Disenchanted festivalgoers left ‘awful’ Glastonbury early and skipped Sir Elton John‘s historic set to beat the traffic after headliners were branded boring and they felt ripped off by near-£7 pints, £12 coffees and £8 portions of chips.
Sir Elton’s Pyramid Stage gig last night – which could be he last ever in Britain – has been hailed as one of the greatest ever finales to the world’s most famous music festival. Other highlights included the crowd supporting Lewis Capaldi and singing his lyrics as he struggled with Tourette’s.
More than 200,000 were at Worthy Farm for the £350-a-head event. But hundreds of festivalgoers left at least a day early after an ‘awful’ year left them feeling ‘let down’.
Overcrowding, sweltering temperatures and disappointing headline acts including the Arctic Monkeys, Lana Del Rey and Guns N’ Roses were all contributing factors to the mass exodus.
It was also branded ‘too woke’ – even for its usual left-leaning and new age clientele – as masses of Gen Zs shunned DJ sets and bands for political debates and group workout sessions. Caterers are also accused of running a racket with sky-high prices.
Liam Rogan, 24, said: ‘People are just done with it, it’s depressing. Glastonbury’s been awful this year. ‘Nothing has gone well and none of the acts were show-stopping. I left the Arctic Monkeys, they were that awful.’
Tearful: Pop star Sir Elton removed his famous red-tinted glasses to wipe away tears as his musical guests paid tribute to him on stage
Axl Rose and Slash (L) of Guns N’ Roses perform on Saturday night. But it panned by some
Lana Del Rey, 38, was booed having arrived on stage 30 minutes late. She brought a hair stylist on with her so she could finish having her hair done while performing
Criticism: The Arctic Monkeys played the hotly-anticipated 90-minute headlining slot on Glastonbury’s Pyramid stage, but fans were left underwhelmed by the show
(From left) Mollie Fox, 23, Natalie Carter, 24, a man who did not give his name, and Liam Rogan, 24, pack up their things to leave early from Glastonbury yesterday
People seen leaving the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset today – with the site covered in waste
Representatives from Just Stop Oil, politicians and left-wing activists appeared inside Left Field at Glastonbury. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe pictured on stage
Mollie Fox, 23, said: ‘People told me Glastonbury is magical and it just hasn’t been that. The vibe was completely off this year. It’s too hot, dusty and over-packed – they need to stop over-selling tickets.
‘I don’t want to moan because I want to be happy on the last day and because I spent so much on the ticket’.
‘But we got here at 3am on Wednesday to get a space because the roads aren’t made for the traffic jams.
‘And now we’re leaving early because tomorrow it will take five hours to drive back to Bristol when it’s only meant to take an hour and it’s not worth it.’
Zoe, 47, who came from South Shields, Tyne and Wear, with her partner said: ‘It’s mainly been the conditions – all I’ve done is tried to find shade and I haven’t enjoyed any of the acts which have been an anti-climax.
‘Last night was just a string of bad experiences as we kept on moving to another stage in the hope it would get better and it didn’t.
‘Guns N’ Roses were painfully awful and there was no inclusion with the crowd – it was flat with no atmosphere.
‘We moved on to Lana Del Rey but she was so weird and horrible, so we’re just going to leave today.
‘If you have a good time, you can battle on until the end but last night was such a letdown it’s not worth the long drive home.’
As the sun rose above Worthy Farm each day, hundreds of people were seen taking part in organised runs or a 30-minute workout session, led live by exercise guru Joe Wicks, instead of heading straight for the stages or alcohol tents.
Health conscious Gen Zers were also seen shaking up the festivities with cold outdoor showers, stretches and even a group jog.
The organised run, which saw around 200 people take part, stretched for around 5km as joggers pounded through the fields while others (millennials) slept off their hangovers.
And then rather than the customary ‘baby wipe’ bath, young people could be seen having showers near their tents, to ensure they feel and look fresh for the day.
Glastonbury returned with a bang on Friday morning – but Gen Zers prioritised their health over a good time
Bend and stretch! Festival-goers got ready for a day of music with a group exercise class on Friday morning
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe reacts after warm welcome as she joins a panel discussing women’s rights and Iran in the left field tent
Stuart Beauchamp, 49, a finance director, and his wife, Anna Stevens, 44, who have been married for four weeks, seal their marriage at a handfasting ceremony, which is an ancient practice that sees couples tie their wrists together with cloth to declare their commitment to each other, at the Glastonbury Festival
Festival goers leave the campsite during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm yesterday
Glastonbury revellers pack up and take their kit to their cars at Worthy Farm yesterday
Gen Z attendees – known for their health conscious lifestyles including drinking less booze than their millennial counterparts – didn’t head straight for the beers either.
The longest queues by far this morning were for artisan coffee, as ticket holders made the most of the dry weather – which is expected to peak at 25C – and got up early.
Crowds then gathered for Joe Wicks’ Glastonbury workouts – a 30 minute HIIT exercise class.
Alternative health solutions are also being widely promoted: including a tent charging £15 for attendees to lie upside down in an attempt to help ease back problems.
Revellers were booing at Lana Del Rey’s set on Saturday after the US singer arrived 30 minutes late, meaning her mic was turned off before her final song due to Glastonbury’s strict curfew.
The singer was forced to lead fans in an a cappella performance of her final song.
The Arctic Monkeys played the hotly-anticipated 90-minute headlining slot on Glastonbury’s Pyramid stage on Friday night, but fans were left underwhelmed by the show, with one person even seen yawning in the audience.
