The lead singer and main star of the English festival had no idea that the event’s security would be his biggest obstacle at the time
In June 1999, the REM was the main attraction at the Glastonbury festival, held annually in England since 1970 and one of the biggest music events on the planet, today bringing together more than 200 thousand people per day. The group was scheduled to perform on a Friday and would share the stage with Hole, Bush and Blondieamong other names.
However, the main performance almost didn’t happen. The reason is unusual: the vocalist Michael Stipe was barred from entering by event security and was forced to work around the situation.
According to an old report in the British newspaper The GuardianStipe arrived at Glastonbury by helicopter and landed on a farm near the festival. An employee called Robert Kearlewho knew the region well, was chosen by the organization to look for the singer.
First, Kearle recalled the importance of getting the REM frontman to the event venue. He also recalled how kind and friendly Stipe was during the trip.
I was asked to do this because of my knowledge of the area. He (Stipe) was the big star of the festival, so I didn’t want to get in the way. We had a great chat on the way. He was a good conversationalist, very friendly and interested in what was going on at the festival.”
Michael Stipe? Never heard of him
As soon as he arrived at the festival’s entrance gate, Robert Kearle got out of his car and said he was with Michael Stipe. However, the security team did not want to let the two in because they did not have tickets.
Kearle made it clear that he was with the lead singer of REM, the main attraction of the event, and that the artist needed to come in, as he would be performing soon. It was no use. He reports:
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I said, ‘I’m here with Michael Stipe, I’ve been sent specially to pick him up.'”
The festival employee remembered what he heard in response. The security guard also demonstrated complete ignorance of one of the event’s big names.
No ticket, no entry. Michael Stipe? Never heard of him.”
It was then that the REM frontman, upon noticing the situation, decided to resolve it on his own. He left the vehicle he was in and said the following to the security guard in question:
I’m playing the Pyramid Stage in a few hours. If you don’t let me in, I’m out. You’re going to let a lot of people down on your hands.”
Vocalist inside, REM on stage
With no other choice, the security guard had to let Michael Stipe in. Hours later, the singer performed with his bandmates. The setlist included some of REM’s biggest hits, such as “Losing My Religion”, “Everybody Hurts”, “Man on the Moon”, “The One I Love” and “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”.
Contributed by: Augusto Ikeda.
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
