Was Lionel Richie really that amazing at Glastonbury?

29/6/2015

The news is out: Lionel Richie smashed it at Glastonbury, aced it, won it, and various other victorious verbs. I have to say that the whole spectacle though - both the performance and the reaction - has left me scratching my head a bit.

It seems that all the Sunday afternoon heritage act has to do to 'win' Glastonbury is deliver their 70s/80s standards with enthusiasm, and as long as the sun comes out and people know the words then that's that - they win.

To my eyes and ears though, no crowd numbers or singalongs can detract from the fact that Richie's music is and has always been middle-of-the-road wedding reception cheese, the kind I'd dance along to with the aunts for a few minutes before quietly slipping away.

Maybe it's my predilection for thrash metal or 50s rock 'n' roll but Richie's placid soul-pop croonings just drift straight over me, and the novelty factor quickly dissipated. I was there for the whole of Stevie Wonder in 2010 though, who had a bit more spunk and funk in his armoury to deploy - however because Twitter hadn't taken off by then there wasn't the same Richie-factor reaction.

As I watched Lionel repeatedly hollering "Thank you Glaston-Berry!" amid All Night Long and his solo We Are the World - the crowd straining to remember the verses - it all reminded me of an anodyne Heart/MagicFM family roadshow, and that familiar Sunday comedown feeling, trying to rouse yourself for whichever codger is wheelchaired onto the stage that year.

There's always hyperbole afterwards - from Eavis iterating each year "the best one yet" to similar media gushing over Jay-Z 'conquering' Glasto in 2008, completely at odds with the sight of thousands drifting away in apathy after the first track.

I can't help but think that if Kanye West, whose headline designation drew the wraith of thousands of petitioning rockists, had not flopped so badly the night before would Lionel have been elevated to music Messiah status the following day?

"Richie Proves He's The Biggest Rock Star" ran one headline. A sad day for music if revolutionary call-to-arms anthems now include Hello and Three Times a Lady.

So, to all the Richie-lovers out there, tell me how to win your heart, cos I haven't got a clue...

See also: When Joni Mitchell wore blackface for Halloween (BBC)

9 Comments

Paul Wallace link

29/6/2015 01:27:00 am

I feel you've missed the point. Yes it's cheesy, yes it's fluffy heart magic radio friendly but it's the fact he had the Glastonbury crowd, the crowd that love rock and indie, singing along and enjoying it for the cheese it was. Let's not forget he was one artist among hundreds there. He wasn't headlining and it was what it said on the tin. It was Lionel looking and sounding like Lionel. He was giving a captive audience what they want from him and not promoting a new album. It was perfect for an afternoon and I really enjoyed it. Sure, he's better suited to headline a Rewind festival or a fluff FM thing but the point is he really done the job at Glaston-berry. He sounded great and churned out hit after hit. Glastonbury doesn't have to be about the cutting edge all the time. Don't be such a sour puss over something that was obviously a lot of fun. It's one act out of hundreds and the Richie done well. He certainly had me dancing on the ceiling.

Kris G

29/6/2015 02:21:41 am

I don't think I've missed the point, which is that everyone has been raving about Richie blowing the festival into outer space when all he did was a standard Sunday afternoon set, as has been done many times before without the hyperbole afterwards.
"It was Lionel looking and sounding like Lionel" - exactly, that's all it was. But people have said he should've headlined on the back of that - no way! I hate to be a sourpuss but am just sticking my head above the parapet of overreaction.
He was serviceable standard Sunday cheese - not an all-conquering Glasto god. He couldn't even pronounce it properly.

Paul Wallace link

29/6/2015 03:52:00 am

I never said he should've headlined. But here's how I saw it - I watched it live on the telly before anyone took to the social media. I didn't go out my way to watch it, Lionel just happened to be on when I turned on the telly. I can take or leave ol' Lionel, I quite like him but I wouldn't call myself a fan, like buying tickets to see him for example. But here's the thing - we absolutely loved it. For me there was a magic about it and I think the feel good of it just seemed to really grab many viewers and obviously the crowd too. I had to mention on my FB page that I really enjoyed it and I thought his performance was worthy of a nod. It seems I wasn't alone! He really did make an impact. Not to everyone mind, plenty of people like yourself are a bit bewildered by it all. That's nothing new for Glastonbury, and yet that's the beauty of Glastonbury

Chris

2/7/2015 02:10:36 am

Pedantically it's actually pronounced by all the locals as Glars-ton-bry... Or even more pedantically , the pilton pop party ... As for Lionel... He bored me rigid for the 10 mins I watched.

Kris G

2/7/2015 06:44:42 am

Whaddya mean he bored you rigid?
He absolutely smashed it didn't he..?

chris

2/7/2015 07:12:58 am

Maybe for the radio one listeners that usually make up the majority of the crowd for the pyramid stage... I personally watched online 5 or 6 bands that smashed it. Suede and the maccabees being the standout. Suede put more effort and passion into that performance than about half the line up. Maccabees are awesome imo. Could headline the other stage next year easily. Gas coombes was great. Roy Ayres, George Clinton. Even catfish and the bottlemen who I'm neutral on had a good show.

chris

2/7/2015 07:16:44 am

Weller has lost any bite he used to have. Flo and machine are not my thing. The libertines were an abomination. A fucking shambles of a band that were of their time and should have stayed there. Didn't even bother with Kanye. The who were ok. Sleaford mods and slaves were different. Don't like them but I was transfixed.

chris

2/7/2015 07:43:20 am

Oh.. also caribou and future islands. The latter get a bit samey after a while but still good to watch... Quite enjoyed ffs too.

Kris G

3/7/2015 07:25:03 am

Was busy most of last wknd so didn't really watch any of it beyond snippets of the headliners + Rich-tea. Kinda glad I didn't go now, but will most prob try for next year

Was Lionel Richie really that amazing at Glastonbury?

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