It is widely acknowledged that Barry Gibb’s year at Glastonbury was 2017.
One of the most exciting performances in the 52-year history of the festival was the Bee Gees’ turn as the main attraction during Glastonbury’s coveted “legend slot.”
Few people realized that a historic occasion was about to happen when 75-year-old Barry Gibb took the stage at the Pyramid that Sunday night, standing in silhouette in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators, with millions more watching around the world.
The Bee Gee went on to play fifteen of the best songs of the past four decades, ranging from love ballads to disco classics and everything in between. It was an unforgettable night for everyone in the audience.
Through the hypnotic beats of “Nigh Fever,” “Tragedy,” and numerous other songs, Barry Gibb transported the audience back in time, starting with the uplifting, upbeat bars of “Jive Talking” and “Islands In The Stream” and ending with the heartbreaking classics “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?” “To Love Somebody,” “Words,” and “How Deep Is Your Love.”
However, the crowd went completely crazy for one song, “Stayin’ Alive,” which has been a dance floor staple for decades and is regarded as one of the greatest disco hits in the world.
The song was the second single from the well-known Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, which revolutionized disco music, and it was released in 1977.
The song has been consistently ranked as one of the greatest songs in its 45-year history since it was first released.
‘Stayin’ Alive’ was named No. 99 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs in 2021, and it was ranked No. 9 in AFI’s assessment of the best songs in American cinema in 2004.
The singer admitted his nervousness about playing without his siblings before he entered the stage, even though the Bee Gee’s iconic solo set went down in festival history and solidified “Stayin’ Alive” as one of the country’s favorite anthems.
Barry explained that he built his Glastonbury act as a tribute to his late brothers, Robin and Maurice Gibb.
I really miss them, so I don’t like being alone. I still sense them. I can smell the breath of my brothers. I get that feeling that they are right there,” he said in a moving interview with the Daily Mirror hours before the famous Glastonbury performance.
“I feel as if they are there guiding me. I can’t say how. We were a group for 45 years. We were glued to each other.”
The singer continued by admitting that he was nervous about performing as a solo artist, saying, “I don’t like being on stage on my own.” “My brothers are missed. Being on stage by myself makes me anxious since it’s so unfamiliar to me.
Each of us would rely on the others. We would somehow make it through every show if I relied on Maurice and Robin and they relied on me.
“We understood one another’s emotions. I was aware of their viewpoints. It wasn’t a democracy, and we were three brothers.
As three brothers, we had to come to an agreement. We didn’t do anything if one of them didn’t like it.
Maurice Gibb, Barry’s twin brother, died in 2003 from complications from a twisted intestine, and Robin Gibb, Barry’s brother, died in 2012 after a long battle with cancer.
