Now that festival season is firmly upon us, to put us in the mood for being back in those fields we’re looking back and reliving some of our favourite sets of all time…
Dolly Parton – Glastonbury 2014
Dolly Parton’s legends slot at Glastonbury 2014 saw her perform her unrivalled catalogue of crowd pleasing sing-along classics, including ‘Jolene’ ‘9 to 5’, and ‘Islands in The Stream’. And quite simply – we loved it!
The Killers – Glastonbury 2019
At this point it’d be a safe bet to proclaim the groups smash hit ‘Mr Brightside’ – the unofficial British national anthem! Their Glastonbury appearance in 2019 epitomised a classic headline set, including appearances from star guests The Pet Shop Boys and Johnny Marr. All in all this set is sure to go down in history as one of Glasto’s greatest moments.
Stormzy – Glastonbury 2019
The trailblazing rapper made history in 2019 as the first Black solo artist in history to headline Glastonbury. The iconic performance featured spectacular pyrotechnics, faultless choreography, along with political elements that meant it will go down in history as one of the most significant musical and cultural festival moments.
Radiohead – Glastonbury 1997
Arguably one of the greatest sets in Glastonbury’s history, Radiohead took to the Pyramid Stage in 1997 and performed many of their best tracks to huge critical acclaim. If you were in that crowd… well done!! If you weren’t, here’s a taster below…
Oasis – Glastonbury 1995
One of those sets we wish we were at, Oasis owned the Glastonbury stage in 1995, with all the charisma and swagger you’d expect from them, standout performances of ‘Live Forever’ and ‘Slide Away’ made this set euphoric from beginning to end.
Jimi Hendrix – Woodstock 1969
Woodstock and Jimi Hendrix, the two are woven together in history. Although, sadly not much video footage exists of the legendary guitarist lighting up the stage at Woodstock 1969, his set and searing rendition of The National Anthem U.S.A – performed partly in protest of the Vietnam War, has gone down as one of the greatest festival sets of all time.
Arctic Monkeys – Reading Festival 2006
After exploding onto the scene this main stage performance at Reading in 2006 was the bands biggest hometown show to date – and it didn’t disappoint. Setting a blistering pace from start to finish, the groups electric performances of their biggest hits cemented their status as one of the UK’s most exciting bands.
Daft Punk – Coachella 2006
To really put into perspective how incredible this set was keep in mind it was 2006, so the special effects and LED screens were quite simply – mind-blowing. If you were at that set and saw this live in person… we salute you!
Jay Z – Glastonbury 2008
We got 99 problems but this set ain’t one! Jay Z’s headline show at Glastonbury 2008 made history as the first rapper in history to headline the festival, and his performance of Wonderwall/99 Problems stood out as a particular highlight.
Beyoncé – Glastonbury 2011
Why would Beyoncé let her other half have all the fun?! The other half of this power duo headlined Glastonbury in 2011, and her set on the Pyramid stage perfectly encapsulated what a headline set should be. The energy, vocals and choreography made for a breath-taking spectacle. All hail Queen B.
Pulp – Glastonbury 1995
Another delve into the archives of Glastonbury 1995 sees Pulp take to the stage, their performance of their timeless hit ‘Common People’ is a standout festival moment that can’t be missed.
Nirvana – Reading Festival 1992
Revisit a key moment in rock and roll history with arguably the greatest rock group of their era, Nirvana’s headline set at Reading 1992 was tragically, also to be their last performance in the UK before lead singer Kurt Cobain’s untimely death.
Green Day – Woodstock 1994
Woodstock 1994 was held in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Woodstock 1969, and although it may not have been the defining festival of it’s generation, like it’s predecessor. It did serve to put one band firmly on the map! Performing on the Sunday to a mud-soaked crowd, Green Day exploded onto the scene, metaphorically – and literally by instigating a mud fight with the crowd.
Amy Winehouse – Glastonbury 2007
At the height of her success Amy Winehouse performed at Worthy Farm in 2007, her unapparelled vocals made for a memorable set, and although her career was tragically cut short with her death, performances like this emphasise why she’ll live long in memory.
David Bowie – Glastonbury 2000
“The night Bowie reclaimed his legend” (NME), Bowie’s timeless performance at Glastonbury 2000 is one that will be acclaimed forever – and with good reason. Featuring performances of his unrivalled classics ‘Life on Mars’, ‘Changes’ ‘China Girl’ and so many more, this set has us all yearning to be in the crowd.
Well, that’s our list! What are some of your favourite festival performances?