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Noel Gallagher: Jay-Z To Blame For Glastonbury Not Selling Out

Hip-hop is 'wrong' for the festival...

  • by Scott Colothan
  • Monday, April 14, 2008
  • Photo by: wenn
  • filed in: Festivals Indie
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    Noel Gallagher has slammed Glastonbury Festival organisers for booking Jay-Z as a headline act, saying that the rapper is the main reason why the festival failed to sell out.

    The Oasis lynchpin said that it was “wrong” for a hip-hop act to be booked to headline the event in favour of traditional guitar acts who play.

    The 40-year-old said: "If it ain't broke don't fix it. If you start to break it then people aren't going to go. I'm sorry, but Jay-Z? No chance.

    "Glastonbury has a tradition of guitar music and even when they throw the odd curve ball in on a Sunday night you go 'Kylie Minogue?'

    "I don't know about it. But I'm not having hip hop at Glastonbury. It's wrong."

    Of course, unlike almost every year this side of the millennium, Glastonbury failed to sell out on the first day of tickets going on sale. Embarrassingly organisers had to re-launch the registration for the festival in a bit to attract more revellers.

    Elsewhere during Gallagher’s candid interview with the BBC, he also took time to have a swipe at the O2 Arena saying that recent stories that Oasis were booked in to play a Prince-esque residency at the venue were rubbish.

    He continued: "We'll never play the O2. We went there to see Led Zeppelin and to be honest the gig was fantastic, but it was the most soul destroying venue I've ever been to.

    "And much to our manager and agent's disappointment we came back and said we would never play there.

    "So it means we are going to have to do 640 nights at Earl's Court, I would have thought.

    "It's too americanised for me, and it's too far away. Any gig you can get to by boat that hasn't got a beach is wrong."
    (9)
    • Hip Hop why not, it’s been happening at Glasto for years. JayZ to ’headline’ a rock festival? BAD idea. Does Glasto need Bling, Hos, Guns, and the ’Jiggerman’ pimpin? Obviously not loooking at the interest and ticket sales. Stick him in the Dance Tent or pay £25 to see him tour. I’ve been to 8 Glastos and like many different genres of music including HipHop and Rock but Jay Z hardly promotes the ethics and values of the Glastonbury Festival ...McGlas

      ~ by Sould Out 4/14/2008

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      • hip hop is garbage - done by those who have no talent at all. Glastonbury was a sacred place - why pollute the sacred energy???

        ~ by ann 4/15/2008

    • It isn’t rap it’s general contemporary Glasto lameness that puts people off. Liley Allen, Amy Winehouse and Coldplay are not my idea of of a good wekend.

      ~ by fr 4/14/2008

      Reply to this comment

    • agreed, that oasis gig was a big let-down, but he’s right. you can’t have a rapper headline glasto. that’s pathetic. glasto needs to get back to its roots. guitar music for headliners, all the other shite in the afternoon. and delay it for a few weeks when the sun comes out!

      ~ by skinny 4/14/2008

      Reply to this comment

    • The problem is not that Jay-Z is headlining at Glastonbury this year. The problem is that he is the MAIN headline because The Verve, however good they may be, are past their prime & Kings Of Leon are great, but not an A List attraction. As I’ve written on www.buzzinmusicblog.co.uk tickets prices & lack of a big attraction such as Radiohead, Coldplay or U2 is the problem, not Jay-Z.

      ~ by Terry Lane 5/9/2008

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    • Noel is being zenophobic..... Happens in the twighlight of career. fud

      ~ by Richard, greenock 6/28/2008

      Reply to this comment

    • as we can see jay z ROCKED i was there. Noel gallagher has been made to look stupid by jay z and also been made to eat his words. HOVA ruled and he always will. much better than dull old noel in any case.

      ~ by zacko 6/28/2008

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    • Would a rap/hiphop festival put an English guitar band as headline.......NO

      ~ by Eminem 7/3/2008

      Reply to this comment

    • Bruce Springsteen and the E street band just announced their big tour. they'll be rolling into town playing their own venue amidst all your festivals and such. Its bound to take $$ away from them.

      ~ by americanacan 1/28/2009

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