Shania Twain leaves Glastonbury very impressed – BBC News

“Hats off to you, Glastonbury,” says Shania Twain, looking out over a sea of ​​people – many of whom are, ironically, wearing cowboy hats.

“I feel and see your support. Thank you very much for having me. »

Few artists have so fully embraced Glastonbury’s so-called Legends Slot.

The star has been talking about her appearance for months.

Not only did she share her ambition to arrive at the festival on horseback, but she also convinced Great Western Railways to rebrand some of its rolling stock as ‘Shania Trains’.

On Saturday, she warmed up with a tour of Worthy Farm (“it’s a whole town,” she marveled) and even cornered Friday night headliner Dua Lipa for some advice.

Unfortunately, the festival thwarted plans to put a stallion on the Pyramid Stage – but he arrived in style nonetheless.

The 58-year-old was accompanied on stage by two drag queens and six dancers, holding aloft six brightly coloured war horses.

Without wasting any time, she launches straight into one of her biggest hits, That Don’t Impress Me Much.

As the audience joined in his mockery of rocket scientists, Brad Pitt and men who own cars, the atmosphere was electric.

Twain looked incredible, in a rhinestone-adorned cowboy hat, knee-length gloves and a black mini dress, offset by a cascading pink cape that she twirled with camp abandon.

“It’s amazing, because I can see everyone, everything, every flag,” she said.

“I see a lot of cowboy hats and leopard prints…and it’s really, really special.”

After this fantastic start, the energy dropped a bit.

The audience was not as familiar with the next two songs, Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You and You Win My Love.

And like Cyndi Lauper on Saturday, Twain seemed irritated by her earpiece.

But once his voice warmed up, that distinctive country tone came through loud and clear. His throat seemed a little dry and scratchy at times (Glastonbury has been really dusty this year) but the emotion was there.

Twain’s booking was a stroke of genius in a year where country returned to the charts via Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, Kacey Musgraves’ Deeper Well and Shaboozey’s irresistible Bar Song (Tipsy).

In the 1990s, Twain was one of the first stars of the “crossover” genre, successfully merging Nashville’s narrative history with the bombast of stadium rock.

Her second album, The Woman In Me, went 12 times platinum. The follow-up, 1997’s Come On Over, sold more than 40 million copies, thanks to empowering anthems like Man! I Feel Like A Woman and the mega-ballad You’re Still The One and

The latter was one of the first highlights of her Glastonbury set. Sitting with an acoustic guitar, Twain asked the audience to sing the chorus along with her.

“Normally my shows are in the evening and I only see your reactions close to the stage. But (today) I see all of you, all the way to the back, all the way to the tents,” she said.

“I see you so well, but I also want to hear you.”

When she played the chords, the audience almost covered her.

It was a chilling moment.

Ahead of the show, the 58-year-old said she was a little “overwhelmed” about following in the footsteps of Dolly Parton, Diana Ross and Kenny Rogers in the coveted Sunday afternoon Legends slot.

“They’re all people I consider musical heroes and who have had a huge influence on my own career, so it’s surreal to have been invited,” she told BBC News.

“I was told that this was a real event, a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Everyone goes, ‘Let me tell you about it. Let me tell you about my experiences.'”

As the show continued, Twain began to understand what this meant.

“I feel really good,” she shouted at one point. “You guys are country music fanatics.”

The crowd stretched all the way to the back of the field – matching, but probably not surpassing, the Coldplay crowd on Saturday night.

And while Chris Martin had Tom Cruise and Stormzy watching his show, Twain had his own star-studded cast, including model Cara Delevigne and Mad Max star Anya Taylor Joy.

Her set may not have matched Kylie’s or Dolly’s in terms of assured success, but no sane person could have denied the response to her closing song – the aforementioned Man! I Feel Like A Woman.

By this point, Twain had given up so much of herself that she gave up singing the melody, opting for a low-register harmony while her backup singers handled the high notes. (Her voice, it should be noted, has never been the same since Lyme disease caused nerve damage to her vocal cords in the early 2000s.)

Meanwhile, the audience climbed on each other’s shoulders, swung their feather boas and shouted every word in unison.

Afterwards, fans told the BBC that they had been very impressed.

“It was absolutely amazing. The best part of the weekend,” said Bethany from Surrey.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” said Liv, a fan from Gloucester. “She put on a fantastic show.”

“She was completely crazy. I love him so much,” added Leah, from Middlesborough.

“At her age she looks amazing, she has so much confidence.

“She’s girl power, totally.”