Neil Young confirms Glastonbury headline slot after previously withdrawing from festival
The rock icon is heading to Worthy Farm after all, it seems.
By Nick Reilly
It’s been the first rock and roll rollercoaster of 2025, and Neil Young has confirmed that he is playing Glastonbury Festival in 2025 after all.
In an open letter shared on his site earlier this week, Young said the “corporate control” of the BBC was the reason for him backing away from the gig.
“The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all time favourite outdoor gigs,” Young wrote in an open letter on the Neil Young Archives. “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. It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being.”
But just three days later, it seems like the show is back on.
“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! See you there!,” he wrote on his website. “LOVE, Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts.”
Confirming the gig, Glastonbury boss Emily Eavis wrote on Instagram: “What a start to the year! Neil Young is an artist who’s very close to our hearts at Glastonbury. He does things his own way and that’s why we love him. We can’t wait to welcome him back here to headline the Pyramid in June.”
It’s unclear what exactly Glastonbury and the BBC were requesting of Young that he initially found distasteful enough to pull out of the festival. The BBC broadcasts and streams large portions of the event, and it was available globally for the first time last year. (Rolling Stone reached out to reps for Glastonbury for comment.)
Glastonbury has yet to announce performers for the summer besides Rod Stewart. But articles hit the U.K. press in late 2024 that Young would be playing. “Neil and his band the Chrome Hearts are firming up plans for European dates next year and Glastonbury is on the cards,” a source told The Sun. “Glastonbury appears to be leaning back into its roots of rock, and if they can secure Neil it would be an amazing addition to what is already shaping up to be an incredible lineup.”
Young last played Glastonbury on June 26, 2009. Portions of the show were broadcast on the BBC, including ‘The Needle and the Damage Done’, ‘Words’, ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’, and a cover of the Beatles classic ‘A Day in the Life’.
This summer, wherever Young plays, he’ll be backed by his new group the Chrome Hearts. It features Micah Nelson on guitar, Spooner Oldham on organ, Corey McCormick on bass, and Anthony LoGergo on drums. They played their first gig at Farm Aid in September 2024. Late last year, they recorded a new album with producer Lou Adler tentatively titled Talking to the Trees.
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