NME | Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Pop Culture News
Dave Grohl has spoken out on the cancellation of Glastonbury, claiming that the beleaguered festival will definitely make a return when the coronavirus pandemic subsides.
It comes after Michael and Emily Eavis confirmed that the iconic event will take an enforced fallow year for the second summer in a row, after the 2020 edition of the Somerset event was also called off last March due to COVID-19 concerns.
Grohl, who headlined Glastonbury with Foo Fighters in 2017, told The Telegraph: “I know what Foo Fighters’ plans are for the rest of the year, and some of those plans include live shows.
“And I’ll be there, if it’s safe for everyone to attend. Unfortunately, you have to take that into consideration, no matter how much everyone wants to kick down the front door and run to the nearest rock concert, there are some things that are beyond our control.
“It’s heartbreaking. But of course it’s not the last Glastonbury! I don’t think a pandemic can stop Glastonbury! It might hold it back a little while, but sh–!… I want my kids to see bands at Glastonbury, whenever that show happens again, and it will.”
Announcing the festival’s cancellation last month, the Eavises said: “In spite of our efforts to move Heaven & Earth, it has become clear that we simply will not be able to make the Festival happen this year. We are so sorry to let you all down.
“As with last year, we would like to offer all those who secured a ticket in October 2019 the opportunity to roll their £50 deposit over to next year, and guarantee the chance to buy a ticket for Glastonbury 2022. We are very appreciative of the faith and trust placed in us by those of you with deposits, and we are very confident we can deliver something really special for us all in 2022!”
Speaking to NME last month, festival bosses, gig promoters and scientists also discussed the prospect of live music and festivals returning this summer.
Dr Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health at the University of Southampton, warned that the necessary level of vaccination might not be reached until the end of summer.
“We’d want a bare minimum of 50% of the population to be vaccinated [before festivals can happen], but probably more like 60%,” Dr Head told NME. “That would probably take us towards the end of the summer at around August or September. If you were planning something very large like Glastonbury, I’d probably be waiting until next year for sure.”
Meanwhile, Foo Fighters are releasing their new album ‘Medicine At Midnight’ later this week (February 5), and are launching their own limited-run radio station to celebrate the release.
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