Beyoncé, one of the most iconic and successful artists in the music industry, has revealed her first tour in seven years in support of her critically acclaimed Renaissance album. The tour, consisting of 43 dates, will start on the 10th of May at Stockholm’s Friends Arena and end on the 27th of September at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome, spanning stadiums in Europe and the UK over the course of spring and summer, with five UK dates scheduled in late May.
The announcement was quick to spark speculation in fans hoping that Beyoncé could possibly return to Worthy Farm to headline the Friday night of Glastonbury 2023. Looking at the current tour schedule, Beyoncé is set to perform in Frankfurt on the 24th of June, which conflicts with Glastonbury’s dates. Although Elton John has been officially announced as the Sunday night Pyramid Stage headliner, the Friday and Saturday headliners have yet to be revealed. The former Destiny’s Child star may reveal further details at this weekend’s 65th Annual Grammy Awards, where she is up for nine awards, including album of the year.
Widely praised as a career-best, the Renaissance album (released on the 29th of July 2022) was commended for its pivot to club styles such as house and disco, as well as for a credits list that highlighted LGBTQ+ Black pioneers such as Honey Dijon, Kevin Aviance, Ts Madison, and Big Freedia. The first and only time Beyoncé ever performed at Glastonbury was back in 2011 when she took to the iconic Pyramid Stage as the Sunday night headliner that year.
Aside from Sir Elton John, who will be taking to the Pyramid Stage on the Sunday night of the Festival, no other acts have yet been confirmed for Glastonbury 2023, although Arctic Monkeys are the top talked-about contenders for headlining the iconic stage on the Friday night. Gabrielle Aplin confirmed she will be playing the Avalon Stage at Glastonbury this summer, while Becky Hill, however, didn’t quite self-confirm but did hint at a possible Worthy Farm performance this June. Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan also appears to have confirmed the band playing Glastonbury this year after saying on his radio show that “Glastonbury is gonna be iconic”.
Moreover, Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ Flea got fans pondering about Glastonbury after retweeting a sketch of the Pyramid Stage created by renowned artist Stanley Donwood. While other acts rumored for playing the Festival and the Legends Slot include Stevie Nicks, Robbie Williams, and Bon Jovi (whose guitarist Richie Sambora recently teased the “possibility” of the band playing at Glastonbury 2023), as well as Roxy Music.
To summarise, the music industry is eagerly anticipating the Renaissance world tour of the iconic Beyoncé, which includes five nights in the UK in late May. With Glastonbury 2023 fast approaching, fans are eagerly waiting for announcements of the remaining headliners, with many rumors circulating around the music industry. Fans are keeping their fingers crossed that Beyoncé will make an appearance at the iconic festival, but it seems unlikely due to conflicting dates. Nevertheless, music lovers all over the world are excited to see what Glastonbury 2023 has in store.
