Headliners 2023

[4AssedMonkey]

4 hours ago, Tranquility of Solitude said:

Ok, what’s everyone’s thoughts on potential special guests during Elton? The list is pretty endless! Would love to see Kiki Dee, And any from Lady Gaga, Rod, Ronnie Wood, Dua, Pet Shop Boys..... 

Did you see the Dodgers Stadium gig? Not Kiki Dee please! I love that song but her voice is wrecked!

I’d like to see someone who can do justice to the duet version of don’t let the sun go down on me. Not sure who could step into the late, great George’s shoes. And I fucking pray it’s not Chris Martin.

[WhoOdyssey]

Travis Barker 

[Beergirl]

8 minutes ago, 4AssedMonkey said:

Did you see the Dodgers Stadium gig? Not Kiki Dee please! I love that song but her voice is wrecked!

I’d like to see someone who can do justice to the duet version of don’t let the sun go down on me. Not sure who could step into the late, great George’s shoes. And I fucking pray it’s not Chris Martin.

Heard someone throw out a random suggestion for Adele for Don't let the sun go down on me. Elton doing the George Michael part then coming out with "Ladies and gentlemen, Adele" Not my first choice, but that field would go off 

[stuartbert two hats]

@Beergirl @CaledonianGonzo nice profile pics!

[Guest]

9 hours ago, DeanoL said:

Are there though? Have you enquired about their availability on that date? There's just one act that could definitely do it, and that's Lizzo. We know she can do it because she's playing, literally on that day. We don't know what happened there, but it's not impossible they had that conversation when Swift dropped out, she wasn't able to commit to the date at that point, GnR were, so GnR got it. Later she gets in touch saying that actually it does fit her summer schedule and can do it. But at that point the headliner slot has gone to someone else. It's the way it goes sometimes. GnR maybe had another offer for a festival that weekend and needed a yes or no immediately.

As for any other female act that could do it, it's more difficult. Availability is much more complex than people think. It's not just the act, it's their band, crew, dancers... all of whom have to be available. There's probably an average of around 6 people per artist that a show absolutely can't be done without - the artist, the core band, the road manager and maybe one or two others. For some it will be more, solo acts it will be fewer. But have you ever tried to arrange an evening with 5 friends once you're out of your 20s? Imagine I picked a random single day within in the next six months. What are the chances of you and all five of your friends all being available on that date?

The reality is that at that headliner level, the tours are planned when they are planned and don't have much room for changes. That's especially the case with newer acts, where the whole touring life-cycle is carefully managed and scheduled to fit with all the publicity and marketing... it's all joined up and choreographed very carefully.

Essentially you need two things to be true: 1) the act doing a tour or other activity in that country/continent on the date you want them to play and 2) the act booking and scheduling that tour at the point you want to book them.

Now 2 you can workaround a bit. If you know you want a certain act, and you're told "yeah, we'll be booking in a European tour for the summer in January" you can wait until January and sort it out then. But then you're out of luck if your "backup" act was scheduling their summer European tour in November. You can't go back in time and book them. (You could book them for a secret slot in the November, thus ensuring their availability, and then go back and see if they want a bigger slot later, but I'm assured by other posters here that that has never once happened).

I'm going by the acts that are currently about, whilst I obviously don't know for sure what people are definitely free, going by the gaps in the Florence's tour calendar it seems there was at least potential for her to have headlined. I don't believe for a second that the reason there isn't a female headliner is because none were available, in fact Emily herself said it was due to the industry not making enough stars which would imply there are acts available but GFL don't consider them headline worthy.

I get that these things are very tough and the logistics are near impossible to deal with but if diversity is a big driver then surely the thing to do would be to replace with an act that promotes diversity, why is the answer seemingly to just book another male band? There could be contingency's in place for diversity where if a certain headliner pulls out they trigger that contingency and book accordingly. If that means they have to potentially postpone an act till the following year, whilst disappointing for that act surely if it's in the name of diversity then there can't be too many people unhappy with that?

Don't get name wrong, the festival has done great work with this over the years and Emily especially seems to have championed the cause very well. However as I said I feel the headliners booked for this year appear to be a rare mistake in this area.

[clasher]

1 minute ago, Ozanne said:

I'm going by the acts that are currently about, whilst I obviously don't know for sure what people are definitely free, going by the gaps in the Florence's tour calendar it seems there was at least potential for her to have headlined. I don't believe for a second that the reason there isn't a female headliner is because none were available, in fact Emily herself said it was due to the industry not making enough stars which would imply there are acts available but GFL don't consider them headline worthy.

I get that these things are very tough and the logistics are near impossible to deal with but if diversity is a big driver then surely the thing to do would be to replace with an act that promotes diversity, why is the answer seemingly to just book another male band? There could be contingency's in place for diversity where if a certain headliner pulls out they trigger that contingency and book accordingly. If that means they have to potentially postpone an act till the following year, whilst disappointing for that act surely if it's in the name of diversity then there can't be too many people unhappy with that?

Don't get name wrong, the festival has done great work with this over the years and Emily especially seems to have championed the cause very well. However as I said I feel the headliners booked for this year appear to be a rare mistake in this area.

Flo is a weaker booking than any of the three headliners we have now. You can argue the lineups should be worse for the sake of diversity if you want to, I'm just glad Emily doesn't agree with you. In the hundreds of pages arguing about this topic here no one was able to name a female act bigger than the three we have that's not pregnant, recording, touring elsewhere or not touring at all. And we're still debating this and EE's getting shit, even though the poster is basically split 50/50, a gay icon is headlining, a headliner has female an POC members, there's transgender and nonbinary acts announced.

