Glastonbury between stars and madness: 210,000 fans in a huge tent city

WORTHY FARM. Entering Glastonbury is like entering a parallel universe. And you would need the gift of ubiquity to tour it all, 365 hectares of English countryside that for five days a year are transformed into a self-managed city. Instead of houses, there are tents, as far as the eye can see. Instead of churches, the stages, over one hundred, scattered among fields and hills.

Music is religion and it is also the engine that moves things 210 thousand people flocked to Worthy Farm, a green expanse of Somerset immersed in the smell of pastures, for a concert binge, of course, but also just for the experience: camping, partying tirelessly migrating from one stage to another and never sleeping.

This year, 38th edition of a now mythological festival which, with a few breaks in between, is born in 1970the gates opened on Wednesday, on the hottest day of the year so far recorded in England: instead of mud, dust, instead of rubber boots, you need water and sunscreen.

The live shows come on on Friday, after the sea ​​of ​​people of all ages, with sleeping bags and mattresses, beer carts or strollers, he found a place and gave vent to all kinds of extravagant look.

The line up is a reflection of the times: for the first time two out of three headliners are women (on Sunday it was the turn of the American r’n’b star Sza, while on Saturday Coldplay were the first headlining band for the fifth time) and, in the Pyramid Stage, the main stage, equality between male and female artists in the three days of concerts it is almost perfect.

Building this balance has been “an exciting project,” the organizer said. Emily Eavisdaughter of 88-year-old founder Michael, who has made it almost a mission, after criticism last year for the all-male headliners.

So the honor of rocking the crowd on Friday night goes to Dua Lipa, pop star in search of great consecration. In front of the stage the expanse of people, almost 100 thousand, is infinite: «What the f ** k?», She exclaims in disbelief. «It’s my life’s dream“, she tells during the first break of her dance show: “I don’t know if you believe in the event, but this is very similar to it – she says excitedly -. When I was little I actually wrote that I would be a headliner on this stage, on Friday night, so that for the rest of the weekend I could party in the best place on earth”.

The 28-year-old wants to prove that she is up to the task and is ready to give everything: perfect choreography, sensuality, energy and one hit after another amid sky-high fireworks on «Levitating» and a surprise duet (with some flaws) together with Tame Impalathat is, the Australian Kevin Parker.

Surprise guests are one of the highlights of Glastonbury: the intense live show by PJ Harvey, one of the great singer-songwriters present at the Festival, was preceded by an unexpected performance by Marina Abramovic who asked the public for seven minutes of silence, while her white dress, spreading her arms, became the symbol of peace. Lots of them Palestinian flags that waved in front of her, in a festival that is carefree, but also based on pacifism and activism.

At the same time, on another stage, Damon Albarn he made a pro-Palestine appeal and invited the English to vote next week, because “maybe it’s time we stopped putting octogenarians in charge of the world”. Also the leader dei Blur He arrived as a surprise, guest of the Bombay Bicycle Club, to the delight of those who had been disappointed by a programme without any apparent peaks of wonder, although dense and varied.

However, there is no shortage of cult names, among them Cyndi Lauper, 71, who celebrated his career on Saturday afternoon before embarking on his farewell tour, a DJ set of Charli XCX crowded to the point of being unapproachable, the slot dedicated to legends that on Sunday brings the queen of pop-country to triumph Shania Twain.

So many women, but the effort to tell a changing world is also to try to reflect its diversity: a new stage is entirely dedicated to South Asian artists, many slots are reserved for black artists (from the Nigerian Burna Boy to Sampha, up to Sza herself), another new area, «Terminal 1», is dedicated to the theme of immigration.

The Koreans Seventeen, the first K-pop group to perform on the Pyramid Stage, are spokespersons for this change: «Despite the language and cultural differences, we can still be together as one», they say from the stage. The world doesn’t seem to succeed, but the parallel universe of Glastonbury, for a few days, at least tries.