Brian May Assures Queen Won't Perform at Glastonbury Stage

Queen guitarist Brian May (Photo: Instagram @brianmayforreal)

JAKARTA - Brian May again reiterated his firm stance that he would never bring Queen to perform at the largest music festival in England, Glastonbury.

As is known, many fans hope that Queen can fill the Legend slot on the main stage of Glastonbury, but May made sure that this was impossible as long as there was still a conflict between him and the organizers.

In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, May stated that the main reason the Queen was absent from the music festival was due to an uncompromised moral principle.

May specifically highlighted her dislike of the policy of Michael Eavis, founder of Glastonbury, who supported the extermination of badgers to control the spread of bovine tuberculosis.

"I won't be performing at Glastonbury next year (2027) because of the politics of the people running it. Unless that changes, I won't do it," May said, quoting NME, Sunday, January 18.

May, who is active through the animal welfare organization Save Me, feels that the festival organizers' actions are very contrary to the values he holds.

He felt sorry because the animal rescue efforts he had been doing for years seemed to be hit by local policies in the festival area.

"They like to kill the raccoons, and they think it's for sport, and it's something I can't support because we've been trying to save these raccoons for years, and they're still being killed for years. So, that's why we skipped it," continued the 78-year-old guitarist.

The tension between Brian May and Michael Eavis has been going on for a long time and often sparks public debate.

Eavis, who is also a dairy farmer, had previously launched a harsh criticism by calling May a danger to the world of livestock due to his refusal to destroy bats.

But for May, this is not just a matter of technical husbandry, but a matter of ethical values.

He felt Eavis' personal attacks against him had crossed the line.

In 2023, May even revealed his disappointment publicly regarding Eavis' attitude.

"Michael Eavis has repeatedly insulted me, and I don't like it very much," he said.

"What bothers me more is that he supports the destruction of the clouded leopard, which I consider a tragedy and an unnecessary crime against wildlife," he concluded.