Jay-Z at Glastonbury June 30, 2008

The Jiggerman slew, or killed (is this still in vogue) at Glastonbury where he headlined over the weekend against a background of criticism he was 'wrong' (according to Oasis' Noel Gallager) for the music fest. But it was all good. Jay-Z's band opened in good fun with the opening strains of 'Wonderwall'. Take that Noel! Guardian blogger Paul MacInnes rated the Jay-Z set 9 out of 10 "because nothing is perfect." The Guardian said he was overdressed with three-quarter length coat and checked scarf. Yeah, but he looked good. (A personal note to self: get one of them checked scarves and the shades looked cool too!)...Amy Winehouse wasn't so cool, jabbing one fan who she thought had thrown a hat at her beehive...the fan isn't pressing charges, saying he enjoyed her act. I worry about Amy...she's sounding a little ragged...a far cry from the voice I feel is the closest to a young Aretha Franklin...but her personal narrative is beginning to rival another of my faves, Billie Holiday. Leonard Cohen was a big hit and the Guardian said many in the audience were crying when he sang Hallelujah..."Love is not a victory march - it's a lonely and broken hallelujah." That song sang so brilliantly by Jeff Buckley on "Grace" and Famous Blue Raincoat, a song about infidelity ("...And you treated my woman to a flake of your life, and when she came back she was nobody's wife..") are my favorites in the Leonard Cohen canon. I am planning to see him this year. His concerts have been getting superlative reviews from Rolling Stone magazine, The Toronto Star and The Guardian among others.