On the point of "bumping up" for the sake of diversity, while top billing and the press that comes with it certainly can help a career, a potentially underwhelming booking and even more an underwhelming set from that underwhelming booking can hurt too. True fans are made with great live experiences, not caps lock.

The way to get more female headliners in the coming decades is for the keyboard warriors (and everyone else) to get up and buy merch and tickets of the small, local female acts, talk about them to their friends, post about them on social media, tell everyone here how good they were live the night before and promote them so they eventually get big enough to headline the best festival in the world and slay it.

[Superscally]

7 hours ago, DareToDibble said:

The dream would be Dua but I can’t see it unfortunately 

Seeing as he plays Cold Heart with her part played on PA on this current tour, I'd be surprised if she wasn't involved.

[stuartbert two hats]

8 minutes ago, clasher said:

a headliner has female an POC members, 

Which headliner is that? Do you mean stages other than the Pyramid, or am I missing someone obvious?

[clasher]

Just now, stuartbert two hats said:

Which headliner is that? Do you mean stages other than the Pyramid, or am I missing someone obvious?

The least contentious one on here 😇

Melisa Reese is not a man, Slash isn't white and Frank Ferrer isn't white either (with a bonus of not playing the guitar).

[stuartbert two hats]

1 minute ago, clasher said:

The least contentious one on here 😇

Melisa Reese is not a man, Slash isn't white and Frank Ferrer isn't white either (with a bonus of not playing the guitar).

Shows how little attention I pay to Guns'n'Roses!

[clasher]

3 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Shows how little attention I pay to Guns'n'Roses!

Both Melissa and Frank are full members (Frank since 2006) and both are great musicians too.

[stuartbert two hats]

15 minutes ago, clasher said:

Both Melissa and Frank are full members (Frank since 2006) and both are great musicians too.

Yeah, I checked the wiki page and was surprised at how many new full members they have. Melissa was born three years after Appetite For Destruction!

[Suprefan]

13 hours ago, Tranquility of Solitude said:

Ok, what’s everyone’s thoughts on potential special guests during Elton? The list is pretty endless! Would love to see Kiki Dee, And any from Lady Gaga, Rod, Ronnie Wood, Dua, Pet Shop Boys..... 

setlist hardly changes at all. Theres a couple songs he has rotated but due to playing multiple nights in one city. He has the Dua song in the encore and performs it without her regardless. Kiki Dee,  Brandi Carlile and of course  Dua popped up at the Dodger Stadium finale. I wouldnt expect anything crazy so dont get your hopes up too high.

[Suprefan]

6 hours ago, Superscally said:

Seeing as he plays Cold Heart with her part played on PA on this current tour, I'd be surprised if she wasn't involved.

Only when it mattered, at  Dodger Stadium. 
 

 

[philipsteak]

9 hours ago, 4AssedMonkey said:

Did you see the Dodgers Stadium gig? Not Kiki Dee please! I love that song but her voice is wrecked!

I’d like to see someone who can do justice to the duet version of don’t let the sun go down on me. Not sure who could step into the late, great George’s shoes. And I fucking pray it’s not Chris Martin.

Well you've done it now haven't you. Just make sure you don't say his name 4 more times between now and 25th June and we might be OK.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Don't give a fiddlers about the Dodger Stadium Gig.  It's still Kiki Dee o'Klock.

[Neil]

14 hours ago, Ommadawn said:

Happy to help if I can.

you can help by making posts to counter some of the toxicity around here.

[FloorFiller]

Makes transphobic comment

People call him him out in

Accuses other of being toxic

Great logic

 

 

Anyway, looking forward to Guns N Roses.

[Neil]

3 minutes ago, FloorFiller said:

Makes transphobic comment

People call him him out in

Accuses other of being toxic

Great logic

 

 

 

the toxicity was in the group think responses.

 

 

3 minutes ago, FloorFiller said:

Anyway, looking forward to Guns N Roses.

just you, only you, when did you go deaf!

[stuie]

3 minutes ago, FloorFiller said:

Anyway, looking forward to Guns N Roses.

Does anyone think Lizzo might guest for GnR after her set? During this debate about female headliners it’s been overlooked that they have a female member and it might be good to get Lizzo doing some vocals too.

[Neil]

Just now, stuie said:

Does anyone think Lizzo might guest for GnR after her set? During this debate about female headliners it’s been overlooked that they have a female member and it might be good to get Lizzo doing some vocals too.

only if she can match alx for out of tune.

[Guest]

47 minutes ago, Neil said:

you can help by making posts to counter some of the toxicity around here.

There's only one person on here creating toxic posts and it's definitely not me Neil.

[BambooShanks]

31 minutes ago, Neil said:

 

 

the toxicity was in the group think responses.

 

 

just you, only you, when did you go deaf!

Neil, the thread was going quite well up until this point. People were discussing things in a reasonable manner. Can we not go down this road again this morning? 

Id really like to get to 10am before this place turns into a bin fire 

[Neil]

18 minutes ago, Ommadawn said:

There's only one person on here creating toxic posts and it's definitely not me Neil.

It's also the people who are triggered by mentuon of trans. 

[stuie]

It's such a shame Kiki Dee's voice is shot!  I'd love this to happen but this was 23 years ago now.