Brian May explains why Queen will never play Glastonbury

Don't expect to see them at Worthy Farm

Queen legend Brian May
Author: Scott ColothanPublished 27th Jan 2023

Guitar legend Brian May has once again confirmed that Queen + Adam Lambert will never perform at Glastonbury.

Queen have never stepped foot on Worthy Farm in Somerset as Brian May is strongly opposed to badger culling, and in 2018 he called Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis “a danger to farming.”

Dairy farmer Michael Eavis had previously stated he was in favour of the badger cull "in certain circumstances" when there is a potential “heavy loss of dairy cattle".

Appearing the red carpet at the premiere of Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios: Cabinet Of Curiosities at London’s Royal Albert Hall recently, Brian May was asked whether Queen + Adam Lambert would play Glastonbury 2023.

Emphatic in his response, May said: “Would I ever do it? No. As the man who runs it advocates killing badgers for no good reason and I could never level with that.

The Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury

“Have they tried to book us? I think the feeling is mutual so I think they understand how I feel.”

The comments echo in an interview with the BBC in 2019, when May said: “We won’t (play Glastonbury) and there are a lot of reasons for that.

“One of them is that Michael Eavis has frequently insulted me, and I don’t particularly enjoy that. What bothers me more is that he’s in favour of the badger cull, which I regard as a tragedy and an unnecessary crime against wildlife.

“There’s a little bit of a schism there, I wouldn’t do Glastonbury. Unless things changed radically.”

Six months prior to May’s comments, Michel Eavis told the BBC that Queen are “not quite” Glastonbury’s “thing.”

Asked if the badger culling issue was a reason why Queen wouldn’t appear on the line-up, Eavis said: “Not really but it does have a bearing on it. I have to say, it does have a bearing on it.”

Brian May at a badger cull protest in 2016

Sir Elton John is the only confirmed headliner for this year’s event in what will be his last ever UK show on the Sunday night.

Duff McKagan seemingly let slip that Guns N’ Roses are playing Glastonbury in an interview with an American radio station earlier this month.

Freddie Mercury's life in pictures:

Freddie Mercury's early years

Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Stone Town in the British protectorate of Zanzibar on 5th September 1946. Here's Freddie as a baby. His parents, Bomi (1908–2003) and Jer Bulsara (1922–2016) were from western India.

Freddie Mercury's childhood

Freddie Mercury spent much of his childhood in India and attended St. Peter's School from the age of 8. Pictured is Freddie at St Peter's in 1958.

Freddie Mercury's childhood home

In 1964, Freddie Mercury and his family fled to England from Zanzibar to escape the violence of the revolution. They lived at two properties in Feltham, Middlesex before eventually settling at 22 Gladstone Avenue. Pictured is Brian May and Freddie's sister Kashmira Cooke at the property when a blue plaque was unveiled in September 2016.

Freddie Mercury at Ealing Art College

Freddie at Ealing Art College in London in 1969. He earned a diploma in Art and Graphic Design.

Freddie Mercury in 1969

Freddie Mercury in Kensington, West London in August 1969. Prior to fame he worked as a market stall trader in the now-demolished Kensington Market in London.

Freddie Mercury with band Ibex

Freddie Mercury (left) on the road in St Helens, Merseyside with the short-lived Liverpool band Ibex. When they failed to take off, he joined another band called Sour Milk Sea but by early 1970 they had split too

Freddie Mercury in early 1970s

Although famously shy, Freddie Mercury was an extrovert on stage. Here he is wearing a typically flamboyant outfit on stage in the early 1970s

Queen in 1973

Queen's Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor, Brian May and John Deacon photoshoot in London in 1973.

Freddie Mercury in 1973

Freddie Mercury in 1973.

Freddie Mercury in rehearsals

Freddie Mercury rehearses for Queen's first major tour on 9th July 1973

Freddie Mercury in London in 1973

Freddie Mercury in London in August 1973.

Queen accept gold disc for debut album

Queen are presented with a gold disc for their eponymous debut album 'Queen' in Tokyo, 1974

Queen in 1974

Queen arrive back from their successful Australian tour in 1974.

Freddie Mercury in 1976

Freddie Mercury at Heathrow airport in January 1976 ahead of Queen's USA tour

Queen before receiving British Phonographic Institute awards

Queen in London, September 1976, to receive a British Phonographic Institute Platinum, Gold and Silver award for record sales.

Freddie Mercury at Madison Square Garden in 1977

Freddie Mercury in his imperious live prime at Madison Square Garden in January 1977.

Queen at Earls Court in 1977

Queen at Earls Court in London, June 1977.

Queen in 1978.

Queen looking cool in 1978.

Freddie Mercury in Paris in 1979

Freddie Mercury in his element, live in Paris in 1979.

Freddie Mercury in California in 1982

Freddie Mercury performing live in Oakland, California in 1982.

Freddie Mercury at Live Aid in 1985

Freddie Mercury during Queen's legendary Live Aid performance at Wembley in 1985. It's widely regarded as one of the finest concert performances of all time.

Freddie Mercury at Live Aid with Paul McCartney, Bono and David Bowie

Freddie Mercury performing with Paul McCartney, Bono, David Bowie and more at Live Aid, 1985.

Freddie Mercury in Sydney in 1985

Freddie Mercury on stage in Sydney in 1985.

Queen in 1985

Queen pose for a portrait in 1985.

Freddie Mercury and Anita Dobson in 1988

Freddie Mercury with Brian May's second wife Anita Dobson in 1988.

Freddie Mercury and Monserrat Caballe in 1988

Freddie and Monserrat Caballe perform 'Barcelona' at Barcelona's Montjuich park, to celebrate the arrival of the Olympic flag from Seoul, October 1988

Queen in 1989

Queen pose together in smart attire in 1989.

Queen at The BRIT Awards 1990

Freddie Mercury's appearance at The BRIT Awards in February 1990 was his last public appearance.

Flowers left outside Freddie's home after his death

Fans leave flowers outside Freddie's London home on 24th November 1991 – the day of his untimely death aged 45.

Freddie Mercury statue in Montreux

The iconic Freddie Mercury statue overlooking Lake Geneva in Montreux. Standing three metres high, the Irena Sedlecka sculpture was unveiled five years after Freddie's death by Montserrat Caballé and Freddie's mother Jer.

Freddie Mercury exhibition at Sotheby's

In 2023 Freddie Mercury's closest friend Mary Austin (to whom Freddie left half of his ÂŁ75 million estate) announced that she was finally selling his life's possessions, which had been stored in his Kensington mansion since his death. Before the auction, Sotheby's displayed the 1,500 items at an exhibition in London, with members of the public able to view Freddie's outfits, artworks, lyric sheets, instruments, furniture and more.

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