is a legendary festival, pulling in some of the biggest names in music throughout its 52-year legacy from to Sir .
It’s shocking that the Rocket Man is only just getting his Glasto debut but we’re so ready for theand tease special guests on Sunday.
Looking back at the the festival has seen, it’s no surprise even a legend like Sir Elton had to wait his turn.
Come rain or shine, Glasto is usually held annually in June except for the occasional fallow year to let the ground recover – or during a global pandemic.
Ever since the Somerset music festival opened its doors in 1970, it’s pulled in some massive names – especially for a gig that only cost £1 to get into originally.
While fans at the now-muddy Worthy Farm are getting ready to hear Guns N’ Roses, those of us missing out are looking fondly back at the headliners who’ve come before.
1970 – T. Rex
Tyrannosaurus Rex (soon to be T.Rex) took the first-ever top spot for the after The Kinks pulled out.
1971 – David Bowie
became a headliner after Pink Floyd cancelled, he would only headline one more time.
1972 to 1977 – No Glasto!
1978 – No headliner
This one is known as the ‘impromptu’ festival with no headliners as such.
1979 – Tim Blake and Peter Gabriel
1981 – Ginger Baker, Hawkwind, and Taj Mahal
1982 – Van Morrison, Jackson Browne
1983 – Curtis Mayfield, UB40
1984 – Weather Report, Black Uhuru and The Smiths
1985 – Echo & The Bunnymen, Joe Cocker and The Boomtown Rats
The Style Council and The Pogues also performed but didn’t get the top spot.
1986 – The Psychedelic Furs, Level 42, and The Cure
Festival goers could also see Madness and Simply Red, with tickets costing less than £20.
1987 – The Communards, Elvis Costello and Van Morrison
1989 – Suzanne Vega, Elvis Costello and Van Morrison
This year saw some firsts with the first consecutive headliners, as the festival skipped 1988, plus Suzanne Vega as the first-ever female headliner – 12 Glastos in!
1990 – The Cure, Happy Mondays and Sinead O’Connor
1992 – Carter USM, Youssou N’Dour and Shakespeare’s Sister
1993 – The Black Crowes, Christy Moore and Lenny Kravitz
Red Hot Chilli Peppers were set in the headline slot but decided to drop out of the now £58 festival.
1994 – Levellers, Peter Gabriel and Elvis Costello
Lower on the listing were some truly incredible talents and future headliners with Johnny Cash, Rage Against the Machine, Radiohead, Blur, Oasis, and Bjork all performing at the festival.
1995 – Pulp, Oasis, and The Cure
1997 – Ash, The Prodigy, and Radiohead
1998 – Primal Scream, Pulp and Blur
1999 – Skunk Anansie, REM, and Manic Street Preachers
This year saw two Glastonbury debuts from future Pyramid Stage headliners Muse and Coldplay.
2000 – Travis, The Chemical Brothers and David Bowie
2002 – Rod Stewart, Stereophonics and Coldplay
2003 – Moby, REM, and Radiohead
2004 – Muse, Oasis, and Sir Paul McCartney
Bellamy, Muse’s guitarist, gave the band’s headlining performance some extra spark when he smashed his guitar on stage.
2005 – Basement Jaxx, The White Stripes, and Coldplay
Way before we were all singing Padam Padam, Kylie Minogue was set to headline but cancelled last minute. This year also saw The Killers perform and the return of Elvis Costello.
2006 – Arctic Monkeys, The Killers and The Who
All first-time headliners with the returning this year for Friday’s Pyramid Stage performance. Also, Adele was here chasing pavements, 10 years before taking the headline spot.
2008 – Kings of Leon, The Verve and (a controversial choice) Jay Z
2009 – Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and Blur
2010 – Muse, Stevie Wonder and Gorillaz
2011 – Coldplay, U2 and Beyonce
While Coldplay returned to the festival for the umpteenth time, U2 managed to nab a headline after dropping out the year before (replaced by Gorillaz). Beyonce was the first solo female headliner since Sinead O’Connor and only the third solo female ever.
2013 – Mumford & Sons, Arctic Monkeys and The Rolling Stones
2014 – Arcade Fire, Kasabian and Metallica
Dolly Parton was also here this year and pulled in a massive crowd despite not headlining.
2015 – Kanye West, Florence & The Machine, and The Who
Florence only took the top spot after the Foo Fighters dropped out and Ye proved another controversial choice.
2016 – Muse, Coldplay and Adele
2017 – Radiohead, Foo Fighters and Ed Sheeran
2019 – Stormzy, The Killers and The Cure
2020 – Kendrick Lamar, Sir Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift
Only it never happened because as we all remember, the world was put on pause in the global pandemic.
2022 – Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar and Sir Paul McCartney
In a slight switch-up of the promised 2020 headliners, Billie became the youngest-ever Glasto headliner while Sir Paul took the title of oldest-ever headliner.
2023 – Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses, and Sir Elton John
And that’s everything right up to this year, fingers crossed the weekend goes well and both Guns N’ Roses and Sir Elton can make their Pyramid Stage debuts.
