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Stars speak out against the Supreme Court on the Glastonbury stage
Phoebe Bridgers, Olivia Rodrigo, Kendrick Lamar and more addressed the crowd in the wake of the overturning of Roe vs. Wade
With so many US stars appearing at this year’s Glastonbury, there was a strange mood cast over the proceedings. The elephant in the room was the decision by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe vs. Wade, an act which will see abortions banned and restricted across America. Some stars continued with their sets as planned, but many addressed the political climate in America head-on.
“Today is a dark day for women in America,” said Billie Eilish, the festival’s youngest ever headliner, during her Friday set on the Pyramid Stage. She added: “It’s all I’m able to say about it. I can’t bear to think about it.”
Lorde ended her performance “Secrets From A Girl (Who’s Seen It All)” with a message to the young women in the crowd.
“Wanna hear a secret girls?” she said. “Your bodies were destined to be controlled and objectified since before you were born. That horror is your birthright. But here’s another secret. You possess strength. That wisdom is also your birthright. I ask you today to make exercising that wisdom your life’s work because everything depends on it. F*** the Supreme Court.”
Phoebe Bridgers echoed Lorde’s sentiment, leading the crowd in a shout of “f*** the Supreme Court”, whilst Kendrick Lamar encouraged the crowd to chant “Godspeed for women’s rights” at the end of his headline set, closing the festival with the statement as blood streamed from his crown of thorns.
Elsewhere, Olivia Rodrigo brought special guest Lily Allen out on stage with her to deliver a message to the judges that overturned the ruling via a duet of Lily Allen’s hit, ‘F*** You’ (a powerful moment that the BBC controversially decided to edit out of their catch-up coverage).
“I’m devastated and terrified that so many women and so many girls are going to die because of this,” said Rodrigo. “I wanted to dedicate this next song to the five members of the Supreme Court who have showed us that at the end of the day, they truly don’t give a s**t about freedom.” She continued: “This song goes out to the Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh. We hate you.”
Over on social media, Lizzo announced that she would be donating $500,000 from her upcoming tour to Planned Parenthood and Abortion Rights, with Live Nation matching her donation to take the total up to $1 million.
