We knew he was hated, but this is a whole new level.
When Kanye West was announced as a headliner for Glastonbury Music Festival in the UK, the news was not taken lightly. One fan named Neil Lonsdale started a petition, asking the festival to cancel West’s appearance, and that petition has now garnered upwards of 57,000 signatures.
On the petition page, Lonsdale writes, “Kanye West is an insult to music fans all over the world. We spend hundreds of pounds to attend glasto, and by doing so, expect a certain level of entertainment.” He continues, “Kanye has been very outspoken on his views on music….he should listen to his own advice and pass his headline slot on to someone deserving! Lets prevent this musical injustice now!”
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Glastonbury is typically a rock-oriented festival, and a similar backlash occurred when Jay Z and Beyonce were headlining. However, that announcement didn’t merit a full blown petition, let alone the approval of 57,000 other people.
So far, the only other artist announced for this year’s Glastonbury Festival is The Foo Fighters. Glastonbury typically draws around 175,000 people, making it the largest festival of its kind in the world. Hundreds of more bands will be announced for the lineup in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Lonsdale stands firmly in his anti-Kanye stance, even doing an interview with the BBC in which he says, “I don’t like his music generally, it doesn’t speak to me in the same way that a guitar band would… And then as a separate case, the way that he presents himself to the media, I think is negative on quite a few different levels.”
Still, it seems very unlikely that this petition will change anything. If you don’t like his music, we suggest seeing a different band perform during that time.