Guns N' Roses have consistently been in a class by themselves, and their headline performance at Glastonbury was no different.
The hard rock legends performed a meandering, sporadic brilliant set that spanned three exhausting hours and mixed stadium-level classics with lesser-known deep cuts.
The always-welcome Sweet Child O' Mine and a boisterous Welcome To The Jungle were highlights.
However, they attracted a smaller audience than US pop singer Lizzo earlier in the day.
The US band entered the stage at 21:30, performing the iconic It's So Easy by Appetite For Destruction as Axl Rose prowled the stage and Slash tore off riffs from beneath his trademark top hat.
Rose's vocals aren't what they once were at 61, but he can still fake a wolverine yowl when he gets in the mood, and his snarling delivery still sounds menacing enough. Some TV viewers complained that his microphone was too quiet, but in the field, he cut through the guitar like a knife through butter.
The band's 2008 album Chinese Democracy's title track and Slither, a single by his post-GNR side project Velvet Revolver, were front-loaded into the set, which took a while to get going.
They don't really get going until about 20 minutes into the set, when the Welcome to the Jungle riff fills the Pyramid Arena, and they immediately follow it with a fierce performance of Mr. Brownstone.
On Civil War, they pay homage to Ukraine, with Rose sporting the national flag on his t-shirt and footage of destroyed homes illuminating the screens.
Nightrain's final song has a pent-up punk energy, and their cover of UK Subs' Down On The Farm is a nice nod to the festival's organizers, Michael and Emily Eavis.
They sometimes stray into choppy waters. Even die-hard fans disagree on the value of the bondage-themed song Pretty Tied Up by Use Your Illusion, and the 2021 single Absurd seems superfluous.
But they fight back with the pent-up punk energy of Nighttrain before bringing out Dave Grohl for a frantic, euphoric encore of Paradise City ("because you can never have too many guitars").
Purchasing a ticket to see Guns N' Roses in their chaotic prime was a risk. You never knew if they would show up, and even if they did, Rose had a bad habit of leaving the stage when the audience even the slightest bit teased him.
However, that erratic performer was nowhere to be found on Saturday night.
The former hellraiser, a model of politeness, said, "What a lovely evening.". Thank you for inviting us, we appreciate it. ".
Thousands of fans chose to watch Lana Del Rey headline the Other Stage rather than the Pyramid Stage, which resulted in a smaller crowd than there had been on Friday night for Arctic Monkeys.
The American singer began her set half an hour later than scheduled and apologized for the delay, saying, "My hair takes so long to do. Sorry for being so late. ".
After a long wait, Del Rey finally took the stage with a lyrical, high-concept performance that included ballet dancers and contortionists.
Unfortunately, her tardy arrival conflicted with Glastonbury's rigid curfew. I'm about to rush this set to death, she warned the crowd as she cut a number of songs. " .
However, it wasn't enough. At least six songs remained when her microphone was turned off at midnight. Some of her most popular songs, such as Summertime Sadness and Video Games, were likely included in the printed setlist.
The singer, who was obviously heartbroken, tried to talk to her fans. They encouraged her and gave her a cappella video games while yelling "one more song.".
Del Rey joined in on the singing and later made his way to the front of the stage's pit where they could talk face-to-face. She had to leave after that, obviously devastated.
UK rapper Loyle Carner gave a more on-time but no less moving performance over on West Holts.
Hugo, his third album, which examines his contentious relationship with his biological father and how generational pain can be passed down the family tree, served as the foundation for the performance.
It was an impactful performance in which Carner also criticized the government for how it dealt with knife crime and urged viewers to "forget all that toxic masculinity [rubbish] that wrecked my childhood.".
On Saturday, dance icon Fatboy Slim and French pop pioneer Christine And The Queens served as additional site headliners.
The 200,000 festival goers at Glastonbury were dispersed throughout the 1,000-acre site due to the embarrassment of riches.
Additionally, Lizzo was able to claim the day's largest audience.
Around 19:30 BST, the American superstar descended upon the Pyramid Stage like a human glitter cannon and performed a jubilant set of sparkling soul classics, including Cuz I Love You, Juice, and 2B Loved.
Her contagious energy reached the hilltops, where followers in colorful wigs and fairy wings danced as if their lives depended on it. She was sporting jade-colored hair and wearing a steampunk ballgown.
The singer looked out over the crowd and reflected on how quickly her star had grown since her first Glastonbury performance in 2018.
"My DJ Sophia and I played our hearts out in a really large tent while no one else was inside.
We continued to play until I was standing in front of you all. I'm so pleased. I appreciate your assistance. ".
With energetic dance moves and a faultless flute solo from the performer herself, she capably performed the smash hit About Damn Time to close her set.
Before Guns N' Roses, a lot of people nodded off, and they did so happily.
Rick Astley, a 80s pop icon, opened the stage earlier in the day to an enthusiastic audience.
He interspersed his set with crowd-pleasing covers of AC/DC's Harder Than Hell and Harry Styles' As It Was as he built up to the unavoidable, cheese-tastic climax, knowing that most people had come to hear Never Gonna Give You Up.
"It was amazing beyond belief. It's difficult to express, but that was the most lovely crowd I've ever performed in front of, he said as he exited the stage.
"They were amazing, generous, and loving. Only a wonderful experience. ".
Raye, a soul singer from Croydon, performed next, accompanied by a big band dressed in white tuxedos and giving her lunchtime set a decidedly retro, Amy Winehouse vibe.
As she danced to Black Mascara, she kicked off her shoes and sobbed while singing the heartbreaking Ice Cream Man, a song about her experiences with sexual abuse.
She, like Lizzo, couldn't quite believe she had been booked for Glastonbury's main stage after a very public breakup with her record label, which she accused of stifling her career.
She said, cueing up the hit song Escapsim, "It seems like yesterday we were playing festivals where we had more people on stage than in the audience.".
I do not take advantage of your being here. ".
Before Manchester star Aitch raised the temperature with a simmering set of UK rap anthems (and a perfectly-timed cover of Oasis's Wonderwall), Grammy-nominated duo Amadou and Mariam brought the warm and earthy vibes of Mali to the Pyramid Stage during lunchtime.
And those were just the performers in the main arena.
In Stockport, indie band Blossoms joined Rick Astley on stage for a set of Smiths covers, and Johnny Marr, a former Smiths guitarist, performed with Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders on the Park Stage.
He wasn't their only visitor, it turned out.
Hynde cracked a joke, "Apparently there's a drunk guy backstage [and] he insists on playing," before Dave Grohl reappeared to play drums on Mystery Achievement. Paul McCartney, who had been watching from the audience, made a fleeting cameo to give a thumbs-up before vanishing once more.
Along with composer Max Richter, Oscar winner Tilda Swinton surprised the audience with a spoken word performance, and rap star Dave appeared during Central Cee's performance on The Other Stage to perform their summer anthem Sprinter.
As Elton John concludes his UK tour with a headline set on the Pyramid Stage, it is the most anticipated performance of the weekend that brings the festival to a close.
A custom show with several special guests has been promised by the singer, and rumors are already flying.
So far, Britney Spears, Dua Lipa, Sam Fender, Harry Styles, Eminem, and actor Taron Egerton—who portrayed Elton in the hit movie Rocketman—have all been mentioned as possible candidates to join him.
