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Hour of Stones' Glasto set for TV

Music fans will be able to watch an hour of The Rolling Stones' headline set at Glastonbury on TV after a compromise was reached in a row over coverage of the set.

The band, playing for 90 minutes on the Saturday night of the music festival, had reportedly initially limited the BBC to broadcasting four songs from their show. Urgent talks were then held between the parties.

Speaking as he gears up for next week's opening of the Somerset festival, now in its 43rd year, organiser Michael Eavis said: "I think they're all friends now.

"They're going to be playing for about an hour for the TV.

"I think Mick Jagger wanted to play to the people here, rather than a TV show."

Only those at the festival will see the band's final half hour, with fireworks set to light up the sky over the Worthy Farm site. Fans can expect a spectacular show, with 90 minutes between the end of the previous set on the Pyramid Stage - by Primal Scream - and the arrival of The Rolling Stones to allow for their set to be built.

Michael admitted that they could even be too popular. "With the whole Stones thing, there might be a problem with the size of the crowd so it's slightly worrying for me, in a way," he said.

The Pyramid area has been extended to allow for the thousands of fans expected for the band's set in a bid to avoid any problems with overcrowding, Mr Eavis added. "I'll be in there myself," he said. "I'd love to see the Stones. It's taken a long time to get them to come and play."

What he described as "even better" than having the veteran rockers performing at his Worthy Farm site was the expected appearance of another festival rarity - the sun. "We're particularly excited because the forecast is fantastic from Tuesday," said Mr Eavis. "It's going to be a mini heatwave, can you believe it? I'm thrilled."

Glastonbury Festival opens its gates next Wednesday, with the main bands playing from Friday. The official Glastonbury 2013 app from festival partner EE, which includes set times, news and interactive maps, will feature live streams of the BBC's coverage over the weekend.

Source: music.uk.msn.com
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