Comedian rushes stage at Kanye West’s Glastonbury show

Kanye West’s hotly anticipated headline slot at Glastonbury festival was briefly interrupted when a comedian invaded the stage.

Lee Nelson, the comedian turned prankster, ran on to the Pyramid stage during the American rapper’s fourth song before being quickly wrestled off by a security guard. West attempted to continue with the song, Black Skinhead, but seconds later called a halt and restarted the performance. The interruption is not the first high-profile prank by Nelson, whose real name is Simon Brodkin. He managed to sneak into a photograph with the England football team before last year’s World Cup in Brazil.

“Some people were saying Kanye shouldn’t headline Glastonbury, so I thought I’d give him a hand,” Brodkin tweeted after the event.

West’s headline slot drew tens of thousands to the Pyramid stage, having been one of the most controversial bookings in recent years. An online petition against West’s appearance garnered more than 100,000 signatories. Rather than attacking his critics, West chose instead to thank fans for turning out and let his performance speak for itself.