Glastonbury festival: Are the acts getting older?

With the likes of The Who and Lionel Richie performing at this year’s festival, we had a look to see if acts are getting older

glastonbury-arriva_3352126b
Music fans arrive for the Glastonbury Music Festival at Worthy Farm Photo: Ben Birchall/PA

Glastonbury performers have been getting older over the last 20 years, with the likes of Lionel Richie and Dolly Parton pleasing recent crowds.

The average age of the performers on Glastonbury’s famed Pyramid stage increased by 32 per cent between 1994 and 2015, although there was a fall in the average between 2011 and 2014.

2009 saw the oldest performers to date, with singers on the Pyramid stage having an average age of 44.7 years old. This was continued in 2010, when the average age was 44.2.

In 2011, B. B. King became the oldest singer to perform from the Pyramid stage. He was 85 years old when he sung at Glastonbury.

Singers’ ages dipped for the next three concerts – with the average at 37.6, 38 and 37.6. Here younger acts headlined the festival, such as 26-year-old Tinie Tempah and 28-year-old Ben Howard.

Singers on the Pyramid stage average 43 years old in 2015. In the 1990s, the average age of performers rarely rose above 35.

The oldest singer to have performed to the Glastonbury crowd from the Pyramid stage is B. B. King. He was 85 years old when he sung at Glastonbury in 2011.

This year, performers include 66 year old Lionel Richie and 87 year old Burt Bacharach – who will become the Pyramid stage’s oldest singer.

The Who, whose lead singer Roger Daltrey is 71 years old, is also headlining on Sunday.

In 1994, the oldest performer was Johnny Cash, who was 62 at the time. Beck was the youngest singer, aged 23 when he took to the stage.

Via the Guardian

Shop for these and other rare vinyl records on RareVinyl.com
Got vinyl records or a Record Collection to sell? Sell to Vinyl-Wanted.com

Be the first to comment

We want your comments please!