-enforced how big a mistake a I'd made.

Ignoring this as it was one of the best sets I’ve ever seen.

 

24 minutes ago, Hugh Jass said:

Sheeran 2027 - See above.

Thanks for giving me a heads up on a year where I can give trying to get tickets a miss.

[Losing my hair]

24 minutes ago, Hugh Jass said:

Oasis 2004 - just awful.

James Brown 2004 - go watch it on iPlayer, guy only sings for about five minutes in the entire set. Sad to see a legendary performer so blatantly past it.

Mumfords 2013 - Dull as fuck.

Sheeran 2027 - See above.

Oh shit!! Is he already booked for 2027.

[jparx]

4 hours ago, kalifire said:

Lauryn Hill. The danger signs were there from various videos of prior sets online, but Miseducation was so seminal, and an appearance so rare, I think many of us felt duty bound to be there and hope for the best. Unfortunately we all lost that bet. Firstly, she was late. Second, much of her valuable time was used by a DJ playing ‘warm up’ tunes (for what purpose? You don’t need to hype us up, it’s fucking Glastonbury!). When she eventually appeared, yet again her perfectionism spoilt what could have been a wonderful Glasto moment. She seemed consistently annoyed with the sound, gesticulating wildly to sound crews and her production team, at one stage even stopping proceedings between songs and visibly laying into someone verbally, side of stage. We just wanted the hits and a singalong, but Ms Hill didn’t seem to want to be reduced to that, betraying a huge disconnect between the artist and crowd; the kind that kills sets. Killing Me Softly was dutifully trotted out as a kind of token last-song offering but it was too late. Many of us were disappointed, regretting our decision to sacrifice The Comet is Coming at West Holts for this. 

Yeah, really wasn’t good. Only one of two sets at Glastonbury where I was really stoked for it but it was a total clanger.

Kanye was the other one.

[kingcrawler]

1 minute ago, Radiochicken said:

1975 were one of the “secret” acts on Williams Green on the Thus. Dunno if it was the sound in the small tent, but they were awful. At one point someone threw a drink at the stage, and Matty had to be stopped from decking the “fan”. He was grumpy for the rest of the set.

That was the first proper Glastonbury set I saw. We turned up thinking Metronomy would be on first only for The 1975 to come on, I wasn’t really much of a fan at the time and wasn’t too impressed with that set. I mainly remember him storming off then coming back on shouting something like “you don’t throw a can at someone at Glastonbury, that’s not my Glastonbury”, which is fair enough I suppose.

 

[sjseabass]

4 minutes ago, Radiochicken said:

1975 were one of the “secret” acts on Williams Green on the Thus. Dunno if it was the sound in the small tent, but they were awful. At one point someone threw a drink at the stage, and Matty had to be stopped from decking the “fan”. He was grumpy for the rest of the set.

I was there too (it was worth enduring for the outstanding Metronomy set after, one of my favourite gigs ever) and I agree they were abysmal and probably the worst full set I’ve seen at the festival.

One small point though - it wasn’t a drink that was thrown at him, it was a pen someone had used for the Musical Bingo that was on before! Unless there was more than one throwing incident?

[eastynh]

Wiley on the Other Stage.

[Punksnotdead]

Difficult one for me this as I'll usually walk away if I'm not enjoying a set, but 2 performances stick out:

Fleet Foxes. Pyramid 2009. Great band, but clueless on how to play to a huge field.

P J Harvey. Other 2016. This may not have been her fault. I was exhausted from trudging through mud for 5 days & the relentless drizzle was getting me down, but that was the only time I've ever fallen asleep standing up!

[crocodiles]

7 hours ago, a6l6e6x said:

Ellie Goulding 2016 

I've seen artists that I wouldn't normally see just because it's a festival but stood through this as it was Sunday late if memory serves me right ...but God it was a dull dull set and no crowd engagement 

[Toilet Duck]

7 hours ago, Leyrulion said:

Now someone's taken the hit with Radiohead (were they bad or just marmite?)

I reckon marmite as I thought they were fantastic…Let Down was just glorious! (but I loved the set from start to finish). 
 

@dirtysteve has nominated Arcade Fire on the other in ‘07. As Arcade Fire gigs go, it was pretty disappointing (I have 2 downvotes in my 15 years on the forum, both for saying I was disappointed with the AF headline set on the pyramid! (Mainly as I saw then at Primavera a few weeks prior and the set was note for note, word for word identical, even the patter between songs)).  Was going to say ‘07 was so miserable that it could ruin anything, but John Fogerty’s set on the Jazz World that year remains my all time favourite Glasto set (maybe Woodstock-like conditions suit him!)…so, I terms of disappointment (not necessarily bad), I’ll nominate my fellow countrymen U2…where weather was definitely a factor (it looked great on the BBC, but I was bloody miserable for the whole thing)…
 

 

[oneeye]

Paul Simon 2011 was pretty piss poor

[reflekting]

The Who 2015. Really disappointing headline set Townsend ending with a speech about how they didn't get to soundcheck was just odd. They should have stayed in Paris.