Neil Young has abandoned plans to perform at England's Glastonbury festival this summer. “The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my favorite outdoor concerts of all time,” Young wrote in an open letter on his website, Neil Young Archives. “We were told that the BBC is now a partner and wanted us to do a lot for things we are not interested in. It seems Glastonbury is now controlled by corporations and it's not how I remember it.”
“We're not playing Glastonbury on this tour because it's become too commercial and for me it's not what it used to be,” he continues. “Hope to see you at one of the other concerts on the tour.”
It's not clear what the festival and the BBC asked of Young to the point that he may have found it distant enough to withdraw. The BBC is streaming much of the event, which was available globally for the first time last year. (Rolling Stone has contacted Glastonbury representatives for comment.)
Glastonbury has yet to announce artists for the summer other than Rod Stewart. But by the end of 2024 there had been reports in the British press that Young would be there. “Neil and his band Chrome Hearts are finalizing plans for next year's European dates and Glastonbury is on the cards,” a source told the Sun. “It seems Glastonbury is leaning into its rock roots, and if they manage to secure Neil it would be an amazing addition to what is already shaping up to be an incredible line up.”
Young did little to quash the rumors by telling Neil Young Archives readers that he was preparing a European tour that would mainly hit outdoor venues. In a letter to a fan published on New Year's Day, Young wrote that “summer tour announcement coming very soon.”
The last time Young played Glastonbury was on 26 June 2009. Parts of the show were broadcast by the BBC, including The Needle and the Damage Done, Words, Rockin' in the Free World and a cover of the Beatles classic A Day in the Life.
In the summer Young will play supported by his new group, the Chrome Hearts: Micah Nelson on guitar, Spooner Oldham on organ, Corey McCormick on bass and Anthony LoGergo on drums. They played their first concert at Farm Aid in September 2024. Late last year, they recorded a new album with producer Lou Adler, tentatively titled Talking to the Trees.
“I went two years without writing anything,” Young recently told Dan Hesse on his podcast Mentors Radio. “I was wondering, 'Wow, is this it?' Who knows? I can't say… This record blew me away. I'm very, very grateful for the success of being able to be there with Lou Adler producing and the Chrome Hearts playing and bringing this music out of me, which I didn't even know was there until a couple of months ago when I wrote all the songs and I recorded them.”
From Rolling Stone US
