Yoko Ono’s Glastonbury set prompts fierce debate, dubbed ‘worst performance ever’

YOKO Ono’s Glastonbury performance has turned into a viral sensation in recent weeks, as fans and critics debate her atonal, scream-filled set.

Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono band perform on the main Pyramid stage at Glastonbury music festival, England, Sunday, June 29, 2014. Thousands of music fans have arrived for the festival to see headliners Arcade Fire, Metallica and Kasabian. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)

EVEN the most devoted fan will concede that Yoko Ono’s music is an acquired taste.

The 81-year-old artist and musician continues to release experimental, avant garde albums, performing her music worldwide to an eager cult following.

But her recent set at one of the world’s biggest music festivals, Glastonbury, has exposed her music to a wider, younger audience. An audience that has responded with a resounding: “WTF?”

There’s no denying Ono’s music is a world away from the crowd-pleasing tunes of fellow Glastonbury headliners like Dolly Parton and Lily Allen.

One song from her set, the 1969 tune Don’t Worry Kyoko, has been viewed on YouTube more than 1.7 million time since her June performance - with ‘dislikes’ on the video outnumbering likes by more than five to one.

Debate on Twitter has been fierce, with the Yoko faithful drowned out by those who agree with other media outlets’ proclamation that Ono had delivered the ‘worst performance of all time’:

Yoko Ono is the worst singer who ever lived. Her music is used as punishment in third world countries. Watch--> http://t.co/Yx5XT3dm5p

— Ken Webster Jr. (@ProducerKen) July 9, 2014

I think Yoko Ono's piss-taking performance at the glastonbury was real fun.

— 김도훈 (@closer21) July 9, 2014

Oh man, that Yoko Ono performance at Glastonbury this year is absolutely something else! She's off her bonce! https://t.co/bkZ32y4zzE

— Josh Phillips (@ChopperPhillips) July 7, 2014

This might be the best performance of all time Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band - Don't Worry, Kyoko at Glastonbury 2014: http://t.co/tE2mM0Ftz0

— Robert Dugan (@robert_dugan) July 7, 2014

Yoko Ono at Glastonbury 2014 sounds like a pig being choked to death. I almost can't believe this is real. http://t.co/tf8cROTNTc

— Srijan Sen (@Srijan_Sen) July 6, 2014

Our verdict? Yoko Ono, you’re a legend, and we can only hope to have half your energy and ‘haters gonna hate’ attitude when we’re 81 years old.

However, we must say your Glastonbury set wasn’t a patch on your cover of Katy Perry’s Firework*:

Magical.

*Yes, we know she’s not actually singing Firework, it’s just the work of a canny YouTuber. But still, the internet was invented for clips like these.

Originally published as Yoko Ono’s Glastonbury set prompts fierce debate, dubbed ‘worst performance ever’