Elton John, playing his last ever show on UK soil, delivered a Glastonbury set for the ages, as he brought the Worthy Farm festival to a close with a set packed with special guests and an array of stone cold classic hits.
Drawing heavily from his ‘70s output, this was a set designed for no other purpose than to please the Glastonbury crowd, which was one of the biggest Pyramid Stage gatherings of all time. There were no deep cuts here, just hit after hit after hit, with virtually every John staple given an airing. After opening with a cover of The Who’s Pinball Wizard, the crowd was treated to rousing renditions of Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting, I’m Still Standing, Bennie And The Jets, Your Song, Tiny Dancer, Candle In The Wind, Don’t Let The Sun Go Down on Me, and an emotional Rocket Man, accompanied by showstopping fireworks and rounding off a set that will surely go down as one of the most memorable Pyramid Stage performances in its illustrious history.
In the lead up to John’s set, there had been plenty of rumours about who would be joining him on stage. Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran, Britney Spears, all had been touted as potential guests, yet John took the opportunity to showcase a raft of new talent as opposed to reeling out a string of headline names in their own right.
First out was Jacob Lask of Gabriels, who joined him for a joyous performance of Are You Ready For Love?, while Rina Sawayama delivered a perfectly playful duet on Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.
John also offered up and coming US singer songwriter Stephen Sanchez the moment of a lifetime, as he not just invited him as a special guest, but even gave him the chance to perform his own song Until I Found You.
The only guest not to fit the ones-to-watch description was The Killers singer Brandon Flowers, who sang with John on a powerful Tiny Dancer.
John’s set was certainly the most crowd-pleasing Pyramid Stage headline performance of the weekend, with Arctic Monkeys and Guns N’ Roses seeming to divide their respective Friday and Saturday night audiences.
Arctic Monkeys, despite delivering a set stacked heavy with hits from across their catalogue, drew criticism from some for frontman Alex Turner’s loungey onstage persona, which veers between a perfect fit for their more recent material, yet sitting somewhat at odds when applied to their earlier work. Regardless, the band’s muscular performance was not to be questioned, while Turner’s voice was in fine form, despite having to cancel a gig in Dublin just days earlier due to a bout of laryngitis. Even when sections of the crowd appeared to be getting restless, ripping versions of classics I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor, R U Mine?, Brianstorm, and Do I Wanna Know? provided moments to delight Monkeys fans of an era.
Guns N’ Roses meanwhile, brought a sense of old school rock to Glastonbury, powering through classics such as Welcome To The Jungle, You Could Be Mine, Sweet Child O Mine and Paradise City. There were however signs of inevitable aging in Axl Rose’s vocal delivery, which is surely to be expected this far into his career, yet still hard not to notice. The two and a half hour set also felt like a stretch at times, given their relatively small catalogue, meaning the big hitters were few and far between on occasion, particularly with more casual fans. For Guns N’ Roses aficionados however, there was plenty to enjoy.
Though not a headline set, the other most talked about moment of Glastonbury was indeed its worst kept secret. ‘The ChurnUps’, as many had guessed in the weeks leading up to the festival, were, of course, Foo Fighters. Appearing on Friday in the slot before Royal Blood and Arctic Monkeys, Dave Grohl and co were in typically fine form. Their one hour set was packed to the rafters with hits, as they tore through the likes of All My Life, My Hero, and a highly emotionally charged Everlong, which was dedicated to the late Taylor Hawkins.
Credit therefore must be given to Royal Blood, who had the unenviable task of being sandwiched between to absolute rock behemoths, yet turned out a show that held its own and held the crowd firmly in its grasp.
Away from the Pyramid Stage there were innumerable highlights and talking points. Among them, Lana Del Rey’s all too brief showing on the Other Stage. Half an hour late to the stage, a hypnotic set was cut short at midnight in line with the Worthy Farm curfews. Outraged boos ensued, yet this hour-long set hinted at a potential future headline slot for Del Rey, should she be able to reconcile her differences with the festival after this debacle.
Elsewhere, Lizzo, The Pretenders, Blondie, Manic Street Preachers, Hot Chip, Young Fathers, and Queens Of The Stone Age all drew rapturous reactions, while the unlikely hero of the festival took the form of a certain Rick Astley. Performing his own set, along with his beautifully bizarre partnership with Blossoms as a The Smiths covers band, provided some of the most unashamedly gleeful moments of the festival.
While it’s headline sets may have divided some fans, 2023 was as unique, unpredictable, and exciting an extravaganza as ever. And who would have it any other way?
Ahead of Glastonbury 2023 Headliner spoke to a raft of BBC heavyweights about their coverage of the festival, their highlights from down the years and their top tips for this year. You can read and/or listen to those interviews here.