This years Glastonbury saw one of the most pop-influenced line-ups in the history of the festival. U2, Coldplay and Beyoncé were chosen by as headliners, notable for their mainstream popularity. For some, it was the last nail in the coffin, burying the festival six feet under commercialization; for others, it’s opened the weekend up to a shed load of new fans.
U2 were one of the big talking points of the weekend. Having been replaced last year by a disappointing and subdued Gorillaz, the band had a lot of expectation on their shoulders. Their two hour set split the crowd, but for a band that is both loved and hated in equal measure, it only seemed to reinforce existing views. For those not partial to a bit of Bono and the gang, the headline on the John Peel stage, DJ Shadow, proved a blinding alternative. It was never going to be easy for a DJ to put on a visual show good enough to rival one of the biggest bands in the world, especially when it’s just one bloke and his decks. But DJ Shadow managed it, by hovering above the stage in a gigantic rotating hollowed-out egg, covered in TV screens. DJ Shadow blew the surprisingly large crowd away; with a visual show unlike any other at Glastonbury, complete with trippy images of eyes, landscapes and general mental patterns. Combined with a blistering set of hip-hop and techno, those watching in the John Peel tent were comforted with the fact that they chose one of the most impressive headliners of the weekend.
Saturday night saw Coldplay headlining the Pyramid Stage. Not known for their street cred, Coldplay were perhaps the act that most people seemed least bothered about. But if Coldplay’s set taught us anything, it’s that it doesn’t matter if the hipster crowd thinks you’re cool; you can still headline the biggest festival in the world in very impressive style. Classics like 'Yellow', 'In My Place' and the wonderful 'Shiver' were made for massive festival stages. New songs were also showcased, some of which were slightly underwhelming – the whiny 'Hurts Like Heaven' being the point in case here – but it didn’t matter in the context of the rest of the set, as Coldplay reminded the crowd how many good songs they’ve actually written over the years. And although Chris Martin’s flouncing around the stage may have proved too much for some, the actual quality of the music made up for it, although opening the set with fireworks and a spectacular light show did help a lot. The crowd helped Martin along with every word of 'The Scientist', 'Clocks' and 'Fix You', justifying Coldplay’s three Glastonbury appearances in nine years.
But the headlining crown goes to Beyoncé for her Sunday night performance. Her performance came without the controversy of husband Jay Z’s Glastonbury set, but with speculation over what to expect from Sasha Fierce. Turns out what we should have expected was a gold glittery jacket, big hair, big voice and big fireworks, and a lot of (if slightly too much at times) crowd interaction. As always, Beyoncé’s vocals were outstanding. The set lost a bit of its power halfway through with some fairly forgettable new songs, especially a cringe-worthy ballad off new album 4, but she regained the crowd’s attention with a medley of Destiny’s Child’s songs including 'Survivor' and 'Say My Name'. It was what the crowd had been waiting for, apart from perhaps a non-existent appearance from Jay Z. The only real low point was an appearance from Massive Attack’s Tricky on 'Baby Boy' – only singing about three inaudible lines, its hard to work out what the point of his being there was. But otherwise, from 'Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)' where Beyoncé instructed the female members of the audience to ‘put your hand in your man’s face’, to the impressive cover of Etta James’ 'At Last', from the sleek choreography to the all female backing band, Beyoncé showed Britain the true meaning of the word superstar.
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U2 were one of the big talking points of the weekend. Having been replaced last year by a disappointing and subdued Gorillaz, the band had a lot of expectation on their shoulders. Their two hour set split the crowd, but for a band that is both loved and hated in equal measure, it only seemed to reinforce existing views. For those not partial to a bit of Bono and the gang, the headline on the John Peel stage, DJ Shadow, proved a blinding alternative. It was never going to be easy for a DJ to put on a visual show good enough to rival one of the biggest bands in the world, especially when it’s just one bloke and his decks. But DJ Shadow managed it, by hovering above the stage in a gigantic rotating hollowed-out egg, covered in TV screens. DJ Shadow blew the surprisingly large crowd away; with a visual show unlike any other at Glastonbury, complete with trippy images of eyes, landscapes and general mental patterns. Combined with a blistering set of hip-hop and techno, those watching in the John Peel tent were comforted with the fact that they chose one of the most impressive headliners of the weekend. 
