Here are some photos from Beyonce’s gig at Glastonbury yesterday. I know I shouldn’t judge Bey by the photos, but I swear she looks unhinged in some of them. There was also a wardrobe malfunction with those black panties she’s wearing, and I caught sight of a hint of Beyonce Biscuits, which I don’t want to discuss and I have not included in this post.
Anyway, you remember how it was reported last week that Beyonce’s label was terrified that her new album was going to bomb, because there were no real radio-friendly “hits”? The report claimed that Beyonce’s label wanted her to reunite with Destiny’s Child! Well, guess what? No, there wasn’t a reunion, but Bey did do many of her old hits at Glastonbury, including many Destiny’s Child songs, all of which she sang solo. Interesting.
The hoped-for duet with Jay-Z might not have happened – but Beyoncé blew most of the doubters out of the water last night with her Bootylicious performance to close the Glastonbury Festival. The star was watched by her rapper husband and friend Gwyneth Paltrow as well as 170,000 people on Worthy Farm in Somerset as she tore through an impressive hour-and-a-half set.
Wearing just black hotpants and a gold belted jacket with her hair blowing curly and free in the evening breeze, she appeared at times overcome with emotion at the reception she was given. And even though she’s more used to playing to fans in slick arena shows rather than to thousands of festival goers stuck in the mud, she appeared to totally win over the crowd.
Playing a greatest hits set of mostly her own and Destiny’s Child tunes, she also covered tracks including Etta James’s At Last, Kings Of Leon’s Sex On Fire and Alanis Morrisette’s You Oughta Know. Bizarrely, she also duetted with Tricky for song Baby Boy, but the Bristol-born rapper looked rather uncomfortable up there with her on the Pyramid Stage. However, she kept fans happy, kicked off with a firework-punctuated Crazy In Love.
She seemed thrilled to be there, declaring: ‘You are witnessing my dream! Thankyou for having me and my band tonight, I always wanted to be a rock star and tonight we are all rock stars.’
She also included tracks including Single Ladies – which of course she did the dance to, in her sparkly black high heeled ankle boots – If I Were A Boy, Independent Women, Bootylicious and Survivor as well as new single Who Run The World (Girls) before closing with an anthemic Halo. At the end of her ground-breaking set, she declared: ‘Can I just say “I love you” to Coldplay and U2, and thanks again for this beautiful night, I will never forget it. I love you all!’ She then disappeared into a glowing pyramid at the back of the set – literally built because it was on the Pyramid Stage.
The star – the first female to headline the festival in more than 20 years – was playing with an all-female band including a horn section with some male backing dancers to even things up a bit.
Beyoncé had done her homework the night before too, and was seen down the front of the stage in the VIP section with rap star husband Jay-Z last night watching Coldplay wrap up Saturday’s bill on the Pyramid Stage – and perhaps getting some last minute inspiration. Beyoncé was seen dressed down in a hoodie dancing and singing along to the band with her husband and frontman Chris Martin’s wife Gwyneth.
She confessed: ‘It made me feel a lot better last night, you realise people just want to listen to great music. I just thought, this is just beautiful. I just thought, calm down girl!’
And she said the weather had worked out well for her too, laughing: ‘I’m happy it was sunny, it was beautiful today!’
The diva closed the three-day bash last night, and revealed that she was so nervous about it, she’d talked about her set with both Coldplay and Friday night’s headliners U2. Talking in an interview on Saturday with the BBC, Beyoncé said that she felt privileged to be closing the festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset – and she even didn’t mind the squelchy conditions under foot.
Pronouncing the name of the al fresco fandango as ‘Glaston-berry’, she said: ‘My first impression of Glastonbury, well, it’s fascinating to see everybody in the mud, it’s like they’re all united as one. Everyone’s so free, everyone’s so diverse.’
As for her preparations for her show last night, she said: ‘I’m the biggest fan of U2 and I’m the biggest fan of Coldplay, they are genius, so I’ve spoken to both of them about my setlist. I’m so excited to share the stage with them. For Glastonbury to recognise that women have the power to headline, that’s amazing, and I’m proud that I am the chosen woman. I am going to rock!’
