Guns N’ Roses have today revealed tour dates which would line-up nicely with a Glastonbury appearance, and as almost everyone already thinks they’re lined up to headline, Glasto fans are now saying “it’s as nailed on as it can be” without an official confirmation.
It comes just weeks after GnR bassist Duff McKagan said “Glastonbury’s gonna be iconic” when discussing the band’s upcoming gigs on his SiriusXM radio show.
The run of tour dates announced today includes a classic example of a ‘Glasto-shaped hole’ – with a suspicious gap between an Oslo show on Wednesday 21st June and a Glasgow show on Tuesday 27th June. Glastonbury will run from the 21st to 25th, with the main music line-up from Friday to Sunday.
Elton John is the only headliner officially confirmed, who will play his final ever UK show when he headlines the Pyramid Stage on the Sunday night of the festival. This means both Friday and Saturday’s headline slots are still up for grabs with GnR and Arctic Monkeys being the runaway favourites at the bookies since well before Christmas.
In a clip from Duff’s SiriusXM radio show Three Chords & The Truth, which you can listen to below, the following conversation takes place:
Duff: “Hope to see you at, maybe some of these Iggy shows we’re gonna do in April”
“Yeah, we wanna see some of you guys at Iggy shows, we wanna see you at some of the upcoming GnR shows, you’re gonna be playing in Hyde Park in London, that’s gonna be so iconic”
Duff: “And Glastonbury’s gonna be iconic, we’re gonna be announcing some shows you guys… at some point we’ll be announcing a bunch of stuff.“
The radio mention was first spotted by a member of the r/GlastonburyFestival Reddit in mid-to-late January. It’s believed the show was actually broadcast a couple of weeks prior but took a little while to come to wider attention among Glastonbury fans.
Previously, Glasto organiser Emily Eavis told Metal Hammer in 2021: “We had Napalm Death in 2017, and it doesn’t get much heavier than that! But I think Guns N’ Roses need to play here at some point don’t they?”
And back in January 2020, The Sunday Times said: “Guns’n’Roses headlining Friday night Glastonbury [is] looking increasingly likely” – just weeks before almost all of that summer’s festivals were forced to cancel when the pandemic broke out.
Tickets for Glastonbury 2023 sold out in minutes back in the autumn, but a resale of cancelled tickets will take place in the weeks ahead of the festival. Over £116,000 was raised by the Trussell Trust last week when they auctioned 10 pairs of Glastonbury tickets on eBay, each paired with a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experience like watching a set from the Pyramid Stage viewing platform or pressing the fire button on Arcadia’s giant spider.
And last week, Glastonbury organisers announced a raffle to win one of another 10 pairs of tickets, again paired with special experiences. Each entry costs £10 with all money raised going to support the Disasters Emergency Commitee Turkey-Syria Earthquake appeal.
Recently, Royal Blood and Florence + The Machine have all been rumoured for a place on the line-up. But as it stands, only Elton John’s Sunday night headline slot has been officially confirmed. Meanwhile, a petition calls for the RMT’s “legendary leader” Mick Lynch to be given a spot on the line-up.
And in other news, Becky Hill has come very close to confirming she’ll be playing at Glastonbury this summer.
In an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain, she said: “I’m the first-ever female resident at Ibiza Rocks so that’s so cool. I’m currently working on my new album. All the music is written, we’re just getting it ready to release now. And I’m really hoping to be seen at Glastonbury this year, so fingers crossed”.
Beyoncé is also rumoured after announcing world tour dates which leave open the possibility of an appearance at Worthy Farm.
However, despite earlier rumours of Britpop legends Blur being on the line-up this summer, it’s now looking unlikely the band will be there after drummer Dave Rowntree said: “No one, as far as I know, from Glastonbury has approached us.”
Former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora told media there’s a chance of a reunion gig at Glastonbury 2023 and The 1975 are rumoured to appear after the long-expected band confirmed tour dates which leave them free over the weekend of the festival. It would be The 1975’s fourth time at Worthy Farm, having previously played sets in 2013, 2014 and 2016, and while they’ve been rumoured most years since they now haven’t been on the line-up for five years, despite countless comments from band members and crew that they want to return.
Pulp are also strongly rumoured to appear on the Glastonbury 2023 line-up after announcing details of a reunion tour next summer – which includes space for a potential Glasto slot. The band were already deemed a likely contender by bookmakers, who in September were offering odds of 9/1 on Pulp headlining the iconic Pyramid Stage.
Meanwhile, Victoria Beckham has ruled out a Worthy Farm appearance as part of a Spice Girls reunion in a US TV interview – following years of speculation fuelled by her former band mates.
She told Watch What Happens Live: “I had so much fun being in the Spice Girls – but now, with everything else that I have got going on with my fashion and my beauty line, four children, I couldn’t commit to that. love the girls. I really, really enjoy singing Spice Girls when I’m doing karaoke, but I think I’d better leave it there.”
Arctic Monkeys were also rumoured to have signed a deal to headline Glastonbury 2023 when their UK tour sold out in minutes last year. A source told The Sun: “‘Alex Turner and the band are coming back to Glastonbury, and this time their set is going to be even bigger and better.
Image credits:
Guns n Roses: Raph_PH / ( CC BY 2.0 )
Anna Barclay
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