As the news of Michael Jackson’s death slowly filtered through the crowds at the world’s largest music festival this evening, there was a feeling of confusion and shock among fans.
Festival goers at Worthy Farm in Somerset, England could not quite believe the news as it was sent by text message and email from friends and relatives on mobile phones. “It’s totally weird,” Sally Anne Aldous, 29, told CNN over the phone from Glastonbury. “People are confused. “People are just getting text messages saying ‘Michael Jackson is dead. Michael Jackson is dead’ But they are not yet sure of the truth. “As I was walking back through the crowd it was the word on everyone’s lips.” Backstage, however, Michael Jackson songs were being played in tribute to the late artist and fans talked of an impromptu memorial held for the late singer at the “Stone Circle,” a neolithic monument in the grounds of Worthy Farm that festival-goers gather at throughout the 3-day festival. But there continues to be a sense of disbelief at the huge festival which will officially kick off tomorrow morning. Timeline: The life of Michael Jackson »
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Fans at the festival are essentially cut off from the outside world and every year rumors and hearsay abound. This means as many as 137,000 people estimated to be attending Glastonbury will take this news with a pinch of salt until they read it in one of the Glastonbury music newspapers which are printed daily. Currently there has been no official statement from the organizers of Glastonbury to tell fans of the news or to say how they will respond to the entertainers’ death. iReport: Share your memories of Michael Jackson Emily Eavis, daughter of Michael Eavis who founded the festival in 1970 wrote the following micro-blog Twitter: “So sad to hear the news about MJ. There will be tributes all over the site all weekend. A truly great artist. Emily.”Watch Michael Jackson’s life in video
British band Blur will be playing their comeback gig on the Pyramid Stage on Sunday and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are headlining on Saturday night. It is likely they will pay tribute to the 50-year-old singer. “There’s no-one playing now until tomorrow morning,” said Aldous. “It won’t become God’s honest truth until tomorrow; until someone on a stage announces it.”
