Neil Young to headline Glastonbury 2025 after backtracking on festival criticism
‘The festival is now back on our itinerary,’ singer said after prematurely cancelling appearance due to ‘error’
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Your support makes all the difference.Neil Young will headline Glastonbury 2025 after backtracking on his recent criticism of the festival.
The singer confirmed the decision on Friday (3 January), only days after claiming he had withdrawn from the bill due to the BBC “wanting us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in”.
Young, 79, had accused Glastonbury of being under the “corporate control” of the broadcaster – but has now said in a statement: “Due to an error in the information received, I had decided to not play the Glastonbury Festival, which I always have loved. Happily, the festival is now back on our itinerary and we look forward to playing! Hope to see you there!”
Festival co-organiser Emily Eavis celebrated the announcement with her own post on Instagram, writing: “What a start to the year! Neil Young is an artist who’s very close to our hearts at Glastonbury. We can’t wait to welcome him back here to headline the Pyramid in June.”
Hinting at the confusion Young had caused with his initial statement, which announced that he had withdrawn from the festival, Eavis said: “He does things his own way and that’s why we love him.”
So far, no other acts have been announced for the event, which is scheduled to take place in June, apart from Sir Rod Stewart, who will be playing in this year’s Legends slot.
Earlier this week, Young hit out at the festival organisers, revealing that he had pulled out of a planned appearance. In an open letter posted to his website on Tuesday, the musician, whose most famous songs include “Harvest Moon” and “Like a Hurricane”, wrote: “The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all-time favourite outdoor gigs.
“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.
“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. Love Neil. Be well.”
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In his statement, Young did not expand on the details of the BBC’s requirements that he had taken issue with. The BBC and Glastonbury declined to comment.
Eavis, who runs the festival with her father Michael, has previously praised the corporation’s coverage as being “an integral part of what we do at Glastonbury”, after the partnership was established in 1997.
Young previously headlined Glastonbury in 2009, with many fans complaining about the BBC’s coverage of his two-hour set after a mere five songs were shown.
The corporation responded at the time: “Many viewers have left comments on the Glastonbury website asking why we are not showing all of Neil Young’s set on the website or last night on television.
“The BBC has spent the last couple of months talking to Neil’s management about how much of his set we might be able to show on TV, radio and online over Glastonbury weekend.
“Neil Young’s career has been conducted on his own terms. Last night 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.”
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