Who is playing the Glastonbury 2023 legends slot and who has done it before?-Kitty Chrisp-Entertainment – Metro

Yusuf / Cat Stevens will be performing in the legend’s slot at Glastonbury 2023 and we cannot wait (Picture: Frank Hoensch/Redferns)

The legends – or Sunday legend – slot at Glastonbury is perhaps the most prestigious few hours on the festival calendar.

The Worthy Farm event will be getting underway this coming week from June 20 with a dazzling array of performances to look forward to until it wraps up for another year on Sunday, June 25.

The old saying, ‘Save the best until last,’ definitely applies here, as Sunday will see one (or two…) very special legend(s) take to the stage at around teatime.

Not to say the rest of the festival isn’t chock-a-block with incredible icons, from Arctic Monkeys, to Guns N’ Roses, and Elton John, who is headlining on the Sunday night from 9pm.

And that’s before we get into the likes of Lizzo and Lana Del Ray, who are all playing sets at the legendary event.

The Somerset region has hosted the historic festival since 1970 when only 1,500 people attended.

This year, 210,000 people will be donning their wellies and grabbing their sunnies for the sold-out event.

The icon is known for hits Wild World and Father and Son (Picture: Frank Hoensch/Redferns)

The Sunday legend slot was first coined when famous crooner Tony Bennett took to the stage in between more alternative performers, and thus a tradition was born.

And so a long line of legends ended up entertaining the crowds – and latterly the whole nation on the BBC – for the prestigious slot every year.

Who is playing the Glastonbury 2023 legends slot?

Every year, the legend’s slot is at tea-time on the final day of the festival, and they always perform on the Pyramid Stage.

This year, Wild World and Father and Son singer Yusuf (formerly known as Cat Stevens) is going to be filling the legends slot.

The star will be on from 15.15 to 16.30, and it’s sure to be a big crowd.

Not only that, but Yusuf will be followed shortly after by Heart Of Glass hitmakers Blondie, in a double legends whammy, never seen before.

The girl band are also behind the classic hits such as One Way Or Another and Call Me.

If that’s not a legendary legends slot, we don’t know what is.

Deborah Harry of Blondie will be rocking out for a legends slot double whammy (Picture: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Coachella)

Elton John will be performing his last ever live show after Blondie and Yusuf (Picture: Cameron Smith/Getty Images)

The pair will be followed by Lil Nas X, and the festival will end on a high (and a cry!) with Elton John’s final ever live performance.

Asked how he feels about the upcoming performance, Yusuf told NME: ‘I’m petrified, obviously! I haven’t done a big gig like that in a long time.

When told the slot usually attracts a crowd of over 195,000 people, he replied: ‘There we are.’

He added: ‘It’s teatime on a Sunday, when everyone has spare time to see whoever is on. That’s why I’m a little bit scared.

‘But something usually helps you when those challenges are there to be met. I think I’ll get that help, and Glastonbury will be a very important moment in my career.”

‘It took me time to say yes to the offer, but it’s a bucket list moment. A lot of people would like to see me live, and this is one big go when they can do that.

‘For me, I could have done it years ago, but I took that long sabbatical in my life.’

Who else has performed in the legends slot before?

After Tony Bennet’s legendary performance, Al Green sang his socks off the following year in 1999.

Then, the legen’s slot was graced by Willie Nelson with his famous heartfelt track, You Were Always On My Mind.

Soul legend Isaac Hayes filled the slot in 2002, while the year after the Godfather of Soul James Brown performed his epic songs, I Got You, It’s Man’s Man’s World, and Get Up Offa That Thing, for an enthusiastic crowd.

It’s thought Tony Bennett’s 1998 performance is what kicked off the legends slot (Picture: Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images)

Wouldn’t It Be Nice if the lead singer of the Beach Boys Brian Wilson was asked to perform the slot in 2005 (he was, and he did).

Then came the first woman to rock the slot with Dame Shirley Bassey in 2007 and her epic hit Big Spender.

Neil Diamond put in a truly memorable performance back in 2008, while everyone’s favourite Welsh crooner Tom Jones gave it his all the year after.

The Kinks’ Ray Davies played their greatest tracks like Waterloo Sunset and Sunny Afternoon to a happy crowd as the sun went down in 2010 (and it was sunny, phew).

You Can Call Me Al hitmaker Paul Simon put a spring in the crowd’s step in 2011, and the year after came Kenny Rogers.

Kylie Minogue gave the performance of a lifetime during the teatime slot in 2019 (Picture: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

Diana Ross performed last year’s legends set and she blew us away (Picture: Jim Dyson/Getty Images)

Dolly Parton (finally, another woman) absolutely rocked the crowd in 2014 with her toe-tapping country classics, like Jolene and Here You Come Again.

Lionel Richie took the slot the year after Dolly with his track All Night Long – though he did leave after his allotted time – and Electric Light Orchestra’s Jeff Lynne got a fabulous response in 2016 with his spirited hit Mr Blue Sky.

The last member of the The Bee Gees, Barry Gibb, performed in 2017, and the legend that is Kylie Minogue took to the stage in 2018 for a truly memorable night of the best of pop.

She amounted the most viewers ever for her set, in which she was also joined by Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Nick Cave.

With Covid-19 halting the festival from 2020 for two years, the next – and most recent – icon to take up the legends slot was Diana Ross in 2022.

Roll on this year.

Catch Glastonbury coverage on BBC and iPlayer.

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