Lead singer Alex Turner belted out a whole host of the Arctic Monkeys smash hits, including Mardy Bum and R U Mine, but the crowds were left confused and wondering what the ‘hell was going on’ with the band.
For many of the band’s big hitters, Alex – who has recently recovered from acute laryngitis, sang the tracks at a much slower tempo than the upbeat originals, with fans complaining that it made it difficult to sing along.
The rock band took to the stage hours after a surprise show from The Foo Fighters, who put on an incredible performance for the festival’s hour-long ‘secret’ slot, with several claiming that they should have headlined Friday’s show.
The crowd for Elton John’s headlining performance on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival
Born to perform: Sir Elton John has arrived on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage for the final UK show of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour
Star-studded: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lewis Hamilton and David Furnish watch Elton
Paul McCartney (left), Nancy Shevell, and Alasdhair Willis (third right), and Stella McCartney (far right) stand on the side of the stage watching Elton John performing on the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festiva
Bored? One fan’s tweet seemingly ‘summed up’ the show, showing one person yawning in the audience
Too slow! Lead singer Alex Turner belted out a whole host of the Arctic Monkeys smash hits, including Mardy Bum and Are You Mine, but the crowds were left confused at the slow pace
Both festivalgoers and fans watching the BBC live broadcast slammed the headlining set as ‘boring’ and ‘mediocre’ and complained that they had been left ‘disappointed’ by the gig.
Taking to Twitter, one fan wrote: ‘I fell in love with the Arctic Monkeys because of the energy and excitement in the songs. That performance was too slow for me, still some bangers played though.’
Another said: ‘Too slow, not engaging the crowd…not great,’ while a third complained: ‘Why slow even your slowest song down??? Sorry I’ve always loved the Arctic Monkeys but can’t cope with that.’
A fourth tweeted: ‘Awful performance, what the hells going on with them?! Glad I didn’t get tickets to any of their gigs this time around.’
A fifth shared: ‘I’m really disappointed with Arctic Monkeys. It all seems very slow, that excitement of the first album is gone. It’s like the Arctic Monkeys Jazz Lounge.’
‘It’s like they want people to hate them. Like a mediocre lounge band covering arctic monkeys’ moaned another.
A seventh shared: ‘If they play Mardy Bum any slower they’ll be headlining next year too’, while an additional watcher claimed: ‘For the first time ever we may see a whole audience fall asleep.’
While another added: ‘I’d be raging if I went to Glastonbury for Arctic Monkeys to play that set. Very boring. I don’t understand why Foo Fighters played before them.’
Awkward! Lana Del Rey had her microphone completely cut off during her Glastonbury set as she hit curfew after taking to the stage 30 minutes late
Lana Del Rey had her microphone completely cut off during her Glastonbury set as she hit curfew after taking to the stage 30 minutes late on Saturday night.
The singer, 38, left festivalgoers eagerly awaiting her arrival as she was due to take to the Other Stage at 10.30pm, but did not step out until around 11pm.
She kicked off her set with a bang but was quick to address why she had been late, bizarrely saying it was because her hair took a long time to do, and she even got a stylist on stage to finish off her look.
Lana had vowed to do her set as originally planned, but was unable to do so as she was abruptly cut off mid-performance when the midnight curfew hit. Glastonbury are not allowed to play music on any major stages past midnight, and Lana’s set had been due to end at 11.45pm, but was still going on more than 15 minutes later.
Lewis Capaldi had taken to the stage earlier in the day, but had struggled with his Tourette’s symptoms as he returned to the spotlight after a three-week mental health break.
The singer, 26, had cancelled all work commitments earlier this month to ‘rest and recover’ ahead of the hotly-anticipated music festival.
Returning to the stage, Lewis admitted he had been ‘s**t scared’ to perform as he opened up about his mental health struggles, and confirmed he would be taking another break away from the spotlight after the show.
In the middle of his set, Lewis confessed that he was struggling with his Tourette’s as he said his voice had ‘packed it in’, after he had been coughing throughout the show.
Emotional: Lewis Capaldi had taken to the stage earlier in the day, but had struggled with his Tourette’s symptoms as he returned to the spotlight after a three-week mental health break
Tourette’s is a neurological condition characterised by a combination of involuntary noises and movements called tics, and can cause speech and voice abnormalities.
Despite his struggles, Lewis insisted on continuing with his set and his supportive fans rallied around him, with the show coming to an emotional close as the crowds sang Someone You Love for him.
The heartwarming moment saw Lewis walk across the Pyramid Stage and sing short bursts of the track, while the kind crowds sang at the top of their voices to support the star.
Many fans also took to Twitter after the show to send kind words to Lewis, telling how the emotional crowds had been reduced to tears during the final song of his set.
They also insisted the Scottish singer had nothing to apologise for as they heaped praise on his ‘fantastic’ show and lauded him for finishing his set despite his struggles.
But Sir Elton John‘s final performance of his last UK tour has been hailed by fans as the ‘best Glastonbury headliner ever’ as he closed the festival on Sunday night.
The superstar singer, 76, tearfully took to Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage for the final UK show of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.
After hundreds of thousands gathered at Worthy Farm and millions tuned in to watch Elton’s final farewell, fans have branded the performance a triumph.
One person said that after promising to perform ‘hit after hit’, Elton ultimately delivered during his two hour set, which featured four special guests – although not Dua Lipa and Britney Spears, who had been expected to perform on the night.
The ‘life-affirming’ set was watched by his husband David Furnish and their children, as well as celebrity pals including David Walliams and the Spice Girls, who were reportedly set to join him for a glitzy after party following the show.
