Neil Young Pulls Out of Glastonbury 2025, Saying Festival Is Under the BBC’s “Corporate Control”

Musician Neil Young has pulled out of the U.K.’s biggest music festival Glastonbury, citing the “corporate control” of the BBC.

The Canadian-American singer, 79, wrote on his website Tuesday to explain that he and his new band, the Chrome Hearts, had booked a slot at Worthy Farm in June, but they will no longer play as the broadcaster “wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in.”

“The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all-time favorite outdoor gigs,” Young said. “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.”

He continued: “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.”

The BBC has been a partner of the festival since 1997, airing all performances, including the coveted headline spots. The corporation took over broadcasting the event from Channel 4 and since then, its coverage has boomed via the BBC’s radio stations, website and streaming service iPlayer, making Glastonbury available to those not so fortunate to get a ticket. The BBC and Glastonbury Festival did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Hollywood Reporter.

Young, who headlined the Pyramid stage in 2009, had not yet been confirmed for the June 27-29 fest, though his Chrome Hearts were rumored to play alongside acts such as Olivia Rodrigo, Eminem, Rihanna and Ed Sheeran.

The only confirmed star so far is Rod Stewart, set to play the Legends slot.