Buzz surrounding this year’s Glastonbury Festival line-up has some fans feeling slightly let down.
With Neil Young set to take the stage as the headliner on the iconic Pyramid Stage and Rod Stewart filling the much-loved legends slot, expectations are mixed.
A speculated addition to the Glastonbury line-up has left many wondering if the festival will live up to its reputation for providing landmark headline acts such as Pulp, Radiohead, and Arctic Monkeys.
A Reddit thread discussing this year’s potential headliners sparked debate among festival-goers. Despite excitement from some corners, there’s a hint of disappointment with the unofficially suggested Friday through Sunday headliners. Acknowledging that nothing is concrete until the official poster is released, one Reddit user shared their concerns.
They wrote: “Thoughts on the rumoured headliners? Obviously nothing is 100% confirmed until it’s 100% confirmed with the poster drop, but with various insiders with a decent track record of line-up reveals all pointing towards the following and the lack of any other rumours, no harm in a bit of pre-emptive discussion in my books.
“Friday – 1975. Saturday – Neil Young. Sunday – Olivia Rodrigo. I fall firmly in the headliners don’t really matter camp, having had some of my best years without hardly touching the Pyramid. That said, if this comes to fruition, for me this is surprisingly weak.”
One disappointed festival-goer worried the SZA debacle from last year may be a lesson learned and expressed high expectations for a stellar line-up this year. They also noted that, due to the upcoming fallow year, the festival may go all out.
They wrote: “I had myself convinced that after the SZA fiasco last year and with the fallow year coming up they would really be pulling out all the stops. Definitely a lack of wow factor here.”
Another took a calmer approach, focusing on the broader experience rather than the headlining acts. They wrote: “I’m not interested in any of those headliners but I’ve been a few times before and I know the real fun is always a bit further down the list. I hope the whiny headliner-focused people who never stop wanking on about it cancel their tickets and go somewhere else.”
A third person provided a balanced view, noting the popularity of the headliners despite personal preferences. They added: “At the end of the day, these are undoubtedly very popular acts and a lot of people will be very happy. It’s ‘meh’ for my personal tastes, but there’s always the other headliners to go and watch.”
They also voiced concerns about event planning: “However – I do feel that the headliner slots are a lottery chance to potentially see a legendary act that you love, so it’s fair to be a bit let down when the ones on your year aren’t for you. After last year, my main concern is actually the scheduling to try and split up the crowds. Putting on Neil Young vs Charli XCX on the other stage – for example – would be asking for a crushin’.”
Optimists came through, however, forecasting that despite initial grumblings, the artists could impress: “I think if these are the three the moaning will be off the charts. Then they’ll pull off incredible sets and people will say they always knew they were going to be great.”
Although Neil Young is the only officially confirmed headliner at this point, fans seem open to the idea of The 1975 and Olivia Rodrigo filling the other two headlining spots. A fan commented: “I think it’s not outstanding but also not bad. Better than last year.”
They continued: “Olivia Rodrigo is a good headliner, no question. The 1975 I’m less convinced by but at least they are a reasonably big band and they’re probably at their peak. Neil Young feels stale and underwhelming compared to say Elton John and Paul McCartney (especially since he’s done it before) – but probably less stale than Coldplay who took the “legacy act” slot last year.”