Lana Del Rey Opens Up About Feeling Disappointed After Glastonbury Cut Her Set Short
Lana Del Rey expresses disappointment after her Glastonbury set is abruptly ended, admitting she felt disheartened when the lights were unexpectedly turned off during her performance
Lana Del Rey Joseph Okpako/WireImage
Can you recall the night Glastonbury silenced Lana Del Rey instead of the night the lights went out in Georgia? The 38-year-old singer recently spoke to The Sunday Times about her headlining set at the festival being cut short six months after the incident. As she performed "Video Games" on June 24, the organizers cut the power to her microphone and turned off the screens when the clock struck midnight.
"I've heard of curfews before," she told the Times in an interview published on Saturday, December 2. "But I had no idea they literally turned off the lights!"
After the organizers cut the power, Del Rey tried to continue the performance a cappella, but security escorted her off the stage. "I didn't feel good about it," Del Rey said in the new interview, and added, "I was a little confused because I've never been in a situation where someone said, 'If you don't finish by this time, everything will shut down.' I was only 15 minutes late."
Lana Del Rey performs at Day 4 of Glastonbury Festival 2023 on June 24, 2023 in Glastonbury, England. Joseph Okpako/WireImage
Del Rey's performance started 30 minutes later than planned, with the delay attributed to her hair taking longer to fix than usual. She justified her focus on her appearance for her shows, saying, "I dress up for my performances while others don't." She also mentioned encountering backlash for this choice, saying, "For some reason, that was a problem."
She disclosed previous negative experiences related to her appearance, revealing, "I had books thrown at me in San Francisco by liberal female groups," and "I've been punched in the face in Brooklyn." Del Rey explained that a decade ago, she felt a strong need for beauty to counter the chaos and bring some sense to her life.
Del Rey made her return to England weeks after the Glastonbury incident to take the stage for the final night of the BST Hyde Park concert series on July 9. According to NME, Del Rey addressed the incident after singing “Candy Necklace,” saying to the audience, “I believe this is where I was interrupted last time. Apologies for that.”
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As she closed the night with "Video Games," she declared, "It's worth it, even with the power cut." NME reported that Del Rey was 20 minutes late to the BST Hyde Park show, but she managed to finish the set before the 10:30 p.m. curfew.
Del Rey is concluding a successful year, having released her ninth studio album, "Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.," in March. The album has earned her five Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year for "A&W." She also received nods for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Candy Necklace" with Jon Batiste, and Best Alternative Music Performance for "A&W."