[From The Mail]
If you’d like to see photos of Gwyneth and Jay-Z cheering Beyonce on, go here. Gwyneth does look like Beyonce’s super-fan, but interestingly enough, although Beyonce and Gwyneth were together for Coldplay’s performance the night before, Chris Martin couldn’t be bothered to show up for Beyonce (or his wife) last night. At this point, it just seems like Chris won’t go out of his way to lift a finger for Gwyneth. But it’s nice that Gwyneth came out to support her BFF.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Wish I could have been there. Beyonce is an amazing live performer and I am glad Bey got a warm reception. I also find it really sweet Gywn came to support her friend.
I swear I sometimes don’t believe Goop and Chris are married.
Maybe I missed this, but what exactly was she nervous about? This woman has performed in stadiums before. When I was reading the article, I felt like i had missed a huge “WHY” question somewhere…
Beyonce is so annoying! Always with her fake script! As for Chris, he has sense: why support bullshit!
Maybe Chris just wanted to spend some time with his kids away from Goop and feed them some processed food. I thought Goop was best friends with Madge?
Oh good, my favorite back-up dancer is in the picture. For me, she stole the whole show last night.
And B MURDERED You Oughta Know, IMO.
Hate on Beoynce all you want but she is a pro. Just like Gaga she makes sure the crowd gets their monies worth. Unlike Britney it’s actually worth the price of the tickets if you are a fan.
Chris Martin seems like a prick.
@Annaloo, cos the crowd at Glastonbury can be REALLY hard to please, maybe? Normally she sings to people that go see her cos they like her, but with festivals, you might get booed down if the people aren’t fans. Not that I think she should worry about that, though.
Is it just me, or does B look like she’s had some work done on her face?
I’ve always been kind of meh on her. Her voice is pretty good, but it’s always felt like she’s more about quantity than quality with her releases/singing/performing.
I don’t like beyonce there is something fake about her.
It seem odd that Goop is spending a lot of time with this couple[cough] husband and her own husband is not interested in her.
Thing that make up go hummm…
oh please! thats not even a stage costume! more like a sparkly sweater and underwear thrown in
Something’s wrong with her face.
I read on another post that she was lip synching someone please confirm; don’t like her at all, fake, greedy, and she can shake her booty all she wants, her songs are mostly corporate junk pop; the europeans always like to front how they are more sophisticated than we hick americans, but they apparently have no problem with one of our most boring manufactured forgettable pop stars. SHe does put on a show, but the actual music is forgettable.
I saw the performances on youtube. she SLAYED. Say what you want about her but she is a great entertainer. When I read she covered “sex on fire” I was like bitch please but when I watched it I was surprised how good she was. She mostly performed old hits, I only saw two new songs but I guess that makes sense since the album isnt out yet and the crowd wouldnt have been happy. and she wasn’t lip syncing! haters
Nice try Jover. Beyonce didn’t lip sync. She NEVER lip syncs in concerts. I have seen her live several times, alone and with with Destiny’s child and she gives it her all everytime.
i agree with blue – i think goop & chris have seperated.
She absolutely tore the stage up and the crowd loved it. Say whatever you want but the girl gives a hell of a show, I would kill to have been in the mud watching!
She’s a great entertainer. I can’t believe people can hate on that.
even if u don’t like beyonce,either personally or her style of music and dance,u can’t deny d fact that she’s a great singer AND performer.
I can’t remember the last time I saw Goop and Chris photographed together.
Uh…is that Gwyneth on the right side of the picture? LOL. She needs to stop singing “At Last.” Please, you are so not remotely close to Etta James. Seriously. Stop.
See she is still black. I hate when people say she is whitening her skin.
ass cheeks are always a classy touch. 😉
Personally, I don’t like Beyonce. I don’t like her genre of music, the stupid pop shiz. – Her songs, I just don’t like. Her beats, are horrendous they don’t go with the lyrics. Her lyrics, don’t have any meaning behind them.. which is why songs should be written.
PUTTING ALL THAT A SIDE:
I think Beyonce did a great job at Glastonbury Festival and I though it was really sweet that her husband, Jay-Z and bestfriend, Gwyneth Paltrow were there to support her through it as she was nervous about headlining such a big thing.
You could see the joy in Jay-Z + Gwyn’s face as they watched ‘B’ perform, a shame Chris Martin couldn’t go down to the pit and join them.. instead he watched from the side of the stage.