At Glasto, ‘Kanye an insult to music’ petition gathers steam

LONDON: Glastonbury, one of the world’s biggest music festivals, gets under way Wednesday facing angry criticism from some fans after rapper Kanye West was booked for the prime Saturday night headline slot.

Highlighting the five-day event’s popularity, 150,000 tickets for costing £225 ($360) each sold out in just 26 minutes when they went on sale in October before the line-up at Worthy Farm in Somerset, southwest England, was announced.
In total, 175,000 people will attend Glastonbury, which started in 1970 — when admission was £1, including free milk from the farm — and features hundreds of performances on dozens of stages from the mainstream to the downright bizarre.
But the presence of outspoken “Gold Digger” star West, who is married to reality TV star Kim Kardashian, has sparked controversy at an event known for its hippie roots.
Nearly 135,000 people have signed a petition to get him dropped.
The online petition against West — who has sold over 100 million downloads and albums worldwide and won 21 Grammy Awards, but is often criticized for self-aggrandising comments — says he should be kicked off the bill and replaced by “a rock band.”
“Kanye West is an insult to music fans all over the world,” the petition reads. “We spend hundreds of pounds to attend Glasto (the festival’s nickname), and by doing so, expect a certain level of entertainment.”
Emily Eavis, Glastonbury’s co-organizer and daughter of founder Michael Eavis, said she had even received death threats over the booking, adding the abuse had been “just horrible.”