Glastonbury 2022: Six of the biggest talking points from the Worthy Farm festival
US rapper Kendrick Lamar’s headline set closed an impressive weekend of live music
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The final day at Glastonbury ended with a jaw-dropping performance by American rapper Kendrick Lamar.
Over the course of five days, fans had danced to performances by top artists such as Paul McCartney, Little Simz, Pet Shop Boys, Sam Fender, and Billie Eilish.
On the last day of the festival, George Ezra turned up at the John Peel stage in what was possibly the worst-kept secret set in Glastonbury history, while jazz-fusion legend Herbie Hancock delighted crowds relaxing at the Pyramid stage with a virtuosic performance.
Here’s a look back at six of the biggest talking points from the entire Glastonbury 2022 festival...
Roe v Wade
News of the US Supreme Court’s highly controversial legal ruling broke on Friday, and it was clearly on a lot of people’s minds at Glastonbury. It certainly didn’t escape the attention of the artists, many of whom were American. From Billie Eilish, to Phoebe Bridgers, to Olivia Rodrigo, to Kendrick Lamar, lots of the performers included powerful statements about abortion rights in their sets.
From the youngest ever headliner…
Eilish made history with her Friday night headline slot, delighting fans with an intimate but lively set of songs from the 20-year-old’s two albums. As the festival’s youngest ever solo headliner, the pressure was certainly on Eilish’s shoulders, but as Mark Beaumont’s five-star review attests, she pulled it off with aplomb.
…to the oldest
On the other end of the spectrum, we had Paul McCartney, who delivered an absolute barnstormer of a set on Saturday. Performing a range of hits from his Beatles and Wings repertoires, as well as his solo career (and a couple of covers), Macca delivered a Glastonbury experience for the ages. At 80 years old, he became the festival’s oldest ever headliner.
Kendrick Lamar
Closing the festival on Sunday was Kendrick Lamar, who held the Pyramid Stage in the palm of his hand from the start of his electrifying, career-spanning set to the end. The stunning climax of his set – a rendition of “saviour” performed while blood dripped from his diamond crown of thorns, before he began a furious chant about women’s rights – was pure chills-down-the-spine stuff.
Ukraine
The ongoing war in Ukraine was also a core political issue for many of the festival’s acts and attendees. Ukrainian flags were spotted commonly around the festival site, with McCartney holding one aloft in solidarity as he took the stage for his encore. The Pyramid Stage also played host to Ukrainian band Dakhabrakha on Sunday, one of several Ukrainian artists the festival championed.
A little help from my friends…
While Kendrick’s set may have been all him, many of the festival’s other acts deployed some heavyweight guest stars. McCartney brought Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl on stage towards the end. Olivia Rodrigo welcomed Lily Allen for a duet of “F*** You”. Phoebe Bridges joined forces with Arlo Parks (who had her own full set at the festival) for a couple of numbers. Pete Doherty even showed up on stage during Hak Baker’s performance, having performed with the Libertines shortly before. It was a festival chock-full of unexpected – but thoroughly enjoyed – cameos.
Look back at our live blog below:
Olivia Rodrigo delivers one of the most iridescent shows of the day
Olivia Rodrigo’s performance on the Other Stage was one of the best today – and not only because she brought on Lily Allen for a surprise duet of Allen’s 2009 hit “F*** You” directed at the Supreme Court justices over the recent Roe v Wade ruling.
See our five-star review of the Gen Z pop icon below.
Olivia Rodrigo delivers one of Glastonbury weekend’s most iridescent sets – review
Yes, it might be true that Paul McCartney’s playing later – but for now the zoomers are taking the wheel
Signing off!
Right, that’s me done for the night – you’ll have my lovely colleague Maanya with you again in a few hours, then Louis Chilton, then me again for the fifth and final day of Glastonbury Festival! Ta ta for now x
Paul McCartney brings out Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl in epic surprise
Paul McCartney brought on Dave Grohl and Bruce Springsteen as surprise guests during his headline Glastonbury set.
The Beatles legend took to the Pyramid Stage at 9.30pm for his two-hour performance, during which he brought out both the Foo Fighters frontman and Springsteen on stage.
Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl join Paul McCartney in epic Glastonbury surprise
Paul McCartney brought out Dave Grohl and Bruce Springsteen as surprise guests during his headline Glastonbury set.
Olivia Rodrigo review, Glastonbury 2022: Gen-Z star delivers one of the most iridescent shows of Saturday
Olivia Rodrigo delivers one of Glastonbury weekend’s most iridescent sets – review
Yes, it might be true that Paul McCartney’s playing later – but for now the zoomers are taking the wheel
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds review, Glastonbury 2022: The band that latter-era Oasis could have been
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds are what latter-era Oasis could have been – review
Could the gloves be coming off in the world’s most infamous sibling rivalry? After several years in the dramatic doldrums, reduced to a one-way caps-lock slanging match on Twitter, the latest season of Gallagher v Gallagher has picked up substantially
Paul McCartney or Mitski?
By the looks of it, anyone and everyone is at Paul McCartney’s headline gig – but there will be a fair few of people at least attempting to split their time between the Beatles legend and Mitski whose performance (from 9.15pm to 10.15pm) makes it pretty impossible to catch both.
It’s one of the weekend’s most brutal clashes.
The 7 most brutal Glastonbury 2022 set clashes (and possible workarounds)
Because it’s impossible to see absolutely everyone
Spot the doppelganger...
During Friday night’s (24 June) coverage of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’s show, the camera panned over to people in the audience, including one woman in a blue raincoat and sunglasses...
It didn’t take long for viewers at home to comment on the festival-goer’s appearance, noting that she looks like the Queen!
Glastonbury viewers joke about spotting the Queen ‘in disguise’ at festival
The royal’s doppelgänger was shown in BBC coverage of the festival
Day four highlights at Glastonbury 2022
Day four of Glastonbury came to an eventful close at Worthy Farm on Saturday (25 June).
Prior to Paul McCartney’s headline set, Gen-Z star Olivia Rodrigo invited surprise guest Lily Allen on stage to deliver a blistering rendition of Allen’s 2009 hit “F*** You” addressed to the Supreme Court justices over the recent Roe v Wade ruling.
Elsewhere, viewers at home were delighted when they spotted a raincoat-clad woman in the BBC festival coverage bearing a striking resemblance to the Queen.
While the royal was not in attendance, there have been a long list of celebrities spotted on the festival grounds, including Paul Mescal and Tilda Swinton.
Below are the highlights from day four at Glastonbury:
The biggest highlights from Saturday at Glastonbury 2022
Paul McCartney delivers Saturday’s headline set on the Pyramid Stage
‘A dark day for women’: Roe vs Wade overturning by Supreme Court sparks anger among Glastonbury artists
A number of artists performing at Glastonbury 2022 have condemned Friday’s (24 June) US Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v Wade.
The Republican-controlled Supreme Court ruled yesterday in favour of a Mississippi law that outlaws abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy while also overturning key precedents established by the 1973 decision in Roe v Wade as well as an affirming decision in 1992’s Planned Parenthood v Casey.
During her landmark headline set at Glastonbury Festival on Friday (24 June), Billie Eilish addressed the decision, saying it was a “really dark day for women in the US”.
“I’m just gonna say that because I can’t bear to think about it any longer in this moment,” she told the crowd at the festival’s main Pyramid Stage.
Glastonbury artists hit out at Roe vs Wade overturning by Supreme Court
Phoebe Bridgers, Idles, Olivia Rodrigo and more have also condemned the decision
Olivia Rodrigo brings out Lily Allen to sing ‘F*** You’ in response to Supreme Court over Roe vs Wade
On Friday (24 June), the US Supreme Court ruled in favour of a Mississippi law that outlaws abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy while also overturning key precedents established by the 1973 decision in Roe v Wade.
During her Glastonbury set on Saturday evening (25 June), Rodrigo joined stars including Phoebe Bridgers and Billie Eilish to speak out against the ruling.
Partway through her performance on the Other Stage, the “driver’s license” singer brought out special guest Lily Allen for a rendition of Allen’s 2009 hit “F*** You”.
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