Between the trademark xylobands, yellow balloons and butterfly confetti, everyone knew to expect Coldplay’s Glastonbury finale set to be nothing short of the biggest party on earth, but the band didn’t stop at the expected. One of the biggest surprises from the band last night was the performance of The Bee Gee’s “Staying Alive” with a real live Bee Gee: Barry Gibb.
During the band’s set encore, a video was projected of Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis saying he is often asked which bands he wishes could play the festival. He said that most of them have died, “but one that I seriously wanted, and of course it was The Bee Gees. Fantastic band, lovely songs.”
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin then said “we can do you one better, Michael,” and introduced the 69-year-old Gibb, the last living member of The Bee Gees. Gibb and Martin played an acoustic rendition of The Bee Gees’ “To Love Somebody” and then launched into “Staying Alive” with the full band. The crowd was full of disco moves and Gibb’s vocals sounded pretty dang close to what they did 40 years ago. Gibb was set to play Glastonbury’s legend slot this year, but was replaced by ELO (formerly known as Electric Light Orchestra) when he backed out due to a family member’s illness.
This year was Coldplay’s fourth time headlining Glastonbury, making them the band who has done it the most. Another highlight from the set included a tribute and cover of “Boys That Sing” from Viola Beach, a young band that was killed in a car accident earlier this year. Watch Gibb stay alive with Coldplay here.