The 28th of June 2008 saw a radical departure from tradition at Glastonbury. Twelve months previous had seen the accepted norm in the shape of the Arctic Monkeys, four skinny white english boys in jeans with guitars and if there was an exact opposite of this it had to be the self proclaimed greatest rapper in the world - Jay Z. When first proposed as a headline act for Glastonbury the idea was dismissed as wrong for the traditionally rock festival by critics and fans alike most notably and infamously by Oasis' Noel Gallagher. I must admit I initially agreed with Noel's assertion that Jay Z was wrong for Glastonbury but then I saw this. Opening with the perfect tounge in cheek riposte to Gallaghers criticism he strode on stage with a guitar slung around his neck and a huge grin across his face and proceeded to sing (badly) Wonderwall by Oasis. Practically an anthem at this festival, the crowd soon took over vocal duties and were instantly won over by this brash American and his thick skinned good nature. Jokes over, lights down, eyeball the crowd and BOOM, exploding into '99 Problems' signaled his intent to show the world just how he could 'rock the house' - awesome.
I'll admit I soon bored of him after this, hip hop doesn't do much for me, but as an opener it's well up there. I'll bet even Gallagher grinned when he saw this.
I'll admit I soon bored of him after this, hip hop doesn't do much for me, but as an opener it's well up there. I'll bet even Gallagher grinned when he saw this.
No comments:
Post a Comment