ELO to play Glastonbury 'legends' slot
- Published
The band have sold more than 50 million records
Glastonbury has tempted fate by booking a band best known for the song Mr Blue Sky to play the festival's notoriously rainy main stage.
Jeff Lynne's ELO will step into Lionel Richie's shoes during Glastonbury's "legends" slot on Sunday, 26 June.
Dolly Parton's stint in the slot drew Glastonbury's biggest ever crowd in 2014, while Richie's appearance last year sent him to the top of the charts.
The main headliners for this year's festival have yet to be announced.
However, Muse, Adele, Coldplay and Rihanna have all been rumoured to top the bill on the Pyramid Stage.
Jeff Lynne's ELO to play the Pyramid stage at this year's Glastonbury Festival.
Formerly known as Electric Light Orchestra, ELO was formed by Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood in 1970.
They had an 18-year run of hits, such as Roll Over Beethoven, Telephone Line, Sweet Talkin' Woman and The Diary of Horace Wimp.
Known for their lavish stage shows, they sold 50 million records before Lynne called time in 1988.
He tried to revive the band in 2001 with a new album, Zoom, but ticket sales for a comeback tour were so dismal it was cancelled.
But an on-air campaign by BBC Radio 2's Chris Evans pressured the band into reuniting in 2013 for a one-off show in Hyde Park.
The response was so overwhelming, Lynne returned to the studio and began work on a new album, Alone in the Universe, under the moniker Jeff Lynne's ELO.
The album has since gone platinum in the UK, while the band stole the show at last year's Grammy Awards.
Confirming the news, Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis tweeted: "Yes! ELO are playing this year's Glastonbury Sunday teatime slot. Can't wait!"
But she might be tempting fate by booking a band best known for the song Mr Blue Sky to play during the notoriously rainy festival.
- Published29 June 2015
- Published29 June 2014
