Neil Young has bailed out of a major summer 2025 festival before his presence on the bill was even announced. In a letter on his Neil Young Archives site, the rock legend announced he and his band the Chrome Hearts were “looking forward” to playing the U.K.’s beloved Glastonbury Festival but have now opted out.
“We were told the BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot for things we were not interested in,” Young wrote. “It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being. We will not be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be. Hope to see you at one of the other venues on the tour.”
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Young did not specify what turned him off about the aforementioned requests from the festival or the BBC, which traditionally livestreams key performances from Glastonbury. Young’s last visit to the event was in June 2009, and several songs from his set aired on BBC.
Glastonbury previously confirmed Rod Stewart as one of its 2025 headliners and will reveal its full lineup in the coming weeks.
Young’s visit to the event was intended to be part of a summer European tour in mostly outdoor venues, dates for which have yet to be announced. He’ll be flanked in the Chrome Hearts by guitarist Micah Nelson, organist Spooner Oldham, bassist Corey McCormick and drummer Anthony LoGergo.
A new studio album from the group, tentatively titled Talking to the Trees, was recorded in 2024 with producer Lou Adler, but no release date has been confirmed.
To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.
