Opinions are sharply divided following Lana Del Rey’s performance at Glastonbury in the UK, where she was abruptly cut off the stage for exceeding her allotted time. The incident has sparked a fierce debate online.
Now, being escorted off stage for surpassing the time limit may not be the epitome of rock and roll, but most festivals have strict curfew regulations in place, and Glastonbury is no exception.
However, it’s worth noting that Lana was the headline act on this stage, so her extended performance wasn’t causing another artist to miss out on their set.
Some of the issues at hand seem to stem from Lana herself, as the singer took the stage over half an hour late, offering apologies to her fans and attributing the delay to her time-consuming hair routine.
While that may be understandable for the thousands who had gathered to see her headline the Other Stage on Saturday (24 June), it forced Lana to rush through her set, even remarking at one point that she was “about to rush this set to death.”
She had to omit several songs along the way, until the power was abruptly cut, leaving her without a working microphone and several of her biggest hits left unplayed.
In the end, she apologized profusely, expressing that she was “super f***ing sorry” to her fans. She even attempted to perform without a mic, standing directly in front of the front-row fans.
Security personnel then appeared to escort her off stage, much to the lasting disappointment of the fans who had endured all the chaos.
All of this is because Glastonbury, like many other major festivals, has strict curfew regulations, and exceeding the allotted time can have consequences for the festival’s relationship with the local council.
In any case, it’s safe to say that fans and fellow artists have differing opinions on the matter.
Muse lead singer Matt Bellamy labeled it “insanity,” and one review described it as a “disastrous conclusion to the night.”
On the other hand, one fan commented, “Lana Del Rey being late and having to end her set early because she was getting her hair done in a big beauty queen style is exactly what I’d expect from her (complimentary).”
Another fan wrote, “Lana Del Rey, you may have been late, they may have cut you off, but you will go down in legend. 5 stars out of 5.”
However, not everyone was impressed. One disgruntled fan vented, “Lana Del Rey showing up 30 minutes late after having the entire day to do her hair is pathetic. People paid £400 for tickets, and some of the artists couldn’t care less.”
Another critic expressed, “Can we talk about how unprofessional Lana Del Rey is? We were discussing Frank Ocean’s lateness, but she’s always doing the same.”
A third person added, “No one is exempt from the curfew, and using your hair routine as an excuse is pathetic. She let down her fans, arrogantly thinking they wouldn’t cut her mic and music off.”
What are your thoughts?
