Neil Young Cancels Free Concert in Ukraine Due to Security Concerns

Neil Young Cancels Free Concert in Ukraine

Neil Young has decided to cancel his upcoming free concert in Ukraine – see what he stated below.

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Earlier this month (March 3), Young announced his intention to hold a free concert in Ukraine sometime this year. The event was meant to celebrate his first performance in the country, but unfortunately, it never received a confirmed date.

Cancellation Announcement

Now, I have taken to his official website to announce the cancellation of the Ukrainian concert due to security issues. He expressed on March 20: “Our concert in Ukraine has been canceled. We had a good location near a shelter, but the changing situation on the ground was too significant.”

He added: “I could not take my team and equipment to this area with a clear conscience. My apologies to everyone. Ukraine is a great country with a strong leader. Glory to Ukraine!”

Support for Ukraine

Neil Young has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia in 2022, and he has been highly critical of former President Trump. In 2020, he filed a lawsuit against Trump for copyright violation regarding his song “Rockin’ in the Free World” and released several open letters on his website condemning the unauthorized use of his music.

Last year, he allowed Kamala Harris to use one of his songs during her campaign for vice president.

The cancellation of Young’s concert in Ukraine came after a tumultuous meeting between former US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on February 28. The two leaders met in Washington, D.C., aiming to finalize an agreement on minerals and defense. However, the summit was interrupted when US Senator JD Vance expressed concerns, during which Trump claimed that the Ukrainian leader was not “ready for peace” and accused him of “playing with the Third World War.”

Since the meeting, figures such as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have shown strong solidarity with Zelensky, especially after he held a summit of European leaders in London on March 2 to discuss how to support Ukraine moving forward.

Entertainment figures worldwide reacted to the extraordinary events on Friday, with Jack White calling Zelensky “a very courageous person who deserves our support for peace.” Meanwhile, Rod Stewart commented that “we must continue to support Ukrainians.”

Later this summer, Neil Young plans to return to the UK and Europe as part of his world tour “Love Earth” with Chrome Hearts.

This includes a performance at the Glastonbury festival at the end of June, as well as a slot at BST Hyde Park next month. For the latter, Yusuf/Cat Stevens and Van Morrison will join him, with additional acts to be announced later. Visit tickets here.

In addition to live performances, Young recently released his first track with his band The Chrome Hearts, titled “Big Change.” He has also provided updates on his debut album with the group, stating that he hopes to release it in April before the summer tour.

“Now in the mastering stage, to prepare vinyl, compact discs, and digital copies,” wrote Neil Young. “I am very happy and relieved that I completed it in the short time that it took. The album art is finished and sent to Jenis. I am currently working on the lyric sheets, hoping to handwrite the words and input them over time …”