Beyonce brings touch of glamour to muddy festival
Some of the headliners last night included Leftfield, Irish act The Script and GlasVegas.
The biggest draws were New York rockers The Strokes, and Will.I.Am’s outfit, the Black Eyed Peas.
Tonight’s headliners include Paolo Nutini, Arctic Monkeys and Foo Fighters.
Tomorrow, the festival’s Main Stage will play host to acts as diverse as the Rubber Bandits, Slash from Guns’n’Roses and Coldplay.
The greatest welcome, however, will surely be reserved for Beyonce, whom many judged to have outshone U2 at their first Glastonbury appearance in June.
Beyonce has sold over 75,000 million albums and won 16 Grammys. Her husband Jay-Z’s headline slot at Oxegen last year was widely acclaimed, and the feeling was obviously reciprocated, as he described the crowd as “the wildest I’ve ever seen”.
While Beyonce was present to watch Jay-Z last year, it is not known if Jay-Z will turn up to watch his wife tomorrow night. Beyonce will take to the Main Stage at 8.25pm.
As many as 85,000 music lovers arrived at Oxegen in the past few days, most of them teenagers attending what is for them the highlight of the summer gig season.
Around 20,000 are thought to have arrived on Thursday to set their tents up early. It was a decision many may have regretted, as it poured rain throughout the night.
The forecast for the rest of the weekend is mixed, but no one seems much bothered. Indeed, the prospect of rain seems to contribute greatly to the unique fashion combinations associated with Oxegen. Among those favoured by the girls in previous years were floral wellies with cut-off shorts and football jerseys, while the boys have worn everything from mankinis to one-piece bodysuits.
Yesterday’s attire seemed more restrained than previous years, but inhibitions will surely loosen as the weekend progresses. To help festival goers stay in fashion, Penney’s have opened an on-site store, POP.
Over 120 acts will perform on the festival’s Main, Vodaphone, Heineken Green Spheres, 2FM Hotpress Academy and Electric Ballroom stages over the weekend. Other activities include the Silent Disco, funfairs and Propaganda DJ sets.
This year’s Oxegen festival is the eighth. In 2008 and 2009, it was voted the Best Overseas Festival at the UK Festival Awards. And in 2010 won the Best Line-up category at the European Festival Awards.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
