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New York rapper to headline Britain's Glastonbury Festival
2008-01-31
A New York rapper will be one of the headline acts at Britain's Glastonbury Festival this year in an attempt to make it less white-dominated and more appealing to youngsters, the organiser said Thursday. Dairy farmer Michael Eavis, 72, would not confirm or deny that the Saturday headline slot would be taken by Jay-Z, who fits the description. US crooner Neil Diamond will play the Sunday headline slot, Eavis told Britain's domestic Press Association news agency. The festival's registration window opens on Friday. Fans need to provide passport photos and contact details to have a hope of landing one of the 137,500 tickets. Glastonbury is the world's largest greenfield music and performing arts festival and takes place this year from Friday, June 27 to Sunday, June 29. It is held on Eavis's 320-hectare (800-acre) Worthy Farm in south-west England. The farmer hopes at least half the audience this year will be aged under 25. "We're trying to get youngsters to the festival this year," he said. "Hopefully the headliner will appeal to them. Traditionally we've had a very white line up and I'm moving away from that. "The Saturday slot is a wonderful hip-hop artist from New York and a bit of a legend in my view. "We need more young people here. I'm trying to address the balance otherwise the festival will die out with the older people." A golden oldie traditionally gets on the Sunday bill and Eavis confirmed Diamond, 67, would take the slot this year. "Neil Diamond is for people closer to my age," he said. Last year's festival, a traditional Glastonbury mudbath, was headlined by Arctic Monkeys, The Killers and The Who.
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