Is Rihanna headed to Glastonbury or is the rumor as off target as the Rolling Stones/Coachella whispers? As the news is spreading like on the interwebs, we”re crying foul on the suggestion.
The U.K.”s Daily Star reports that the singer will headline this year”s British festival, which takes place June 26-30 and returns after last year”s edition was canceled because of the London Olympics.
One big red flag that the Daily Star could be wrong? (in addition to the fact that it”s a tabloid better known for its hot “babe” pix rather than breaking news) is that the newspaper suggests Rihanna will headline Sunday night on the Pyramid stage. A quick look at the “Diamonds” tour schedule shows her only open night during the festival is Friday June 28. She is playing at Cologne”s Lanxess Arena on Jan. 26 and 27 and Zurich”s Hallenstadion on June 29-30.
That”s pretty conclusive proof, however, the final nail in the rumor”s coffin is that less than two weeks before the festival starts, she is playing throughout the U.K., including two nights at London”s Twickenham Stadium, two nights in Manchester and one night in Birmingham. No promoter in the world would book her for a festival that close to her own headlining dates.
We have a request in for a comment from Rihanna’s rep, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out this one doesn’t have legs.
As far as the Rolling Stones rumor, that one seems to hold more promise. Guitarist Ronnie Wood told the much more respectable U.K. newspaper The Independent last week that he plans to “twist the arms” of his fellow bandmates to get them to play the festival. He plans to bring it up at the band’s next meeting in March. That’s a little late to leave Glastonbury twisting in the wind if Jagger and co. can’t come to terms, however.