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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| U2 to headline 40th Glastonbury | U2 to headline 40th Glastonbury |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| U2 are to headline next year's Glastonbury Festival, helping the event celebrate its 40th anniversary with their first appearance there. | |
| The band will lead the line-up at the Somerset show on Friday 25 June. | |
| It will be their first festival gig for more than 25 years and will see them make a flying visit to the UK in the middle of a North American tour. | |
| Some 177,500 people will be at the event, but tickets sold out in 24 hours after going on sale last month. | Some 177,500 people will be at the event, but tickets sold out in 24 hours after going on sale last month. |
| 'More surprises' | 'More surprises' |
| A statement from festival organiser Michael Eavis said: "The 26-year-old rumour has finally come true. At last, the biggest band in the world are going to play the best festival in the world. | A statement from festival organiser Michael Eavis said: "The 26-year-old rumour has finally come true. At last, the biggest band in the world are going to play the best festival in the world. |
| "Nothing could be better for our 40th anniversary party. And there are even more surprises in the pipeline..." | "Nothing could be better for our 40th anniversary party. And there are even more surprises in the pipeline..." |
| U2 will play a stadium show in Edmonton, Canada, on 23 June as part of their 360 Degrees world tour. | U2 will play a stadium show in Edmonton, Canada, on 23 June as part of their 360 Degrees world tour. |
| U2 will be among the main attractions on the festival's main Pyramid Stage | |
| They have been performing on a custom-built giant "claw" stage, but will swap that for Glastonbury's main Pyramid Stage on the festival's first night. | |
| They will then travel to the US to resume their tour in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the following evening. | |
| U2 promoter John Giddings said on Twitter: "It is true, U2 headline the Fri night @ Glastonbury. They fly back for the weekend in the middle of their US tour." | U2 promoter John Giddings said on Twitter: "It is true, U2 headline the Fri night @ Glastonbury. They fly back for the weekend in the middle of their US tour." |
| The band have not performed at festivals since their early days, since preferring to play their own stadium gigs complete with elaborate sets and stage shows. | |
| Bassist Adam Clayton is the only band member to have played at Glastonbury before, having joined the Hothouse Flowers on stage for one song in 1989. | |
| Since starting in 1970, Glastonbury has grown into the UK's largest music festival, and is one of the best-loved events in the summer calendar. | |
| Speaking in September about the anniversary, Mr Eavis told the BBC: "The expectations are really high. So we have to deliver on that. We're trying to get the best headliners in the world." | |
| Bruce Springsteen, Blur and Neil Young headlined this year's show, which was named best major festival at last week's UK Festival Awards. | |
| This year's event takes place on Mr Eavis' dairy farm from 25-27 June. No other artists have yet been confirmed, although US crooner Andy Williams announced that he will be performing. |