Rick Astley has described his Glastonbury performance as a 'bizarre stroke of luck' after drawing a massive crowd to the Pyramid Stage on Friday. The 57-year-old singer, best known for his 1987 hit 'Never Gonna Give You Up', played a jubilant set that included covers of Chic, Harry Styles, and AC/DC.
Speaking to the BBC before the show, Astley admitted he feared the worst. 'If we get the smallest audience on the 12 o'clock slot that Glastonbury's ever seen, I'm still OK with that,' he said. However, fans arrived in droves, with some camping out from 7:30am to secure a front-row spot.
Astley's set included a disco-fied version of 'Together Forever', a cover of Harry Styles' 'As It Was' mixed with A-Ha's 'Take On Me', and a drum solo on AC/DC's 'Highway To Hell'. He also played his new single, 'Dippin' My Feet', joking: 'I'm not an idiot! Of course I'm going to play my new song.'
The highlight was a 10-minute rendition of 'Never Gonna Give You Up', during which the crowd sang the first verse a cappella. Astley ad-libbed: 'Glastonbury, I'm feeling fantastic, thanks to you.' The performance has been compared to the festival's traditional Sunday afternoon legend slot.
Astley, who retired from music in 1991 before experiencing a resurgence thanks to the 'Rickrolling' internet meme, said he takes his online fame in his stride. 'Never Gonna Give You Up' has now been viewed nearly 1.4 billion times on YouTube.
