Did Duff McKagan just confirm Guns N' Roses for Glastonbury? "Glastonbury's going to be iconic for us"

Guns N' Roses
(Image credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan appears to have confirmed that the LA hard rock legends will play Glastonbury Festival this summer.

Back in 2021, in an exclusive interview with Metal Hammer, Glastonbury booker Emily Eavis said, "I think Guns N’ Roses need to play here at some point, don’t they?", and McKagan seems to have confirmed the rumour that the band have been lined up as a 2023 headliner during an interview on his SiriusXM radio show Three Chords & The Truth.

Referencing the band's summer plans, and revealing that Guns will be announcing "a bunch of stuff", McKagan picks up on a comment that the band's forthcoming British Summer Time show at London's Hyde Park on June 30 will be "iconic", adding "and Glastonbury's going to be iconic for us."

You can hear the relevant snippet from McKagan's interview here.

With Guns N' Roses definitely in the UK on the weekend after Glastonbury, rumours had intensified in recent weeks that they would play the iconic Somerset site this year: festival rumours site eFestivals have had the band listed as a 'TBC' headliner.

Elton John has already been confirmed to headline the festival's Sunday night. The announcement marks both Elton John's first ever set at the UK's biggest music festival, as well as what will be his final ever UK show, taking place on his extensive Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, which has taken in hundreds of dates around the world.

"I couldn’t be more excited to be headlining the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 2023 and celebrate the greatest festival in the world!" comments Elton John. "Every week I speak to new artists on my radio show and Glastonbury is often cited as a pivotal moment in launching their careers - the festival’s genuine, enthusiastic support for the best emerging talent is something I’ve long admired. Thank you for having me Emily Eavis for my final UK show - it’s going to be emotional."

Rumours abound that Arctic Monkeys will be announced as the third headline act for the 2023 event.

Glastonbury tickets are currently sold out.

Paul Brannigan
Contributing Editor, Louder

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.