Glastonbury’s most controversial moments from huge Jay-Z feud to stage invasion

IT’S the world’s prominent music festival with the most coveted headline slots.

Over 54 trailblazing years Glastonbury Festival of Performing Arts has attracted the biggest artists from every genre – with some made to feel more welcome than others.

Everyone from Radiohead, Billie Eilish, Sir Paul McCartney, R.E.M, U2, Bruce Springsteen and The Arctic Monkeys have graced its Pyramid Stage.

Organisers Michael Eavis and his daughter Emily have faced many logistical challenges at their Worthy Farm site over the years as it transforms from a working dairy farm to a pop-up city in the rural South West.

There have been ugly clashes, a devastating fire, strict compliance wranglings and even occasional tragic death – but the bohemian behemoth has withstood them all and remains beloved by music fans around the world.

With the festival just days away we take a look at some of its most controversial moments:

THE SMITHS (1984)

Redferns

Glastonbury has evolved massively from its humble, bluesy beginnings in the 70s.

The Eavis family has never been afraid to champion current talent, even if it’s a departure from sounds associated with previous versions of the event.

One of the first bands to divide the early Glastonbury purists were Manchester indie icons The Smiths.

These days the defunct Morrissey fronted band are considered legends having racked up a stunning body of work in just five years in the 80s.

But back in 84 the band were uncharted territory for the Glasto crowd with their guitar-driven post-punk romanticism.

Guitarist Johnny Marr acknowledged the culture clash in an interview with .

He said: “When the Smiths played Glastonbury in 1984, we were slightly out of our element. Previously, we’d always played to manic, devoted audiences who were more like supporters at a cup final, but at Glastonbury we were playing to people who largely hadn’t seen us before.

“Our songs were so fast that we got through our first four in about the time it took for the other bands to finish their intro.”

A large scale stage invasion during the band’s set is now part of Glasto lore and hasn’t been repeated since.

Marr explained: “Eventually, I did manage to instigate a stage invasion, which raised a few eyebrows. One fan was trying to climb on stage, I helped pull him up, and then a few more people followed, and all of a sudden we’d managed to turn it into a Smiths gig.”

JAY-Z (2008)

PA

In 2008 rap God Jay defied a noisy backlash to deliver a memorable headline set and become the first rapper to top the bill.

It took a pair of broad shoulders to bear the burden of critics who were waiting for him to bomb – including some strong barbs from Oasis‘s Noel Gallagher who claimed hip hop had no place at the festival.

And Jay used all of his swagger and New York grit to pull off a classic performance that began with a humorous and well-judged retort to the Mancunian rocker.

He memorably walked out to a version of Wonderwall before launching into his powerful hit 99 problems.

Jay’s success paved the way for his friend and collaborator Kanye West, and he watched with pride as wife Beyoncé Knowles took to the stage three years later.

METALLICA (2014)

Getty

Another act made to feel they didn’t belong were metal stalwarts Metallica.

Many eyebrows were raised when the San Francisco thrash metallers were named as headliners in 2014.

Some claimed they lacked mainstream appeal, others felt they were past their prime but both criticisms were ripped apart the minute the band took to the stage.

It really felt like they had come to do battle with a small army of flag-waving superfans on stage with them.

Frontman James Hetfield did his utmost to win round any detractors with good humour, polite patter and a powerful pledge “to represent the heavier side of music”.

It was a far cry from Kanye West’s antagonistic performance the following year when the controversial rap star prowled the stage underneath a huge lighting rig and barely acknowledge the crowd for the entirety of his set.

RING OF STEEL (2002)

Getty

Two years into the new Millennium criticism was levelled at Michael Eavis himself after a huge £1million fence was erected around the site.

The idea was to keep out chancers who might try and enter the festival without a ticket after a massive influx of unauthorised visitors in 2000.

The organisers wanted to protect the safety of ticket-holders as well as those who might be inadvertently endanger themselves by breaking onto the site.

However, there were claims that it was at odds with the hippy ethos of peace and love on which the festival built its reputation.

Undeterred, Michael would not change his mind and the investment in security remains a fixture over the festival weekend

GUN SHOCK (1994)

Getty

The 1994 festival was one of the darkest weekends in the festival’s history.

Just weeks prior to the 1994 event there was chaos as the iconic Pyramid Stage burned down.

A temporary replacement was put together by a local company and powered by a 150kw wind turbine.

Armed police were then called to the farm after a man fired .45 semi-automatic pistol close to a stage on the Saturday night, injuring five people.

It was believed to be a drug-related incident and Michael Eavis was steadfast in his belief it shouldn’t permanently tarnish the event.

He said: “I’m not going to stop the show because there’s one crazy guy with a pistol. There has been more violence this year than we’ve ever had before, but the overriding mood is one of a peaceful event.”

That year also saw a 23-year-old died from a drug overdose, becoming the first death in the festival’s history.

BATTLEGROUND (1990)

In 1990 new age travellers and on-site security clashed in ugly scenes known as The battle of Yeoman’s bridge.

The travellers had been attending the festival in years and had an agreement with the organisers that they could pitch up on neighbouring fields free of charge.

The exact cause of the violent scenes, which included petrol bombs being hurled, is as muddy as the festival land itself, but tempers are believed to have flared when security took issue with the travellers scouring the site leftovers after the weekend had finished.

Ultimately, the outnumbered security retreated and lost the ‘battle’, however, the ugly scenes led to the demonization of the new age group meaning no one emerged covered in glory.