Lana Del Rey Joseph Okpako/WireImage
Forget the night the lights went out in Georgia — do you remember the night Glastonbury turned the lights off on Lana Del Rey?
Del Rey, 38, certainly does. Six months after her headlining set at the Glastonbury Festival was cut short, the “A&W” singer spoke with The Sunday Times about the experience. Del Rey was in the middle of performing “Video Games” on June 24 when the clock struck midnight. The festival’s organizers then cut the power to her microphone before turning off the stage’s screens.
“I’ve heard of curfews before,” she told the Times in an interview published on Saturday, December 2. “But I didn’t know they actually turned the lights off!”
After the organizers pulled the plug, Del Rey attempted to continue the performance a cappella, but security escorted her from the stage. “I didn’t feel great about it,” Del Rey said in the new interview, adding, “I was a little confused because I don’t think I was ever in a position where somebody said, ‘If you do not finish by this time, everything will go out.’ I was only 15 minutes late.”
Lana Del Rey performs at Day 4 of Glastonbury Festival 2023 on June 24, 2023 in Glastonbury, England. Joseph Okpako/WireImage
Del Rey’s set began 30 minutes after the scheduled start time, and she said the delay was due to her hair taking longer to get ready than normal. She defended her decision to prioritize her appearance for her performances. “I get dressed up for my shows while some folks don’t,” she said on Saturday. “For some reason, that was a problem.”
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“I had books thrown at me in San Francisco by liberal female groups,” she added. “I’ve been punched in the face in Brooklyn. Ten years ago, mentally, I badly needed some beauty to come out of the chaos. For something to make sense.”
Del Rey returned to England weeks after the Glastonbury incident to play the final night of the BST Hyde Park concert series on July 9. According to NME, Del Rey spoke about the incident after performing “Candy Necklace,” telling the crowd, “I think this is where I got cut off last time. Sorry about that.”
When she performed “Video Games” to close the night, she said, “It’s worth it even if you get the power cut. It’s worth it.” NME also noted that Del Rey arrived 20 minutes late to the BST Hyde Park performance. Despite the delay, she still finished the set before the 10:30 p.m. curfew.
Del Rey is wrapping up a banner year. She released her ninth studio album, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. in March. The LP earned Del Rey five Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year, Song of the Year (“A&W”), Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (“Candy Necklace” with Jon Batiste) and Best Alternative Music Performance (“A&W”).
