By Marc Sauvage, Music Correspondent
BBC“Hats off, Glastonbury,” says Shania Twain, surveying a sea of people – many of whom are wearing, ironically, cowboy hats.
“I feel and see your support. Thank you very much for having me. »
Few artists have ever embraced Glastonbury’s so-called Legends Slot to such an extent.
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 launched 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-embellished cowboy hat, knee-length gloves and a black minidress, 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 little.
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 her voice warmed up, that distinctive country sound came through loud and clear. His throat felt 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 take place in the evening and I only see your reactions near the stage. But (today) I see you all, all the way to the back, all the way to the tents,” she said.
“I see you very well, but I also want to hear you back.”
When she played the chords, the audience almost covered her.
It was a blood-curdling moment.
Frickin’ incredible
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.
“It was explained to me that it was a real event, a once-in-a-lifetime event. Everyone keeps saying, “Let me tell you this. Let me tell you 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 on his set, Twain had his own star 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.
At this point, Twain had given so much of herself that she gave up singing the melody, opting for harmony in the lower register while her backup singers took care of the high notes. (His voice, it should be noted, has never been the same since Lyme disease caused nerve damage to his 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 incredible. Best part of the weekend,” said Bethany from Surrey.
“I couldn’t have asked for anything else,” admitted Gloucester fan Liv. “She put on a fantastic show.”
“She was absolutely crazy. I love her so much,” added Leah, from Middlesborough.
“At her age she looks amazing, she has so much confidence.
“She is girl power, totally.”
Setlist
- This doesn’t impress me much.
- Don’t be stupid (you know I love you)
- You win my love
- Up!
- I’ll get you good
- You are always the only one
- Forever and ever
- Come here
- Any of my men
- Hue!
- Under whose bed have your boots been?
- Honey I’m home
- From now on
- (If you’re not here for love) I’m leaving!
- Man! I feel like a woman!
And if you saw the security team dancing to Twain’s hit That Don’t Impress Me Much, the routine was choreographed by Lauren Filer.
She danced alongside Candice Scott and Sophie Barton on the Pyramid stage – with the two dancers handpicked from hundreds of people who entered a competition for the chance to appear on stage with Shania Twain.
They spoke about it on BBC Sounds’ ‘Inside Glastonbury’.