Like the reed, the repertoire of the distinguished British guitarist and songwriter bends, but does not break under the onslaught of time.
Paul McCartney took to the stage at England's Glastonbury Festival on Saturday night for a legendary performance hailed as one of the "
most thrilling, exhilarating
" of the event by the
Sunday Telegraph
.
Performing a selection of the great classics of the Beatles as well as the Wings, the musician was notably joined on stage by Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl.
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The 100,000 spectators of the festival held each year in Pilton, Somerset, honored the former member of the Beatles with a
“happy birthday”
in tribute to the singer, who celebrated his 80th birthday last week.
Paul McCartney has become the festival's oldest headliner, as a counterpoint to the youngest, 20-year-old pop star Billie Eilish.
The number of springs, however, did not diminish the enthusiasm of the huge crowd who feasted on the succession of hits sung at the top of their voices:
Can't Buy Me Love
,
Love Me Do
,
Blackbird
,
Helter Skelter
,
Let It Be
or
Hey Jude
and its endless finale.
The 1960s youth idol was joined by Bruce Spingsteen for
I Wanna Be Your Man
and former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl for
I Saw Her Standing There
.
As The Observer
noted
, there was
"something incredibly charming about seeing the boyish delight on Springsteen's face when he and McCartney exchanged lines"
.
Music and politics
American rapper Kendrick Lamar prepares to close the Glastonbury Festival on Sunday, which also featured soul legend Diana Ross, former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant, New Zealand singer Lorde or the Pet Shop Boys.
Several artists, such as Billie Eilish or the American singer Phoebe Bridgers, took advantage of their concert to condemn the recent restriction of the right to abortion in the United States.
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Several other political parentheses punctuated the demonstration.
Before the concert of rock group The Libertines on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed festival-goers with a pre-recorded message asking for their support in the face of the Russian invasion, which prevents Ukrainians from
“enjoying freedom and this wonderful summer
.
On the stage Saturday, environmental activist Greta Thunberg for her part underlined the
“historic responsibility”
which weighs on the population in the face of global warming, attacking the double discourse of world leaders who are developing fossil fuel infrastructures.
The festival celebrated 50 years in this edition two years late, after the cancellations of the last two editions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2021, the festival was replaced by a large concert without an audience broadcast live on the internet, featuring British rockers Wolf Alice, pop rock trio Haim and festival veterans Coldplay.
It is sold out this year, with the majority of entries having been awarded to ticket holders from previous canceled editions.