US rock legend in advanced talks for Glastonbury after Madonna deal falls through
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN is in talks to perform at Glasto after Madonna pulled out of the running, we can reveal.
The Born To Run singer left crowds at BST Hyde Park agog after an epic three-hour gig during his headline set in July.
And the Boss is gearing up for yet another mammoth performance at Worthy Farm.
If organisers Michael and Emily Eavis manage to come to an agreement with Bruce, he will be joining Dua Lipa and Coldplay as the Pyramid Stage’s headliners in Somerset on the last weekend of June.
A source said: “Bruce has a jam-packed summer schedule but after Michael and Emily failed to secure Madonna, they have been in talks with him.
“Bruce was sensational at BST Hyde Park and they think he is the perfect booking for Glastonbury.
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“Talks with his team are ongoing and the Eavis’ hope they can come to an agreement.
“Bruce headlined in 2009 and joined Sir Paul McCartney during his set in 2022 and now he is keen to return with his E Street Band.
“The organisers know they need to book someone with the same legendary status and gravitas as Madge, and Bruce would be ideal.”
We revealed Dua and Coldplay’s bookings at Glastonbury earlier this year, and told how Madonna had entered negotiations for the festival.
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Insiders said issues about the cost of her performance — which would have no doubt been astronomical — was the reason Madonna’s contract never got signed.
Let’s just hope Bruce is a little cheaper.
If he does pull through and save the Eavis’ a headache, it will be a whirlwind trip for Bruce.
He kicks off the European leg of his world tour in Cardiff on May 5 before heading over the Channel for a series of big gigs.
Bruce’s last show before Glastonbury is in Nijmegen in the Netherlands on Thursday June 27 and he isn’t back on stage again until Tuesday July 2, when he is set to play in Werchter, Belgium, that night.
In our eyes, that’s plenty of time to stop off in Pilton, perform, and even have a quick pint in the mud.
We will hopefully see you there in June, Bruce.
GLASTONBURY’S secret Rabbit Hole hideaway venue is no more.
Over the years, Bizarre has partied with Brad Pitt, Victoria and David Beckham and Holly Willoughby in the hidden area, which is notoriously hard to get into.
Punters often queued for hours and tried to bribe door staff with carrots to access the ridiculously quirky bar, which is run by a man dressed up as a rabbit.
We once watched Doctor Who’s Matt Smith get covered in beer there while hanging out with Noel Gallagher.
There have been countless drunken encounters with VIPs including Prince Harry, Princess Eugenie, Sienna Miller, Kate Moss, Rita Ora and Cara Delevingne.
But organisers have announced it won’t be back for 2024.
Time for the celebs to find a new favourite haunt.
Rihana's purple patch
RIHANNA proved she can look good in pretty much anything as she gushed about how much hotter her partner A$AP Rocky is now that he’s a dad.
She wore an eclectic outfit that included a purple faux fur jacket, baggy jeans and a chunky necklace for her latest Fenty x Puma trainer launch in Los Angeles.
Rihanna talked about her whirlwind year, which included becoming a mum for a second time in August.
She said of her rapper boyfriend: “I love him differently as a dad.
“It’s a turn-on.”
She also opened up about revealing she was pregnant at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in February, and told Access Hollywood: “My jumper couldn’t zip up.
“No one knew I was pregnant.
“I just told my stylist, ‘Make sure it’s stretchy’, so the under armour was stretchy and this was baggy.
“But the zip just stopped right there, so it had to be what it had to be.”
Jen out of the frown
JENNIFER LAWRENCE is clearly ready to finish work for the year as she struggled to raise even a smile while out in New York.
She wore a festive red coat to attend the opening night of the Broadway show Appropriate on Monday evening – and looked like the last thing she wanted to do was pose for snaps on the red carpet.
The dark comedy stars Elle Fanning and Sarah Paulson, so at least Jennifer can live in the knowledge she won’t have to be up on stage every night like them.
The Hunger Games actress has been laying low again, despite only recently returning from an acting hiatus.
But with a young son at home, we can’t blame her for wanting to get out of Hollywood for a while.
Celine ‘not in control’ of muscles
CELINE DION’s sister has given a heartbreaking update on the singer’s health, revealing she no longer has “control over her muscles”.
