There’s been lots of criticism of last night’s shindig, but it got me thinking: who on Earth WOULD I enlist to perform, if it were up to me?
KT Tunstall would be on my list. Always puts on a great show.
Madness (bit predictable, but how very English!)
It’s quite hard to think of suitable, British acts, to be honest!
What would YOUR line up look like?
Rules:
1. Sex Pistols would, of course, be great…but let’s keep it realistic and in the spirit of the actual event, so no acts who would have brought along an anti-establishment agenda.
2. They have to be alive and still functioning , so Beatles, Zeppelin etc don’t qualify
Comments
https://youtu.be/c0m6KQqnuUw
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Wales - Manic Street Preachers
Scotland - King King
N Ireland - Stiff Little Fingers
England - yes happy to go with Madness
Throw in some islands: Level 42 (Isle of White), Peat and Diesel (Isle of Lewis), Aled Jones (Anglesey)…
May need some more thought this.
To be fair to them, there were some young artists represented, with Ella Eyre and George Ezra. I don't know who Jax Jones is but I assume he's popular. I'm not quite sure how Craig David managed to wangle his way on.
The Spice Girls
Eric Clapton
Elton John
Coldplay
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
So I'd have gone for:
Someone like Jeff Beck (who's on UK tour at the moment) to open the show with a guitar solo national anthem, like how Brian May did before but in a different style and with a different stage.
Tom Jones would have been a good shout, he is surely the kind of personality to hold this kind of crowd and get them started.
Diversity I thought were well worth their place, doing what they did as an intro to the music that would follow
George Ezra is popular with that audience, I imagine
Ed Sheeran must have been considered surely?
Dua Lipa, maybe they could have wheeled out Elton (literally, judging by recent photos of him) to do that mash up song they did recently?
I'm surprised they didn't get Paul McCartney out to sing Hey Jude for the 50 millionth time but I for one think that was probably for the best.
Surely also missed a trick not getting the actual Neil Diamond in to get everybody singing Sweet Caroline (god help us all), he would at least have hit some of the notes properly unlike Rod the Former Mod
Then Queen, to finish rather than open the show
Also as much as I like Lee Mack, if only they could have got Paddington Bear to compere the whole thing...
Likewise Madness?
Not an easy gig to set up - this is family entertainment that needs to appeal to all ages, backgrounds, ethnicities etc...
think Ant and Dec / X Factor Saturday night light entertainment - hence why Throbbing Gristle or Napalm Death probably weren't contacted by the palace?
Add to that any such musical act needs to be up, running and match fit and touring the UK with availability on that night with a capable road crew turning up to god knows what dog and pony act power wise, monitors, sound system... with any technical hiccup exposed to a mainstream viewing audience in their millions.
It appears most of the big names appeared alongside Mr. Playback machine... I can't say I blame 'em - so kudos to Queen rocking it live - would you expect any different from Taylor and May ?!
My nomination would be The Thompson Twins (Richard and Danny!)
They were probably worried as an immigrant Priti Patel would ship him to Rwanda or rip him apart with her bare hands and eat him before the show.