Glastonbury festival boss Michael Eavis has revealed Metallica have been trying to get on the bill for years – and he's suggested they only managed this year because Prince pulled out.
Lars Ulrich and co courted controversy when it was confirmed they’d play at Worthy Farm this weekend – and the drummer later lashed back at smaller bands who have criticised their appearance.
Now Eavis tells the Guardian: “Metallica have been trying to play for so long. They ring every year and they’re so polite about it. ‘We’d love to be there; we’re getting older – can we play it now?’ That sort of thing.”
And he admits he’s going to miss Dexys Midnight Runners so he can watch the thrash giants’ set, saying: “I’d love to see Dexys this year but they’re on against Metallica. The least I can do is watch them.”
Meanwhile, he’s confirmed plans were underway to have Prince appear at this year’s event. “We wanted him to play and it got to the point where his people were talking to us about him doing it,” he says.
“But before he confirmed he got really upset. He thought we’d advertised he was playing. We hadn’t – but with social media, rumours get everywhere. So he didn’t want to do it in the end.
“All the social media chit-chat now about who might be playing really doesn’t help us. People think we’ve advertised them early. But there’d be no point in us leaking details because the tickets sell out in an hour in October, before the headline acts are announced.
“People come for what the event means to them, not the headline acts.”
Metallica headline Sonisphere the week after their Glasto appearance.
