The lineup for the 2025 edition of Glastonbury — the inimitable annual outdoor festival held each June near Pilton, Somerset, UK — has yet to even be announced, but Neil Young has declared that he's dropping off of it, saying the event is "now under corporate control" due to the involvement of the BBC.
UPDATE (1/3, 9:14 a.m. ET): Young has now overturned his previous decision, confirming that he and the Chrome Hearts will be playing at Glastonbury this year after all.
"Due to an error in the information received, I had decided to not play the Glastonbury festival, which I had always loved," Young wrote today in his latest NYA Times-Contrarian update. "Happily, the festival is now back on our itinerary and we look forward to playing. Hope to see you there!"
Festival organizer Emily Eavis also confirmed the news on Instagram, writing, "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."
On Tuesday (December 31), the singer-songwriter issued an update to his Neil Young Archives website's NYA Times-Contrarian news section, revealing that he and his new backing band, the Chrome Hearts, had been looking forward to playing the festival — an "all-time favourite outdoor gig" for Young.
"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," Young wrote. "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," the artist added of the festival, which he last played in 2009.
The BBC's partnership with Glastonbury dates back to 1997, but the broadcaster recently became a part-owner of the event [via Stereogum]. When Young headlined the Pyramid stage in 2009, the BBC aired select portions of the two-hour performance — and after the fact, claimed that it had spent "the last couple of months" in negotiations with the musician's management.
"Neil Young's career has been conducted on his own terms," the broadcaster said in a statement at the time. "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."
So far, Rod Stewart is the only confirmed performer for Glastonbury 2025. The fest's headline acts are usually announced in March.