2025 Headliners

[CaledonianGonzo]

4 minutes ago, henry bear said:

He is definitely a legend, but his heavy jams are not suited for the pop-orientated sing-along feelgood Sunday Legend slot

 

Indeed.  The festival dragged their feet on officially referring to it as the Legend Slot and they probably shouldnt have.  Even this year's announcement of Rod emphasises it as the Teatime Legend.

 

[Jamm]

I fear the “is Neil Young big enough to headline Glastonbury” argument will never end.

 

Yes, he is.

[MEGABOWL]

23 minutes ago, Justcalledtosay said:

I’m sure there are reasons for it but it’s just an example of why I think Neil Young is more suited to the legend slot in this day and age.

I think he’d be a poor choice for the Legend slot. No guarantee he’ll play anything anyone knows and almost no cabaret banter.

[CaledonianGonzo]

1 minute ago, MEGABOWL said:

I think he’d be a poor choice for the Legend slot. No guarantee he’ll play anything anyone knows and almost no cabaret banter.

 

Security guards would need to go into training now for flashmobbing to a 20 minute long version of f**king Up.

[Stokesy10]

So is Fender pretty much definitely out of the question now? 

 

Is the news on 1975 pretty solid and now it's just a waiting game until they're announced?

 

Would love an absolute bolt from the blue and Gaga gets announced, but I realise there's more chance of plaiting piss.

[Punksnotdead]

54 minutes ago, Justcalledtosay said:

No not really. It's just the most objectively available set of statistics to judge popularity. I get you're a big Neil Young fan but my argument stands. I'd also note that the BST show was a co-headline with Bob Dylan who, very clearly, was the draw that day.

I was there and judging by the huge number of people (including me) who were walking out during Dylan's pretty awful set, I'd say Neil Young was the bigger draw!

[jjgnorkett]

1 hour ago, Justcalledtosay said:

No not really. It's just the most objectively available set of statistics to judge popularity. I get you're a big Neil Young fan but my argument stands. I'd also note that the BST show was a co-headline with Bob Dylan who, very clearly, was the draw that day.

Bob Dylan was clearly the draw that day - what's that based on? Two of my top three artists ever, equal love for both of them but I was there that day and asked plenty of people in the crowd who they were there fo, 90% said Neil

Edited January 6, 2025 by jjgnorkett
punctuation

[Tfarm]

1 hour ago, Justcalledtosay said:

Of course it isn't. How can cultural relevance be defined objectively?

 

There is very little between them according to https://bestsellingalbums.org 28 million for Neil Young and 23 million for Cat Stevens. As per the original discussion, they are similar sized artists both suited to the legends slot only, in my opinion.

 

According to our AI overlord,

 

Based on UK chart performance and public recognition, Cat Stevens appears to have been more consistently popular in the UK compared to Neil Young, particularly during the peak of his career in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Key Factors:

Albums:

• Cat Stevens has had multiple albums reach the UK Top 10, including Catch Bull at Four (#1) and Teaser and the Firecat (#2).
• Neil Young’s only UK #1 album was Harvest, though he has had consistent entries into the UK charts.

Singles:

• Cat Stevens achieved several UK Top 10 singles, including "Matthew and Son" (#2) and "Morning Has Broken" (#9). These singles had widespread appeal and chart success in the UK.
• Neil Young’s only UK Top 10 single was "Heart of Gold" (#10), highlighting his lesser impact on UK singles charts compared to Stevens.

Cultural Influence:

• Cat Stevens, born in London, has a strong cultural connection to the UK. His music resonates with themes and styles that were particularly popular among UK audiences during the 60s and 70s.
• Neil Young, though globally iconic, is more closely associated with the North American market. His UK fan base has grown over time but was less dominant during his peak years.

Conclusion:

In terms of chart success and cultural prominence in the UK, Cat Stevens is arguably more popular, especially during the height of his career. Neil Young remains a highly respected artist but is more of a niche figure compared to Stevens' widespread appeal in the UK.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Definitely worth evaporating a swimming pool's worth of water to get that response.

[Avalon_Fields]

In my view, if the festival is to have one oldie headliner then Neil Young is one of the very few of sufficient status that’s available and who’ve not played recently (Stevie Wonder is another but they’ve tried to get him by all accounts). I do believe having one heritage act as headliner is a good thing! 

[richarddep]

47 minutes ago, Stokesy10 said:

So is Fender pretty much definitely out of the question now? 

 

Is the news on 1975 pretty solid and now it's just a waiting game until they're announced?

 

Would love an absolute bolt from the blue and Gaga gets announced, but I realise there's more chance of plaiting piss.

This - is there precedent for headliners coming completely out of the blue that people aren't aware of?

I'm pretty easy going but 1975 - NY - O-Rod seems pretty weak for me. Would love a party starter like Gaga, Eminem, Rihanna to add some real weight to the selection..!

[judyblue110]

1 hour ago, Justcalledtosay said:

No not really. It's just the most objectively available set of statistics to judge popularity. I get you're a big Neil Young fan but my argument stands. I'd also note that the BST show was a co-headline with Bob Dylan who, very clearly, was the draw that day.

