Bookmakers Make Metallica Favourites to Headline Glastonbury

Bookmakers Paddy Power have made Metallica joint favourites with Prince to headline the Saturday night of Glastonbury Festival.

Speculation has been mounting that the metal veterans will headline the Pyramid Stage on June 28, after Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis said that long-time favourite Prince “wasn’t happening this year.”

Despite Eavis’ comments, Paddy Power make Prince joint 5/4 favourite with Metallica. Bookmakers William Hill recently suspended betting that Kasabian will headline the Pyramid Stage on Sunday, but their fellow bookmakers make the Leicester band 5/1 second favourites to headline on Saturday instead. Other odds include Fleetwood Mac at 9/1 and Elbow at 10/1.

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich said last October that he wants the band to play at Glastonbury, stating: “It’s the one festival to elude us.” However, Michael Eavis has stated in the past that he doesn’t think metal bands are suitable for the festival, following the deaths of nine fans at Roskilde Festival in Denmark in 2000. “You get crowd-surfing and all those things that seem to cause problems,” Eavis told the BBC in 2002.

Arcade Fire are the only confirmed headliners for this year’s festival, having been named in January as the bill-toppers on the Friday night. Other artists confirmed to play include Dolly Parton, Lily Allen, Disclosure and Courtney Barnett, while the Black Keys were announced on Monday (March 24).