American singer Beyoncé Knowles headlined the 2011 Glastonbury Festival alongside acts U2 and Coldplay, performing on June 26, 2011 at the Pyramid Stage in Pilton, Somerset, England. She was the first solo Black woman to headline the Pyramid Stage, and became the first solo female artist to headline the festival since Sinéad O'Connor in 1990 (and Kylie Minogue in 2004, who was forced to cancel her performance due to a breast cancer diagnosis). While her festival headline announcement was initially met with skepticism from rock and indie music purists who considered the placement "a little too pop" for the festival, Knowles' performance was immediately met with critical acclaim, heralded by The Daily Telegraph as a "sassy triumph", "career-defining" by Billboard, and by others in the media as a "masterpiece", "killer", and "90 minutes of pure Bey greatness." The performance, which acted as the festival finale, generated over 2.6 million views individually, breaking the record at the time for most television views for a single performance according to BBC.
Production
Background and development
Knowles was inspired by her husband's controversial 2008 Glastonbury performance, which broke ground as the first rap headline in the festival's then 38-year history. It was also mentioned by Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis in an interview that Coldplay lead singer and close friend Chris Martin helped convince Knowles to perform, securing Knowles for the final headline slot. Knowles was announced as the Sunday headliner on February 10, 2011 in Billboard with the following statement: “This really is the biggest festival in the world and I cannot wait to perform there. Everyone who attends is really appreciative of music and is in such a good mood that entire weekend... I’m pumped just thinking about that huge audience and soaking up their energy.”
Leading up to the performance, it was believed by BBC that Knowles and her team had spent three weeks at a London rehearsal studio to prepare, with her Destiny's Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams rumored to appear. Knowles was subsequently announced as a performer on the 2011 BET Awards in the weeks leading up to the Glastonbury performance, and a portion of her performance ("Best Thing I Never Had" and "End of Time") was sent via satellite, airing simultaneously that evening in North America.
Set list
Interviewed by BBC, Knowles mentioned that she sent close friend and co-headliner Chris Martin of Coldplay her set list in advance. “I made sure he approved it." She also reportedly sought advice from co-headliner U2 as well. Later revealed to be secretly pregnant with her first child at the time of the performance, Knowles' appearance was to mainly promote the recent release of her fourth solo studio album "4" as all four pre-released tracks (Lead single "Run The World (Girls)", promotional single "1+1", international second single "Best Thing I Never Had", and leaked song "End of Time") received setlist placements. The following songs were performed:
"Crazy in Love" "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" "Naughty Girl" "Baby Boy" "Happy Birthday" "Best Thing I Never Had" "End of Time" "If I Were a Boy" "Sweet Dreams" "Why Don't You Love Me?" "Love Hangover" "The Beautiful Ones" "Sex on Fire" "1+1" "Irreplaceable" "Independent Women Part I" "Bootylicious" "Bug a Boo" "Telephone" "Say My Name" "Jumpin', Jumpin'" "Survivor" "At Last" "Run the World (Girls)" "Halo"
Notes
Both "Best Thing I Never Had" and "End Of Time" were simultaneously broadcast (via satellite) to the 2011 BET Awards.