Beyoncé 2011 Glastonbury performance

American singer Beyoncé Knowles headlined the 2011 Glastonbury Festival alongside acts U2 and Coldplay, performing on June 26, 2011 at the Pyramid Stage in Pilton, Somerset, England.[2] She was the first solo Black woman to headline the Pyramid Stage, and became the first solo female artist to headline the festival since Sinéad O'Connor in 1990 (and Kylie Minogue in 2004, who was forced to cancel her performance due to a breast cancer diagnosis).[3][4] Knowles' performance was immediately met with critical acclaim, heralded by The Daily Telegraph as a "sassy triumph", "career-defining" by Billboard, and by others in the media as a "masterpiece", "killer", and "90 minutes of pure Bey greatness."[5][6][1] The performance, which acted as the finale act to the festival, generated over 2.6 million views individually, breaking the record at the time for most television views for a single performance according to BBC.[7]

Beyoncé @ Glastonbury 2011
Concert by Beyoncé
LocationWorthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset, England
VenuePyramid Stage (2011 Glastonbury Festival)
Date(s)June 26, 2011
Attendance175,000 [1]

Production

Background and development

Knowles was inspired by her husband's controversial 2008 Glastonbury performance, which broke ground as the first rap headline in the festival's then 38-year history.[8][9] Knowles was announced as the Sunday headliner on February 10, 2011 in Billboard with the following statement: “This really is the biggest festival in the world and I cannot wait to perform there. Everyone who attends is really appreciative of music and is in such a good mood that entire weekend... I’m pumped just thinking about that huge audience and soaking up their energy.”[10]

Leading up to the performance, it was believed by BBC that Knowles and her team had spent three weeks at a London rehearsal studio to prepare.[11] Later revealed to be secretly pregnant with her first child at the time of the performance, her appearance was to mainly promote the recent release of her fourth solo studio album "4" as all four pre-released tracks (Lead single "Run The World (Girls)", promotional single "1+1", international second single "Best Thing I Never Had", and leaked song "End of Time") were performed.

Knowles was also announced as a performer on the 2011 BET Awards in the weeks leading up to the Glastonbury performance, and a portion of her performance ("Best Thing I Never Had" and "End of Time") was sent via satellite, airing simultaneously that evening in North America.[12]

Set list

Interviewed by BBC, Beyonce mentioned that she sent close friend and co-headliner Chris Martin of Coldplay her set list in advance. “I made sure he approved it." [1][13] The following songs were performed:

  1. "Crazy in Love"
  2. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
  3. "Naughty Girl"
  4. "Baby Boy" (featuring Tricky)
  5. "Happy Birthday"
  6. "Best Thing I Never Had"
  7. "End of Time"
  8. "If I Were a Boy" (contains elements of Alanis Morissette "You Oughta Know")
  9. "Sweet Dreams" (contains elements of Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)")
  10. "Why Don't You Love Me?"
  11. "Love Hangover" (performed by backing vocalists "The Mamas")
  12. "The Beautiful Ones"
  13. "Sex on Fire"
  14. "1+1"
  15. "Irreplaceable"
  16. "Independent Women Part I"
  17. "Bootylicious"
  18. "Bug a Boo"
  19. "Telephone"
  20. "Say My Name"
  21. "Jumpin', Jumpin'"
  22. "Survivor"
  23. "At Last"
  24. "Run the World (Girls)"
  25. "Halo"

Notes

Critical Response

The performance was met with critical acclaim. Rolling Stone described the performance as a "bold, crowd-pleasing spectacle."[14] Elle opined that "few forces of nature could compel the Elle team to slog through miles of mud at midnight. Last night, that force was Beyoncé, who took to Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage in all her big-haired, gold-spangled glory for a set that felt like a master class in how to seduce 100,000 people."[15] The Times described the performance as "blowing the festival apart", and subsequently lauded "a star at the height of her powers, beating the audience into submission with sheer professionalism and interstellar glamour."[16] The Huffington Post was "wowed", stating that "following this performance, she'll be in the dreams of thousands of British music fans for a long time to come." [17] NME rated the performance an 8/10, giving praise to the "epic-sounding" newer songs, as well as her "career-spanning biggies".[18] Music Radar mentioned that Knowles' set was "easily the most all-out pop thing the festival had ever seen", but called the performance an "undeniable success" and also praised "her incredibly tight, all-female backing band."[19] Thomas Green of The Arts Desk concluded that "[He] saw many riveting gigs... but best by a country mile was Beyoncé at Glastonbury who quite simply lit up the festival's Sunday night with fireworks, showmanship and explosive party spirit."[20] Other publications lauded her "dazzling" style and fashion choices, with UK Magazine Stylist further mentioning that she brought "Glastonbury 2011 to a rapturous close with a spectacular performance."[21]

