Sir Ian McKellen Teary After Joining Scissor Sisters At Glastonbury
Image: ianmckellen/Instagram, bbc/Instagram
Festival-goers were delighted when Sir Ian McKellen joined the Scissor Sisters for their show at Glastonbury Festival over the weekend.
On Saturday, Sir Ian took to the stage alongside the New York-based band to perform his monologue from their 2010 single “Invisible Light” from their third album Night Work.
McKellen also joined the band for the London show of their reunion tour back in May.
The spoken word piece acts as a bridge in the song, and invokes imagery of queer euphoric connections on club dance floors in the wee hours of the morning:
“Babylon
Where bricks of mortared diamonds tower
Sailors lust and swagger, lazing in moon’s beam
Whose laser gaze penetrates this sparkling theatre
Of excess and strobed lights
Painted whores
Sexual gladiators
Fiercely old party children
All wake from their slumber to debut the Bacchanal
Come to the light
Into the light
The invisible light”
Backstage footage posted by BBC shows Sir Ian after the performance holding his face, visibly emotional, as he realises the audience is chanting “Sir Ian McKellen” to the tune of The White Stripes’ “Eleven Nation Army”.
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“I’m concerned he may not know how much he is loved all around the world,” one user commented.
Who says 86-year-olds can’t party?
Sir Ian has had a busy Pride this year, starring in the directorial debut of a 14-year-old, as well as opening an all-trans production of Shakespearian comedy, Twelfth Night.
It’s comforting to see him well enough to public appearances like this. Last June, McKellen suffered a broken wrist and chipped vertebra after falling off a stage during a performance of Player Kings. However after taking the rest of the year off to recover, he’s been back to business as usual, and says he has no plans to retire soon.
“I shall just keep at it as long as the legs and the lungs and the mind keep working,” he told BBC Breakfast.
