Glastonbury: Foo Fighters will be a hard act to beat after their unexpected festival performance
It was the not-so secret set tens of thousands of Glastonbury fans were hoping to see – the Foo Fighters performing as mystery band The ChurnUps on the Pyramid stage.
The group opened with All My Life to a roar of applause from a massive crowd of fans who turned out to see them play in the sunshine.
After The Pretender, frontman Dave Grohl told them: “You guys knew it was us this whole time, you knew it… We’re not good at secrets.”
And the final song, Everlong, was dedicated to the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died last year.
Sir Paul McCartney was among the VIPs watching from the side of the stage as the band performed.
Speculation had been rife following Glastonbury’s announcement last month that a previously unheard of act was set to play such a prime-time slot on the main stage, just ahead of Royal Blood and headliners Arctic Monkeys.
While initial rumours favoured Britpop legends Pulp, the clues soon started to point to the US rock stars – with Grohl posting a note on social media ahead of the festival referring to a “churning up” of emotions, which seemed to all but confirm it.
About an hour before the big reveal on stage, the band posted a photo of some of the flags being waved in the crowd – with the most prominent bearing the words: “Churn It Up.”
Pic: AP
Foo Fighters headlined Glastonbury in 2017, two years after being forced to pull out when Grohl broke his leg. The frontman returned to the main stage in 2022, when he and Bruce Springsteen joined Sir Paul for his headline performance.
“It’s nice to see your faces again, it’s been a long time,” Grohl told the crowd during the Foos’ return. “This is another beautiful day, another beautiful audience.”
The performance also featured a surprise guest, as is often Glastonbury tradition – this time from Grohl’s daughter, Violet, who he described as “his favourite singer in the world”.
The pair performed a song written for the star’s mother.
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Grohl also thanked drummer Josh Freese – “the man who helped us to be here today” following Hawkins’ sudden death.
And he promised the band would be back in the UK for tour dates in 2024.
“Well it’s nice to be here for 58 mins and 30 seconds,” he said, as the band prepared for Everlong. “We usually play this one as our way to say goodbye because we never like to say goodbye. I figure that if you guys come back we’ll come back soon.
Pic: AP
“But I already know we’re coming back for a whole f****** tour. I would like to thank every one of you for sticking around for the last 28 years.”
He added: “I would like to dedicate this song to Mr Taylor Hawkins. So let’s sing this one loud, we’re missing Taylor.”
Glastonbury is all about the unexpected moments – and while the Foo Fighters’ appearance wasn’t too much of a surprise in the end, their secret performance is going to be a hard act to beat.
Entertainment
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Police are taking no further action over Kneecap’s performance at Glastonbury.
Officers said they had investigated “comments about a forthcoming court case made during Kneecap’s performance” at the festival on 28 June.
However, after Crown Prosecution Service advice, they decided there is not enough evidence “to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence”.
The Avon & Somerset force started investigating the Irish group’s show last month, as well as comments by punk-rap duo Bob Vylan.
It said they were looking at a possible public order incident.
Police said on Friday that the investigation into Bob Vylan’s performance was ongoing.
The London duo were widely criticised – and caused a BBC crisis – after leading on-stage chants of “death to the IDF” (Israel Defence Forces).
Kneecap’s Liam Og O Hannaidh appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in June. Pic: PA
Kneecap posted a photograph on Instagram, which the group said was an email from police announcing the case was being dropped.
They said their packed Glastonbury gig was a “celebration of love and solidarity” and reporting used “wildly misleading headlines”.
Fears over what Kneecap might do or say during the performance had prompted the BBC not to show it live.
The group said: “Every single person who saw our set knew no law was broken, not even close… yet the police saw fit to publicly announce they were opening an investigation.”
“There is no public apology, they don’t send this to media or post it on police accounts,” they added.
The police statement on Friday said they had informed Kneecap of their decision to drop the case.
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One of the group’s members appeared in court in June charged with a terror offence.
Liam Og O hAnnaidh is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation in the UK, at a gig last year.
He was released on unconditional bail ahead of a second court appearance in August.
Entertainment
Tomorrowland: ‘Devastating’ blaze destroys main stage at major festival – two days before it was due to begin
A huge fire has destroyed the main stage of a major festival in Belgium – two days before it was due to begin.
Tomorrowland is a dance music event as big as Glastonbury – and David Guetta was due to perform.
Footage showed flames and thick plumes of black smoke engulfing the stage and spreading to nearby woodland on Wednesday.
The fire gutted the main stage
Fire crews attempt to bring the blaze under control
The annual festival in the town of Boom, north of Brussels, is one of the biggest in Europe and attracts about 400,000 people over two consecutive weekends.
It is famous for its immersive and elaborate designs and attracts big names within dance music – including Guetta, best known for tracks When Love Takes Over and Titanium.
Dutch DJs Martin Garrix and Charlotte de Witte were also due to perform, along with the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Eric Prydz and Alok.
Black smoke could be seen rising into the sky
The festival’s website described the creative elements which went into the elaborate main stage.
The theme, described as Orbyz, was “set in a magical universe made entirely out of ice” and “full of mythical creatures”.
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Organisers said no one was injured in the blaze but confirmed “our beloved main stage has been severely damaged”, adding they were “devastated”.
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen added: “We received some truly terrible news today. A fire broke out on the Tomorrowland site … and our main stage was essentially destroyed there, which is truly awful.
“That’s a stage that took years to build, with so much love and passion. So I think a lot of people are devastated.”
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen told reporters ‘a lot of people are devastated’
Despite the fire, Tomorrowland organisers said they were still expecting 38,000 festivalgoers at DreamVille, the event’s campsite.
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