Following the cancellation of this year’s Glastonbury which would have marked the 50th anniversary of the Pilton Farm festival. The BBC have announced plans for an extensive 4 day celebration, the Glastonbury Experience, for the iconic festival’s past. Programmes will be broadcast across the BBC’s network with content featuring on BBC Two, BBC Four and iPlayer
One of the definite highlights will be David Bowie’s 2000 headline slot, which has often been cited as one of the finest shows in the festival’s illustrious history. For the first time ever this gig will be played in full on BBC 2 and also available on iPlayer.
Emily Eavis, who organises the festival alongside her father Michael, has said “I’m looking forward to a weekend of reflecting on the history of our festival and going back to some classic performances from David Bowie, Adele, REM, Beyoncé, the Rolling Stones, Jay-Z, Billie Eilish and lots more”.
The BBC will be focusing on their 23 year history with the festival. Also lined up are a variety of acoustic sets from the likes of Leon Bridges and Dua Lipa. This will be alongside sets from past headliners Blur, Arctic Monkeys, Amy Winehouse and PJ Harvey. There will be a focus on immensely popular Sunday afternoon legends slot where we can expect to relive performances by Paul Simon, Neil Diamond and Lionel Richie.
While we can’t see live music ourselves this year, the BBC’s coverage will hopefully serve as a timely reminder of the festival’s legacy and whet the appetite for next year’s edition.