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Ed Sheeran: how he rose from Glastonbury's smallest stage to headlining the Pyramid in six years
Headlining the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury is the gig that all bands dream of. As this year’s three headliners prepare to take to music’s most recognisable stage, James Hall examines their Glastonbury journeys to date.
2011
The Suffolk troubadour starts his Glastonbury journey at the very bottom of the pecking order, with a set in the tiny Croissant Neuf cabaret tent in the Green Fields, sharing a bill with bands including The Lancashire Hotpots and Biggles Wartime band. This year he also appears on the BBC Introducing stage.
2014
Sheeran graduates quickly. He plays the Pyramid stage on the Sunday afternoon after Dolly Parton. The footage of him performing Sing shows just how good he is at whipping up the crowd.
2015
The singer is forced to deny that he will headline Glastonbury in 2016. “The next festival I do will be headlining Glastonbury,” Sheeran says, “But it won’t be next year.” He explains that he wants to have at least three of four albums out before he does it.
Ed Sheeran: the stories behind his best songs
2017
It was three. After the release of his third album, ÷, Sheeran announces that he’ll headline Glastonbury this summer. In closing the festival on the Sunday night, he follows in the footsteps of — in recent years — Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder, The Who and Coldplay, among others.
The big questions are, can one man armed with just an acoustic guitar and loops pedal command one of the world’s greatest stages? Yes, he played three nights at Wembley Stadium a few years ago but this is a bigger deal.
Who will he bring out as guests? Grime star Stormzy, with whom he performed at this year’s Brits, is playing the Other Stage the night before, so he’s a likely contender.
And how will Sheeran’s rendition of Galway Girl – phenomenally popular but utterly cheesy – go down with the Glastonbury faithful? In some ways his Sunday night slot works in Sheeran’s favour. People are exhausted after five days of hedonism and, possibly, mud. And so a hit-filled set full of singalongs is just what they’re after. And this is precisely what Sheeran will deliver.
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