Following her performance, fellow artist George Michael tweeted, “Just watching Beyonce’s performance at Glastonbury. I love that woman. Great artist, writer, singer, person … Something so generous about the fact that she covered songs that acknowledged Glastonbury’s typical audience. Very few American artists … would take the time or have the respect for a foreign audience to do that. She just gets better and better.”[1]

Chart Response

The appearance, coupled with her simultaneous BET Awards appearance, strengthened the performance of Knowles' then-2-day-old album 4, boosting album numbers in the United Kingdom to three times her closest competitors, as well as bolstering attention for current single "Best Thing I Never Had", various "4" album songs, and her Destiny's Child-infused overall catalog.[22] 7 tracks appeared from Knowles in the Official Charts Company Top 75.[22]

Legacy

Several publications noted an ascension in Knowles' capabilities as a live performer as a result of the performance, while others observed the polarized attitude of the UK music establishment in response to a Black woman performing on the same stages and to the same crowd sizes that were past reserved for legacy rock acts.[23][24]

The Independent touted her performance as the "13th Greatest Glastonbury Performance of All-Time" in a June 2023 article.[25]

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition of the festival was cancelled, and her 2011 performance was televised on BBC for a second time (BBC Two, BBC Four, and a new digital channel on BBC iPlayer) as a component of their 60-act virtual line-up, causing a resurgence in acclaim for the performance.[26]

References
  1. Halperin, Shirley (June 27, 2011). "Beyonce Delivers Hit-Filled Glastonbury Performance: Video".
  2. Osei, Anthony. "Beyonce and U2 to Headline Glastonbury 2011". Complex.
  3. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (December 19, 2018). "Kylie Minogue to play 'legend' slot at Glastonbury 2019" – via The Guardian.
  4. "Kylie Minogue to play Glastonbury's legend slot". December 19, 2018 – via www.bbc.com.
  5. McCormick, Neil (June 26, 2020). "Beyoncé at Glastonbury 2011: a sassy triumph, rock purists be damned" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  6. "#TBT That time Beyoncé headlined Glastonbury". V Magazine. March 19, 2020.
  7. "Glastonbury Festival 2011 watched by 18.6m viewers on BBC". June 30, 2011.
  8. Abiade, Yemi (August 31, 2020). "Jay-Z, Glastonbury 2008: diamonds in the sky for rap's greatest showman" – via The Guardian.
  9. "Glastonbury falls Crazy In Love with Beyonce". Evening Standard. April 11, 2012.
  10. Lipshutz, Jason (February 10, 2011). "Beyonce Headlining Glastonbury Festival".
  11. "Beyonce's debut brings curtain down on Glastonbury". June 26, 2011 – via www.bbc.com.
  12. Halperin, Shirley (June 26, 2011). "Beyonce Pulls Double Duty, Performing at Glastonbury and BET Awards (Video)".
  13. "BBC Glastonbury Festival - 2011 - Beyonce". www.bbc.co.uk.
  14. "Beyoncé Sings Kings of Leon at Glastonbury". Rolling Stone. June 27, 2011.
  15. "Beyonce runs Glastonbury". ELLE. June 27, 2011.
  16. Hodgkinson, Mary Bowers, Kaya Burgess and Will (October 24, 2023). "Rolling news and reviews from Glastonbury" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. "PHOTOS: Beyonce WOWS On Biggest Stage In The World". HuffPost. June 27, 2011.
  18. Chester, Tim (June 27, 2011). "Beyonce At Glastonbury 2011 - Review".
  19. published, Si Truss (June 27, 2011). "Glastonbury 2011: the MusicRadar review". MusicRadar.
  20. "2011: Glastonbury, Gaga and Charlie Sheen". theartsdesk.com. December 26, 2011.
  21. "Beyonce storms Glastonbury". www.stylist.co.uk.
  22. "Beyonce, others enjoy "Glastonbury effect" in UK charts". June 29, 2011 – via www.reuters.com.
  23. "Why Beyoncé Matters". The Journal of Music | Music News, Reviews and Opinion.
  24. Barshad, Amos (June 30, 2011). "Our Little Beyoncé's All Grown Up, and Other Observations From 4's Reviews". Vulture.
  25. "The 22 greatest Glastonbury performances ever". The Independent. June 25, 2023.
  26. "BBC To Air Classic Glastonbury Sets From Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Adele, David Bowie, Jay-Z And More In June 2020 | GRAMMY.com". www.grammy.com.
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