GLASTONBURY (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Jay-Z took to the main stage at Glastonbury on Saturday, where he reportedly laid to to rest any doubt that a UK festival-goers are ready for American hip-hop.
Jay-Z's scheduled performance had been a matter of contention for the festival, particularly in light of slow ticket sales. Where in previous years, tickets to the event had sold out almost immediately, tickets for this year's event were available until virtually the last minute and some observers voiced concerns that Jay-Z might be a contributing factor. Some had even feared that the performer might be bottled, as had happened to Grime star Lethal Bizzle at Download earlier this year.
It wasn't just fans in an uproar about the performance. Oasis frontman, and former Glastonbury headliner Noel Gallagher told Reuters that "I'm not having hip-hop at Glastonbury, it's wrong."
This comment in particular appears to have caught Jay-Z's attention as the performer opened his set with a video montage of the Oasis singer that started with Gallagher's comments and then went on to parody him. The video sequed into Jay-Z's accoustic rendition of Oasis' "Wonderwall," before the performer moved onto to a selection of his own hits such as "Hard Knock Life" and "99 Problems."
"My name is Jay-Z and I'm pretty f***ing awesome." Jay-Z told the crowd during his set, to a resounding cheer from fans.
Festival organizer Michael Eavis seemed upbeat about the performance as well, telling the BBC on Sunday that "That was a real triumph to bring hip-hop from the streets of New York to Glastonbury."
Most reviewers were thumbs-up on Jay-Z's gig with the Guardian describing the set as "brilliantly staged, utterly thrilling and it makes Gallagher look a bit of a berk." – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
