What can be said about Beyonce's Glastonbury set that hasn't already been said? Sometimes the simplest of descriptions is all that's needed. Simply: WOW.
You need only have looked across Twitter to see the social networking site dissolve in an ecstacy of awe at Beyonce. Pop fans, rock fans, all were united in their appreciation of the veritable Godess that walked out on stage to play to 175,000 people that night. Fan or non-fan, the sheer spectacle of Beyonce's set won everyone over - a unifying feat like no other.
U2's set two nights before was excellent - choc-a-bloc with hits from their best album, Achtung Baby. The sound quality was top-notch and Bono gave an empassioned delivery that served as a firm reminder that the Irish rockers are still very much 'with-it'. It was exactly the kind of performance you expect and hope for from one of the most experienced bands out there.
Likewise, Coldplay were on fine form; like U2, delivering a reassured confident set. All the big hits, a smattering of customary new material - it went down a treat with the crowd, including a certain Jay-Z and Beyonce who we saw cutely dancing away in the pit between the stage and the audience. Even mega-stars need some time to kick back and rock out.
But Beyonce had to be the true winner. As the woman herself pointed out in her intro VT, she was the first solo female to headline the festival's main stage - an achievement that cannot be understated. And just like her partner Jay-Z had done before her, she proved that Glastonbury is not just the domain of 'rock'. Something as immense and all-inclusive as Glastonbury should be a place for performers of all kind, and Beyonce came to hammer that fact home like her life depended on it.
An all-female backing band, impossibly skilled dancers and a jaw-dropping powerhouse vocal from Beyonce herself, emotions were running high as she pulled her set to a close with the tear-jerking Halo. Stepping down from the stage to touch the hand's of the front row, here you saw the very definition of a modern star.
In a set which made every track an event, a 'moment' that you simply couldn't tear your eyes away from, it was this final, towering performance which summed up what a landmark this night stood as. Or put simply, just WOW.
(In a neat little feature for this year, iTunes has put some of the Glasto performances up for download - including the amazing Irreplaceable. Seeing every single one of that crowd shouting 'TO THE LEFT' at the top of their voices was rather special.)
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