The 2022 festival carried an unusual emotional charge because it was the first full edition after pandemic cancellations. Billie Eilish brought a modern pop headliner’s confidence; Paul McCartney turned Saturday into a cross-generational singalong; Sam Fender and Olivia Rodrigo supplied some of the weekend’s younger energy.
What made the year memorable was less one perfect set than the sense of a huge cultural machine starting again. The crowd wanted release, the artists understood it, and the best performances leaned into that shared mood.
Our verdict: 4/5. A return that mattered beyond the line-up.