Muse to headline Glastonbury
WESTCOUNTRY supergroup Muse will play centre stage at this year's Glastonbury music festival which celebrates its 40th anniversary.
The Teignmouth trio will join an impressive line-up of international acts including Stevie Wonder, U2, Dizzee Rascal, Corinne Bailey Rae, Andy Williams and Jack Johnson.
Stadium rockers Muse will top the bill on the main Pyramid Stage on Saturday, June 26, with Motown legend Wonder closing the event the following night.
Other big name artists are in the pipeline but yet to be announced.
Around 175,000 festival-goers have already snapped up tickets for the sell-out musical extravaganza in Somerset.
It is not the first time Muse have played at the event in front of thousands of people.
In 2004 the band headlined with singer Matt Bellamy describing the festival as "very special".
At the time he said: "When you go out to the countryside and look at some cows and breathe in some fresh air and watch some good music, I think everyone connects with something which has been missing from city life."
Muse are also booked to play stadium shows in London and Manchester in September.
Their continued success includes a nomination for best group at next week's prestigious Brit Awards.
The festival is held nearly every year at Worthy Farm in Pilton, owned by farmer Michael Eavis.
After four decades, the owner of the event has finally triumphed in winning over neighbours in the village by gaining a licence to operate without any formal objections.
The show has now been granted a six-year licence to run until 2016.
In the past Mr Eavis's applications have been subjected to a scrutiny hearing amid complaints from the public and concerns over safety from the emergency services.
Mr Eavis said: "There was not a single complaint. You can't believe it, can you?
"That's pretty good going and it's a wonderful present for the 40th anniversary.
"We have been working very hard for years and years.
"It's taken a long, long time to be accepted by the community.
"The economic benefit to the region is around £100 million."
3 Comments
by Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity), Somersetshire
Wednesday, February 17 2010, 2:46PM
“:| Country Life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt2Svy-e0x4”
by Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity), Somersetshire
Wednesday, February 17 2010, 2:37PM
“:| COUNTRY LIFE (Youtube)
htt p://ww w.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt2Svy-e0x4
(Here are the lyrics for the uninitiated)
Working in the rain cutting down wood
Didn't do my little brother much good.
Lost two fingers in a chainsaw bite.
All he does now is drink and fight.
Sells a bit of grass, hots up cars.
Talks of travel, never gets far.
Loves his kids left his wife.
An everyday story of country life.
And the red brick cottage where I was born,
Is the empty shell of a holiday home.
Most of the year there's no-one there.
The village is dead and they don't care.
Now we live on the edge of town.
Haven't been back since the pub closed down.
One man's family pays the price,
For another man's vision of country life.
My old man is eighty four.
His generation won the war.
He left the farm forever when
They only kept on one in ten.
Landed gentry county snobs
Where were you when they lost their jobs.
No-one marched or subsidised,
To save a country way of life.
Silent fields empty lanes,
Drifting smoke distant flames.
Picture postcard hills on fire,
Cattle burning in funeral pyres.
Out to graze they look so sweet.
We hate the blood we want the meat.
Buy me a beer I'll take my knife,
Cut you a slice of country life.
If you want cheap food well here's the deal.
Family farms are brought to heel.
Hammer blows of size and scale.
Foot and mouth the final nail.
The coffin of our English dream,
Lies out on the village green.
While agri-barons CAP in hand
Strip this green and pleasant land,
Of meadow, woodland, hedgerow, pond;
What remains gets built upon.
No trains, jobs,
No shops, no pubs.
What went wrong?
Country life
It's a little bit of country life.”
by Theo H, Lifton
Saturday, February 13 2010, 10:45AM
“Yes.
But what about getting Show of Hands for the acoustic stage?”