Neil Young will play Glastonbury 2025 after backtracking on criticism of the festival.
The singer self-confirmed an appearance at the music event on Friday (3 January), one day after claiming he had withdrawn from the bill due to the BBC “wanting us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in”.
Young, 79, accused Glastobury of being under “corporate control” of the corporation – but has now said in a statement: “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!”
It is unknown whether Young, who will perform with his band The Chrome Hearts, will be headlining. So far, no headline acts have been announced for the festival, which is scheduled to take place in June, but Sir Rod Stewart was confirmed to be playing in this year’s Legends slot.
Young previously hit out at festival organisers, revealing he had pulled out of a planned appearance. In an open letter posted to his website on Tuesday, the “Harvest Moon” musician wrote: “The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all-time favourite 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.
“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.”
In his statement, Young did not expand on the details of the BBC’s requirements that he had taken issue with. The BBC and Glastonbury declined to comment.
Emily Eavis, who runs the festival with her father Michael, has previously praised the corporation’s coverage as “an integral part of what we do at Glastonbury”, with the partnership established in 1997.
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Young previously headlined Glastonbury in 2009, with many fans complaining about the BBC’s coverage of his two-hour set after a mere five songs were shown.
The corporation responded at the time: “Many viewers have left comments on the Glastonbury website asking why we are not showing all of Neil Young’s set on the website or last night on television.
“The BBC has spent the last couple of months talking to Neil’s management about how much of his set we might be able to show on TV, radio and online over Glastonbury weekend.
“Neil Young’s career has been conducted on his own terms. Last night Neil’s management agreed to let TV and radio broadcast five songs as they watched and listened to his performance. They believe in the live event and retaining its mystery and that of their artist.”
