Neil Young Withdraws from Glastonbury 2025 Over BBC 'Corporate Control'
Neil Young Withdraws from Glastonbury 2025 Over BBC 'Corporate Control'.
The 79-year-old musician says the music festival is ‘not the way I remember it being’ after BBC ‘wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in’
Neil Young has declared that he will not take the stage at Glastonbury this year, expressing his belief that the festival is now "under corporate control" due to the BBC's involvement.
The 79-year-old Canadian musician shared a letter on his website, Neil Young Archives, on Tuesday, explaining the reasons behind his and his band, the Chrome Hearts, decision to withdraw from the annual music festival held at Worthy Farm in Somerset.
“The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all time favorite outdoor gigs,” Young wrote. “We were told that BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in. It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being.”
The BBC has been in partnership with the festival since 1997.
As of now, Young has not been officially announced as a performer for this year's Glastonbury, although there are rumors of a collaboration with Chrome Hearts. Among the other artists speculated to perform at the 2025 festival, scheduled for 27–29 June, are Olivia Rodrigo, Rihanna, Eminem, Sam Fender, and Ed Sheeran.
Currently, Rod Stewart is the only act confirmed to appear at the festival, marking his return 23 years after his last performance at Glastonbury. Additionally, Nile Rodgers inadvertently revealed that he will be performing with Chic during his acceptance speech at the Rolling Stone awards in November.
Young's last appearance at Glastonbury was in 2009, where he headlined the Pyramid stage; however, only segments of his two-hour performance were aired by the BBC. In light of feedback from Young's fans, the BBC stated that it had been "engaged in discussions for the past couple of months" with Young's management regarding the extent of his set that could be broadcast.
“Neil Young’s career has been conducted on his own terms,” the broadcaster said in a statement at the time. “Neil’s management agreed to let TV and radio broadcast five songs as they watched and listened to his performance. They believe in the live event and retaining its mystery and that of their artist.”
Young was scheduled to perform at Glastonbury in 1997; however, he withdrew after injuring his finger while preparing a ham sandwich shortly before the commencement of his European tour. At that time, he remarked, “I’d have eaten the thing in one piece if I’d known that cutting it in half would jeopardise the tour. It’s macaroni and cheese from now on.”
Typically, the headline acts for Glastonbury are announced in March, with the complete lineup disclosed in June. Tickets for the 2025 festival were sold out in a mere 32 minutes.
In the previous year, the festival featured headliners such as Dua Lipa, Coldplay, and SZA. It is anticipated that Glastonbury will take a fallow year in 2026 to allow the land to recuperate.
Last year, Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis told the BBC that fallow years are “important because it gives the land a rest, and it gives the cows a chance to be out for longer and reclaim their land. And it gives everyone time to switch off. And I think it’s quite good not to be seen to be cashing in.”
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Neil Young's withdrawal from Glastonbury 2025 feels more like a self-indulgent critique than a constructive statement. While he claims the festival is "under corporate control," the BBC's involvement since 1997 has hardly diminished its cultural significance. Young’s decision not only disappoints fans but also undermines the collaborative spirit of Glastonbury, which thrives on diverse contributions.
His criticism appears disconnected from the festival's evolution and its ability to balance artistic integrity with broader accessibility. By refusing to adapt, Young risks alienating a new generation of listeners while clinging to an idealized past that no longer reflects today’s dynamic music landscape.