The My Heart Will Go On star told last year that she had been diagnosed with a debilitating and incurable disorder called Stiff Person Syndrome, and now it sounds like it may have put an end to her time on stage for good.
Her sister Claudette said: “She doesn’t have control over her muscles.
“What breaks my heart is that she’s always been disciplined.
“She’s always worked hard.
“Our mother always told her, ‘You’re going to do it well, you’re going to do it properly’.”
In May, Celine, who is having treatment in Las Vegas, axed her delayed world tour.
Claudette added: “In both our dreams and hers, the goal is to return to the stage.
“In what capacity? I don’t know.”
Legal threat ko'd Sam vid
WIZZARD’s Roy Wood proved himself a real Scrooge by threatening to take legal action against Sam Ryder for dressing up as him in a video.
We told last Friday how Sam had impersonated Roy in the promo for his new single You’re Christmas To Me, but had to scrap it under mysterious circumstances.
Now he has come clean and admitted that I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday singer Roy was furious with the idea.
Sam shared, and quickly deleted, a snippet from the axed video on Instagram and wrote: “Our Christmas present to you: The music video you’ll probably never see because we’d get sued.
“Love you Roy Wood, still think you’re a legend.”
What about it being the season of goodwill and all that?
In cryptic quotes about it last week, Sam had teased: “All I can say is, no one will ever see it, because of reasons beyond our control.
“But there is another video coming that we had to do very last-minute.
“It’s a damage-control video.”
The parody visuals could have been just what Sam needed, as he is falling behind in the race for the Christmas No1.
The latest chart figures last night showed that Wham!’s Last Christmas has sold 32,435 copies since Friday, while Sam’s festive offering, which is exclusive to Amazon Music, is at No2 with sales of 28,288.
But with the race continuing until 11.59pm tomorrow, it is all to play for.
Ellie turns teacher at old college
ELLIE GOULDING secretly visited her old college to help mentor two bands.
She attended Hereford Sixth Form College from 2000 to 2005 before releasing her debut single Under The Sheets in 2009.
A source said: “It was all very low key, Ellie wanted to go back to her roots to help nurture up-and-coming talent.
"The bands, Dead On Arrival and Crush, had the opportunity to perform original and cover songs for her before she hosted a small talk and Q&A session.”
Since releasing her debut album Lights, she has gone on to sell 27million albums and has four No1s.
Ellie’s trip was part of her upcoming guest edit on Radio 4’s Today Programme, which is due to air on December 28, and will also see the star talk about climate change, a topic close to her heart.
Lew companies worth £5m
LEWIS CAPALDI is going into 2024 with his companies worth more than £5million combined.
The Someone You Loved singer has got £3.8million in his main music firm, Face Like Thunder Ltd, which is up £1.6million from £2.2million.
And Lewis’ live show company, Face Like Thunder Touring, also has £1.3million.
It is welcome news for Lew, who took a break from music earlier this year after struggling with his mental health.
Well done, Lewis.
You deserve every penny that’s come your way.
Madonna late 'sorry'
MADONNA broke the habit of a lifetime and apologised for her late arrival on stage.
She briefly halted her show in Washington D.C. to say sorry, only to backtrack.
Madge, who has been taking her time before heading on stage lately, said: “Are you guys tired? I’m sorry I’m late . . . but I’m not sorry I’m late.
“It wouldn’t be me if I was sorry I’m late, but I’m f***ing happy to be here. How about that?”
No one goes with the Flo
FLORENCE PUGH may be one of the most in-demand screen stars in the UK but she still struggles to get pals to celebrate her birthday with her.
The actress, who will turn 28 on January 3, said: “It’s the worst birthday in the world. It’s so bad.
“No one wants to get you anything because you have no money. . . No one wants to come out, they want to stay in.”
She added to Nick Grimshaw on the Dish by Waitrose podcast: “You couldn’t come to my one last year. . . I think you were busy or something.”
THE first pictures of the stage at next year’s Eurovision Song Contest have been revealed, proving it will be a spectacular platform for futuristic performances.
The cross-shaped stage will be in the centre of the venue for the first time, meaning acts can perform to fans all around them.
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It has been put together by the creative team behind Beyonce’s critically acclaimed Renaissance tour this summer, as well as ABBA Voyage in East London.
The contest will take place at Malmo Arena in Sweden on May 11, where Olly Alexander will represent the UK.