The Biggest Acts Never to Play Glastonbury. Over the last 56 years, Glastonbury Festival has had huge acts grace its stages. The likes of Paul McCartney, David Bowie, James Brown and Beyoncé have wowed the crowds at Worthy Farm. But not everyone has played the world’s greatest festival. Below is a list of big names never to grace the Pyramid Stage.
Kate Bush
Emily Eavis is on record saying that her dream headliner would be Kate Bush. I would also love to see her headline the festival. But Kate Bush rarely tours; her last one was in 2014. In fact, her only other tour was in 1979. Maybe Emily can convince her to do a one-off show at Glasto. There’s a strong interest in everything Kate since Stranger Things introduced her to a new crowd.
Eminem
Rap has been on the Pyramid Stage for decades. (Luckily, Noel Gallagher’s rant didn’t win out.) Yet, Glastonbury still hasn’t seen Eminem grace its fields. He is always rumoured to be playing, but it never seems to happen. I can see it happening soon, though. Will we see the Slim Shady next year?
Led Zeppelin
I think Led Zeppelin, in their heyday, would have been an awesome sight down at Worthy Farm. They were arguably the biggest band of the 70s, but the festival was a lot smaller back then, so the timing was off. Sometimes, these things are just not meant to be. Which leads me on to the next act.
Queen
Picture the scene: 200,000 people singing back to the greatest frontman the world has ever known. Freddie Mercury would have been perfect for the Glastonbury crowd. A 3-hour set with hit after hit. Maybe in an alternative universe, this happened. I would like to think so. The current members of Queen are on record saying they will never play the festival because of ethical differences.
Depeche Mode
I would love to see Depeche Mode at Glastonbury. They play huge stadium tours around the world and are one of the most successful bands to come from England. Surely, it will happen soon. Amazingly, an act of that calibre has never played at the festival.
Fleetwood Mac
Probably the one band from the list that I wanted to see most down at the farm was Fleetwood Mac. Even if they had just played the entire Rumours album, I would have been happy. Looking over the list, you can see that a lot of the artists were big in the ’70s. There were only 3 official Glastonburys during that time. The first one in 1970, then in 1971, and finally in 1979. So, it is no wonder the likes of Fleetwood Mac never played.
Taylor Swift
I am quite sure I will be deleting this entry soon. After all, Taylor Swift was due to headline Glastonbury in 2020. Then COVID came along, and that year’s festival was cancelled. She hasn’t been on the bill since, but I am sure she will. She is arguably one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, so it makes sense that she plays the biggest festival.
Duran Duran
These ’80s Brummie icons have to play the festival soon, surely. I think they would be perfect for the Sunday Legends slot, but I have heard that Simon Le Bon wants a headline spot. If that happens, I can imagine us ’80s children would be in front of the Pyramid Stage.
Rihanna
Rihanna is permanently on the rumour mill to play Glastonbury every year. I can see it happening soon. If she does grace the Pyramid Stage, I can imagine that she will bring out lots of guests, including Chris Martin!
AC/DC
Another legendary band from the ’70s and ’80s never to play the festival. Imagine hearing those opening chords to Thunderstruck on the Pyramid Stage. The closest we have gotten is when Rick Astley performed Highway to Hell in 2023!
Madonna
The Pyramid Stage is perfect for a sing-along. Who better than Madonna to get 150,000 people singing together? I am not sure if she has ever performed at a festival. She has done everything else in her career, so why not play at the world’s best festival? I would love to hear Like a Prayer down at Worthy Farm.
Green Day
I had to actually check this one to see if it was correct. I just presumed they had played sometime in the past, and I had missed it. I find it odd that bands like this still haven’t played. Is it just not their thing, scheduling, or something else? They are always rumoured to be playing, so maybe we will see them one day.
Cher
Cher is perfect for the Sunday Legends slot. The crowd loves dressing up for the legends, and Cher is ideal cosplay material. She is a true legend, too. Even if she only performed her ’60s tunes, I would be happy.
Kraftwerk
These German pioneers have played other UK festivals but never performed at Glastonbury. A lot of Glasto fans I know would love to see them play. Could 2027 be the year? Funny enough, Kraftwerk are another big ’70s act. There is a theme forming here.
Pink
Everyone I know who has seen Pink perform live raves about her. Her shows are very theatrical and have many stage props. Maybe that’s why she hasn’t played Glastonbury, although she played V Festival in the past. Surely, for a festival, she could change the show?
The Strokes
Just like with the Green Day entry, I find this one baffling, too. I know Julian Casablancas played solo on the John Peel stage. But I was surprised the band had never performed there. Especially at the height of their fame.
Annie Lennox/The Eurythmics
I would love to see Annie Lennox play Glastonbury. She has hit after hit and is a perfect Glastonbury act. I can see her playing solo and then bringing out Dave Stewart as a surprise. Come on, Emily, make this happen.
Alicia Keys
I almost forgot Alicia Keys, but then heard her on the radio and was like, she hasn’t played either. When you think about some of the past headliners, she definitely is up with them or even bigger. Maybe she could change the lyrics to Empire State of Mind to something related to Glastonbury.
Coldplay
How the hell did they get in there! They always seem to turn up. Hahaha, I actually love watching Coldplay down on the farm, and of course, they have played before. A lot!
Conclusions
It is amazing how many artists have not performed at Glastonbury yet. I am sure I have missed a lot, too, so if you know of any, please let me know.
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