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Glastonbury won't go for Jay-Z type act for 2009

Michael Eavis says he'll go for 'traditional' headliners

July 24, 2008 | 6 Comments
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Glastonbury festival organiser Michael Eavis has said that he won't book a so-called "controversial" act for next year's festival, following Jay-Z's Glastonbury headline slot at this year's bash.

Eavis told BBC News that he would go for "traditional" headliners, and revealed that the stress caused by this year's slow ticket sails took its toll on him physically.

"We'll probably be going for the more traditional headliner next year," he said, "because there are more of them around and after this year everyone wants to come on board because it was such a good do. The thing is people are coming back.

"I've never enjoyed it so much [this year] although I've had a lot of worries with the tickets not selling – I lost half a stone in weight at one point.

"I was so scared but it came through. So when you get so scared like that and then when it comes right in the end it's fantastic."

To relive the 2008 Glastonbury Festival got to NME.COM's Glastonbury festival index for all the news, video, pictures and blogs from their year's event.

gd1984

Jul 24, 2008

oh please, like anyone who would go to glasto really decided not to go because of jay-z. the hundreds of festivals that keep popping up are what's caused slower sales. eavis should take his head out of his arse. losing weight because of slower than usual sales? boo-hoo.

andybmxer

Jul 24, 2008

the strokes and blur would be my 2 perfect glasto headliners

Spikeybluebird

Jul 24, 2008

Is it me or does Glastonbury struggle to get the big artists these days ? I've just recently returned from the Rockwercher festival in Belgium where the line up over 4 days put most of our festivals to shame. Radiohead,REM,Chemical Brothers,Neil Young,The Verve - All in all a fantastic array of names and significantly cheaper than the likes of Glastonbury for about Â£20. Its no wonder that punters like myself are looking for better value for money and are in turn heading abroad. It can't by easy for Michael and Emily to get the names these days, given the stiff competition from rival festival competitors, but Jay Z and Kings of Leon Glastonbury headliners...Do me a favour !!....Kings of Leon played Rockwercher and they happened to be on in the early evening...Kind of tells a story really !

shipo1975

Jul 24, 2008

Completely agree with GD1984. Eavis needs to stop being so fucking pretentious, my heart bleeds for him.

Jemzi

Jul 24, 2008

Radiohead, The Strokes bands like that is what people want to see none of this Jay-z rubbish. That was the reason i didnt go this year.

ed2005

Jul 24, 2008

I have to say, I am disappointed that Glastonbury is looking to be so conventional. Is that really in the spirit of the whole thing? Didn't go this year, haven't been since 2000, but I would rather have seen Jay-Z than Verve or Kings of Leon, and I'm a 31 year old teacher.