Bruce Springsteen is in talks to headline at Glastonbury next year after the deal that was set in place for Madonna to perform on the Pyramid stage, falls through at the last minute.
The rock star is certainly no stranger to setting the crowds alight and his electric three-hour performance at BST Hyde Park last July, proved just that. If Worthy Farm owners Michael and Emily Eavis, who organise the annual summer festival manage to come to an agreement, then Bruce, 74, will join Dua Lipa and Coldplay as the Pyramid stage's headline acts - during the last weekend of June next year.
A source told The Sun: "Bruce has a jam-packed summer schedule but after Michael and Emily failed to secure Madonna, they have been in talks with him. Bruce was sensational at BST Hyde Park and they think he is the perfect booking for Glastonbury.Talks with his team are ongoing and the Eavis’ hope they can come to an agreement. Bruce headlined in 2009 and joined Sir Paul McCartney during his set in 2022 and now he is keen to return with his E Street Band."
The insider added that the organisers know that they need to secure someone with the same amount of legendary status as Madonna and Bruce would undoubtedly be a perfect fit. If an agreement is reached between both camps, that will mean he kicks off the European leg of his world tour in Cardiff on May 5 before heading over the Channel for a series of major performances. His last show before Glastonbury is in Nijmegen, in the Netherlands on Thursday June 27.
He's then back on stage on July 2 playing in Belgium. Earlier this month it was reported that Glastonbury Festival was in a state of panic after talks with Madonna had fallen through over a disagreement of her requested fee. Organisers were hoping they could secure the global superstar for the Sunday night "Legends" slot, but they could not agree to the amount of money the singer wanted to perform. According to a source, Madonna wanted enough money to recreate the set she currently has on her Celebration Tour.
Madonna wears head-to-toe Gucci on family holiday to Malawi for New Year'sAt the time news broke of Madonna pulling out of talks with the festival organisers, Rihanna was being considered to replace the star as a headliner. According to reports, they had originally shown an interest in her last year before it was revealed that she was pregnant. Festival co-organiser Emily said: "I've always been really passionate about gender split [on festival line-ups] and I think, actually, our problem was that I'd been so outspoken about it that having a year when there wasn't a female sent people a bit mad - or some people."
The festival was headlined by Elton John, the Arctic Monkeys and Guns N' Roses this year. During an appearance on Annie Mac and Nick Grimshaw's podcast, Emily previously hinted that a 'really big' female US solo artist had shown interest in performing, which is now clear was meant to be Madonna. She said at the time: "As always, there is much speculation and excitement about who is playing at Glastonbury. We are working on the line-up day and night at the moment, but it's still changing every day."