Neil Young says he’s not ready to perform live shows yet: ‘I don’t think it is safe in the pandemic’

‘I miss it very much,’ singer said

Neil Young accused Spotify of ‘spreading false information about vaccines – potentially causing death’ by hosting The Joe Rogan Experience podcast (Isabel Infantes/PA). (PA Archive)

Neil Young has said that he’s still not ready to play live shows.

While responding to a fan’s letter on his website over the weekend, the 76-year-old singer said that he “isn’t ready” to play live shows yet.

“I will not be at Farmaid [festival] this year,” Young wrote. “I am not ready for that yet. I don’t think it is safe in the pandemic. I miss it very much.”

The last time Young performed live was in 2019.

In December 2021, the “Harvest Moon” singer told Howard Stern that he wouldn’t be returning to touring until Covid-19 was “beat”.

“I don’t care if I’m the only one who doesn’t do it,” he said.

(Getty Images)

Earlier this year, Young also told Spotify to delete his music from the streaming service over their partnership with Joe Rogan.

His former bandmates David Crosby, Graham Nash, and Stephen Stills also joined him in this move.

In a since-deleted letter posted on his website on 24 January, Young wrote that he did not appreciate Spotify’s affiliation with Rogan and his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, which he accused of spreading “false information” regarding Covid-19 vaccines.

Addressing his management team at LookoutManagement and Warner Bros, Young wrote: “Please immediately inform Spotify that I am actively canceling all my music availability on Spotify as soon as possible.

“I am doing this because Spotify is spreading false information about vaccines – potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them,” he wrote.

Earlier this month, Crosby, Stills and Nash’s music returned to Spotify, having previously been removed in solidarity with Young, their former bandmate.

Crosby responded to a fan asking why the band’s music had returned to Spotify, writing: “I don’t own [the music] now and the people who do are in business to make money.”