 

I'm a big Yusuf fan too, I don't see your point. I have no bias to Neil, nor any musician - I love music full stop (well, mostly).

 

Great straw grasping with BST though!

[CaledonianGonzo]

29 minutes ago, Avalon_Fields said:

In my view, if the festival is to have one oldie headliner then Neil Young is one of the very few of sufficient status that’s available and who’ve not played recently (Stevie Wonder is another but they’ve tried to get him by all accounts). I do believe having one heritage act as headliner is a good thing! 

 

Shakey brings balance

[CaledonianGonzo]

5 minutes ago, richarddep said:

This - is there precedent for headliners coming completely out of the blue that people aren't aware of?

I'm pretty easy going but 1975 - NY - O-Rod seems pretty weak for me. Would love a party starter like Gaga, Eminem, Rihanna to add some real weight to the selection..!

 

You would have seen it happen if Neil Young had dropped out.

 

Though replacements are even further from being first choice, so a genuine improvement is almost unheard of.  If they had Gaga or Rihanna up their sleeves they wouldn't have been in touch with Matty Healy.

[henry bear]

17 minutes ago, richarddep said:

This - is there precedent for headliners coming completely out of the blue that people aren't aware of?

I'm pretty easy going but 1975 - NY - O-Rod seems pretty weak for me. Would love a party starter like Gaga, Eminem, Rihanna to add some real weight to the selection..!

Happy to be proved otherwise, but I believe the days of having three top-tier headliners have gone. Gaga and Eminem maybe, but those acts that can sell out multiple stadiums at eye-watering prices will carry on doing that (unless they're friends of the Eavii, or really want to do it).

[Skip997]

25 minutes ago, richarddep said:

I'm pretty easy going but 1975 - NY - O-Rod seems pretty weak for me. Would love a party starter like Gaga, Eminem, Rihanna to add some real weight to the selection..!

Sadly it’s kinda standard for the Pyramid, they’re not too big on party starters on that stage, although occasionally one slips through. 
 

If you want a party starter headliner West Holts usually provides and The Other Stage often does the job. 

[richarddep]

Just now, Skip997 said:

Sadly it’s kinda standard for the Pyramid, they’re not too big on party starters on that stage, although occasionally one slips through. 
 

If you want a party starter headliner West Holts usually provides and The Other Stage often does the job. 

Indeed. Don't worry, I'm not a complainer. Jungle-Coldplay-Justice served me very well last year 🙂

[gfa]

2 hours ago, Justcalledtosay said:

Clearly they've got to be used in conjunction with other information but these figures aren't fake or made up. Used in isolation i'd agree. 

Fair enough - although your original message was not really saying this 🙂 

[Respectfatfrog]

1 hour ago, Avalon_Fields said:

In my view, if the festival is to have one oldie headliner then Neil Young is one of the very few of sufficient status that’s available and who’ve not played recently (Stevie Wonder is another but they’ve tried to get him by all accounts). I do believe having one heritage act as headliner is a good thing! 

1 legacy 

1 established star 

1 up and coming 

 

perfect for me 

 

although not sure how to break it to my kids they need to sit through a Neil young set tho

[justanotheronethen]

1 hour ago, Stokesy10 said:

So is Fender pretty much definitely out of the question now? 

 

Is the news on 1975 pretty solid and now it's just a waiting game until they're announced?

 

Would love an absolute bolt from the blue and Gaga gets announced, but I realise there's more chance of plaiting piss.

No chance of plaiting piss for 2025, they've signed an exclusive with Green Man

[fraybentos1]

Michael Eavis is a fan of Neil Young is he not? Pure speculation on my part but he might not have too many more festivals left and maybe that influenced the booking? They clearly like to have a legacy act playing and with it looking like O Rod & The 1975 maybe NY made sense if they couldn't get stevie wonder for example.

 

Also spotify stats for artists like him are close to irrelevant. By in large, the bookers know who is big enough and the only exception to that is when they have to scramble for a last minute headliner

[stuie]

58 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Sadly it’s kinda standard for the Pyramid, they’re not too big on party starters on that stage, although occasionally one slips through. 

 

You should visit more often and you'd realise the Pyramid has plenty of parties! 

[Nduja]

In recent memory, which lineups featured 3 top-tier headliners? It feels like the exception rather than the norm when you analyse it.

2009, 2011 & 2013 look pretty stacked, 2004 looks strong too. 2020 would have been the goat but of course never happened, but 2022 was strong. As was 2023. Years in which Coldplay definitely look strong because they're a massive act but also basically a house band and there is no challenge associated with booking them.

These things happen in waves and it's very much driven by the supply side. A few years ago, booking a big american pop-star would have been quite a challenging act but now there's almost an oversupply. That will change too in time.

[km9]

4 hours ago, jonnytee1 said:

No, i was tired and had a few drinks, misunderstood / misread your comment 

 

no harm done - Apologies

I do it all the time mate. When I see a notification I think "oh dear, what did i write?"

[Nduja]

21 minutes ago, stuie said:

 

You should visit more often and you'd realise the Pyramid has plenty of parties! 

 
For example, Burna Boy last year, which near enough everyone seemed to miss.