Shania Twain at Glastonbury: The very definition of a legend

When we think about what defines a musical legend there’s a few things we probably have to consider. For example, how long have they been around for? Has their music lasted the test of time? And relatedly, does it still resonate with people today? Without a doubt, Shania Twain passes this makeshift test as she demonstrated with her Legends slot at Glastonbury today (Sunday 30 June) 

A musical legend should also be someone with a back catalogue capable of sustaining such an iconic slot on a stage as iconic as the Pyramid stage. Again, Shania qualifies. In a sublime set, Shania manages to touch on just about every single album she has released. The only exceptions are her self-titled 1993 debut album and 2017’s Now. 

Starting strong with ‘That Don’t Impress Me Much’, the crowd is on a high and set up a fantastic hour and fifteen minutes. After the song is done and as the crowd cheers Shania removes her pink ruffle shroud to reveal a slinky and sexy little black dress with matching boots and gloves. Truly an icon. 

Shania then takes the audience on a wonderful and uplifting journey through 1995’s The Woman in Me, her iconic 1997 album Come On Over! as well as 2002’s Up! Along the way, we get hits such as ‘You’re Still the One’ which Shania makes an intimate interaction with the audience, as well as ‘Forever and for Always’. Shania is clearly touched by her fans’ endearing and continuing support for her after 27 plus years, which makes her visibly emotional. 

The beauty of a slot like this is it allows the artist to perform the iconic hits that everyone knows and loves, as well as show off some of their lesser recognised tracks. Examples of the latter here include the stomping hit and ode to getting what you want and settling for nothing less, ‘Any Man of Mine’, and also ‘Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?’ A true legend has to have both and be able to balance them. Again, Shania accomplishes this. 

After ‘Giddy Up!’ and ‘Honey, I’m Home’ there’s only twenty minutes left. Time really does fly when you’re having fun and the audience is having a ball. After that, it’s another crowd pleaser in ‘From This Moment On’ followed by ‘(If You’re Not In It For Love) I’m Outta Here’

Commenting how special it feels to be here, Shania remarks how she feels about it but it mainly serves as a segue into the epic closer, ’Man! I Feel Like A Woman!’ which there’s no question goes down well with the thousands gathered before this Queen. There’s no two ways about it, Shania Twain is an undisputed legend.