Glastonbury has reportedly been left in crisis after talks with another potential headliner – megastar Stevie Wonder – collapsed.
The legendary musician, 73, who last appeared at the festival in 2010, had been offered the Sunday night headline slot by festival organizer Emily Eavis, and the star was even added to a draft line-up poster .
However, it has been reported by Sun that negotiations between the festival and the Isn’t She Lovely singer’s team collapsed amid conflicting schedules.
Stevie is about to schedule summer show dates, which meant he couldn’t commit to the Sunday schedule.
It is the third disappointment for Glastonbury after talks with Madonna and Stevie Nicks also failed, leaving a huge void on the big festival’s line-up.
Glastonbury was left in crisis after talks with a second potential headliner – megastar Stevie Wonder – collapsed, The Sun has revealed.
Festival organizer Emily Eavis had offered the legendary musician, 73, who last appeared at the festival in 2010, the Sunday night headline slot.
Of the failed negotiations with Stevie, a source told the publication: ‘The atmosphere behind the scenes is, to say the least, tense. Emily is desperate to achieve another top-notch lineup, but right now, wherever she goes, there are problems.
The source added that Emily is working hard to deliver for music fans, and while she’s hopeful that Stevie’s team can be convinced, “it’s not looking good.”
Coldplay and Dua Lipa are rumored to take to the stage at Worthy Farm in Somerset, as headliners on Friday and Saturday at the festival from June 26-30.
Before talks with Stevie fell apart, a source said Sun: ‘Stevie’s team have been working on a big tour and Glastonbury is something they want to see happen.
‘The last time he performed there was in 2010, when it was Glastonbury’s 40th birthday, and the American soul legend’s set went down a storm. Getting him back on the farm is something organizers Michael Eavis and his daughter Emily are keen to achieve and will move heaven and earth to get Stevie in the line-up.
“Stevie’s team is working on their dates now and we hope to have everything solidified in the coming days.”
It comes after sOur sources previously revealed that talks with Madonna collapsed after organizers refused to pay the fee to bring her live show to the festival.
A Glastonbury source told The Mail on Sunday at the time: “To be honest, it’s been a real blow not being able to do a deal with Madonna.”
Of the failed negotiations with Stevie, a source told the publication: “The atmosphere behind the scenes is tense, to say the least.”
It comes after sources previously revealed that talks with Madonna collapsed after organizers refused to pay the fee to bring her live show to the festival (Madonna performs on the first night of her ‘Celebration Tour’ at the O2 London Arena).
‘Emily was very interested in me playing the legend slot machine. After seeing Madonna’s tour in London in October, she raved about her on Instagram, something she rarely does without Glastonbury in mind.
“But everyone knows that after last year and the criticism about gender balance, we have to have big-name women leading the line-up. Dua Lipa is a real catch. Now we need another one.
“There is still hope that he will be resurrected, but it is quite unlikely.” There are money problems at the root of this, it’s a real shame.”
Bosses then tried to bring in Fleetwood Mac icon Stevie Nicks, but she was then signed for the BST festival in London’s Hyde Park.
Coldplay are said to be vying to headline on Saturday. They have headlined four times before: in 2002, 2005, 2011 and 2016.
Glastonbury bosses have been accused of choosing too many male acts to headline. Last year the line-up was exclusively male, with Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses and Sir Elton John occupying the top spots.
British singing sensation Dua is said to be under consideration for Friday’s headline act, although the official line-up is yet to be confirmed.
Earlier this year, Dua became embroiled in controversy after failing to join Sir Elton John on stage at Glastonbury for their duet Cold Heart.
If he accepts, Stevie will join rumored artists Coldplay and Dua Lipa (pictured) as the three headliners of the June 26-30 festival.
Fans claimed there must have been a fight between the couple, although Dua insisted she was just working in New York.
Referring to the lack of female headliners, Emily previously said: “I’ve always been passionate about the gender divide (in festival lineups) and I think actually our problem was that I’d been so outspoken about it that having a The year when there was no woman made people, or some people, a little angry.
‘And we had a woman; she retired and we replaced her with Guns N’ Roses. But everyone knows she’s at the top of my list.
‘It’s difficult with female artists because there aren’t enough headliners. But we are also creating them. We’re putting female bands and artists on smaller stages and having them play all the time. And who knows? Next year we could have two. And I can certainly say that the Legend is feminine.’
Last year, revelers were treated to the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses and Elton John, who played his final UK gig at the Pyramid Stag to close the 2023 edition of the festival.
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