Glastonbury's first ever female headline act is 'forgotten' 80s superstar
Suzanne Vega made history as she became the first ever woman to headline Glastonbury Festival back in 1989, but just hours before her performance, a stalker had the singer fearing for her life
The Glastonbury Festival is edging closer, with an influx of over 200,000 devotees set to swarm the idyllic farmland in the UK.
The much-anticipated spectacle is renowned for securing stellar headliners such as Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, and Coldplay. Yet, a delve into the archives uncovers the remarkable tale of the event's first female top-biller - an occurrence that was almost thwarted.
Rewind to 1989, when Suzanne Vega, the California native turned New Yorker, broke new ground by becoming the very first woman to lead the line-up on the festival's esteemed Pyramid Stage.
With her innovative blend of pop and folk melodies, Vega had scored international acclaim. Her eponymous first album, followed by the successful 'Solitude Standing' in 1987, cemented her name on the music map, spawning some of her most iconic tracks like 'Luka' and 'Tom's Diner'.
These hits were the perfect precursor to her spot at Worthy Farm, but, mere hours before she was to go on stage, calamity seemed imminent. A band member of Vega's entourage was dealing with a stalker, who had issued a fresh death threat prior to the concert – only this time, it extended to Suzanne as well, reports the Mirror US.
Reliving the moment in an interview with the I, the artist related: "But they had included me in the threats, Scotland Yard sat me down and said, 'we advise you not to do the show.' I was like, 'are you kidding me?'".
Even with a significant moment looming, she insisted on performing, under a peculiar stipulation.
Suzanne revealed: "A man from Scotland Yard took him and said, 'You'll have to wear this.' He was twice my size, so I had to gaffer tape myself into this giant bulletproof vest and then put a denim jacket over it.
"It felt like every song was 20 minutes long. It was not comfortable. We were all nervous. I'm proud of being the first woman to headline. There's nothing diminished about that."
In the past 30 years, Vega has carried on releasing music, though she took some time off in the 2010s to focus on theatre, dabbling in three adaptations and transforming her one-woman play, Carson McCullers Talks About Love, into a film.
However, she has recently come back with her latest full studio album in over a decade, Flying with Angels, despite the fresh tracks not reaching the heights of her celebrated 80s hits.
The artist added: "It was exciting. I liked being successful. Whether you like my music or not, you could not deny that I was successful, I felt good about that."
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