Neil Young has revealed that he has refused to play Glastonbury festival next summer.
The festival will return this summer, before taking off 2026 off to let the land recover. The line-up is being kept under wraps, with Rod Stewart set to play the coveted Legends slot on Sunday.
One artist who definitely won’t be playing this summer, however, is Neil Young. The Canadian-born songwriter has played Glastonbury on numerous occasions in the past, including a headline spot on the Pyramid Stage back in 2009.
In a note on his Neil Young Archives site, the songwriter revealed he had turned down a prominent Glastonbury slot, calling it a “corporate turn-off”.
Citing the increased involvement of the BBC, Neil Young explained that both he and his group The Chrome Hearts had no interest in returning to Worthy Farm.
He writes:
The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all time favorite 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. Thanks for coming to see us the last time!
———-
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
Glastonbury have not commented on the statement. The festival kicks off on June 25th.
UPDATE:
Neil Young has now revealed he will, actually, definitely, play Glastonbury after all. In a fresh post, he blames an “error in the information received” for his reaction, with Worthy Farm now part of his itinerary.
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!
LOVE
Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts
