Neil Young Withdraws from Glastonbury 2025: “It’s a Corporate Failure”

Neil Young withdraws from Glastonbury

Neil Young has announced his decision to withdraw from Glastonbury 2025, citing the festival’s transformation into a “corporate disappointment”.

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Festival details and line-up

The festival is scheduled to return to Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, starting June 25 this year, but the line-up has yet to be announced, with Rod Stewart confirmed for the Sunday afternoon Legends Slot.

While several prominent artists, including Young, were rumored to be headlining, it appears Young initially agreed to perform but later decided against it.

On my website Neil Young Archive on Tuesday (December 31), he expressed, “Chrome Hearts and I were eager to play Glastonbury, one of my favorite outdoor shows. We were informed that the BBC had become a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to engage in activities we weren’t interested in.”

“Glastonbury seems to be under corporate control now, which isn’t what I remember,” he remarked. “Thank you for visiting us for the last time!”

“We won’t be playing Glastonbury on this tour as it has turned into a corporate event that no longer suits me like it did in the past. I hope to see you at one of the other tour locations.”

Glastonbury has yet to respond to Young’s statements, and further details regarding the BBC’s inquiries to Young remain unclear. NME has reached out to Glastonbury for a comment.

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Young’s past performances and future events

Young headlined the Pyramid Stage in 2009, a performance that was initially scheduled 12 years earlier but had to be canceled due to injury. The memorable 2009 show concluded with an extended version of “Rockin’ In The Free World” and a cover of The Beatles’ “A Day In The Life.”

In other news, Rod Stewart has been confirmed for the Legends Slot in November, expressing his excitement: “I’m thrilled to announce that I will be playing at Glastonbury 2025! After all these years, I’m ready to get back on stage to entertain my friends at Glastonbury in June. Looking forward to seeing you there!”

Nile Rodgers has also been confirmed for the festival, as he revealed during his acceptance speech at the Rolling Stone Awards in November.

Tickets for Glastonbury 2025 sold out in just 32 minutes in November, thanks to a new ticket queuing system.

For those who missed out on tickets this week, there will typically be resale opportunities in the spring, although they tend to sell out quickly. This year, bus and ticket resale packages sold out in just 18 minutes, with general resale tickets going in 22 minutes.

The 2024 festival is set to feature headliners such as Dua Lipa, Coldplay, and SZA, alongside memorable performances from artists like Shania Twain, Little Simz, Fontaines DC, and IDLES.

Glastonbury will observe a fallow year in 2026.