Glastonbury 2004 Headliners: Paul McCartney
United Kingdom | by
Andrew Future |
25 June 2004
It's weird that we end the day as we started, at 22.20. Paul
McCartney (10.20pm, Pyramid Stage) pulls out the mother of all cover sets: White Stripes versus
The Beatles? Of course not. That's not to say that while what follows is undoubtedly historic, there's still
a few very awkward 'your dad with a guitar and a bottle whiskey' moments. Take opener, 'Jet', for instance - a long rambling,
very dated piece that's inspired a quite tired band of the same name, or much of his between-song rambling about 'rocking
you all where the leylines converge' and 'Glastonburgers'.
But for all the cheese, there's many more spine-tingling, truly monumental moments. The solo 'Here Today', dedicated
to John Lennon, the cover of George Harrison's 'All Things Must Pass' and the intensely
moving 'Hey Jude' is the tip of a clutch of Beatles classics. The firework display that accompanies 'Live and Let Die' is
wonderful, and for many, the reality of singing along with a real-life Beatle is life-changing.
Still, there remains something a little distant about McCartney. The set-list, despite the obvious classics is
less consistent than his recent world tour's and many would perhaps have preferred a few more (of John Lennon's) Beatles songs
as a more fitting outpouring of 'lurve man'. Finishing with the career spanning quartet of 'I Saw Her Standing There', 'Let
It Be', 'Helter Skelter' and 'Sgt Pepper's...' is a touch of genius that obviously comes so easily to Macca.
What did you do at sixty-two? Oh, I headlined Glastonburgers.
Back to our Full Glastonbury 2004 Coverage
Most Popular
- Global Gathering
59 fans - Glastonbury Festival
40 fans - Bestival
21 fans - Reading Festival
21 fans - V Festival
17 fans
Worldwide
UK
Europe

Argentina
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Faroe Islands
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Japan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Netherlands
New Zealand
Northern Ireland
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Republic of Ireland
Romania
Serbia
Slovakia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
United States



