Neil Young has announced that he will no longer be performing at Glastonbury as the festival is now "under the corporate control of the BBC".

By Leah Stanfield, Assistant Showbiz Editor

19:41, Wed, Jan 1, 2025 | UPDATED: 19:55, Wed, Jan 1, 2025

Neil Young

Neil Young has pulled out of Glastonbury 2025. (Image: Getty)

Neil Young has announced that he will no longer be performing at the Glastonbury Festival 2025 after a disagreement with the BBC.

The singer and his new live band, The Chrome Hearts, were set to appear at Worthy Farm, Somerset, this summer, 16 years after the 79-year-old headlined the Pyramid Stage.

However, a shock U-turn has caused the Canadian star to pull out of the festival, saying it was under the "corporate control" of the BBC.

In an open letter on the Neil Young Archives website, Neil wrote: "The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all time favorite outdoor gigs.

"We were told the 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.

The 2009 Glastonbury Festival

Neil Young headlined Glastonbury 16 years ago. (Image: Getty)

“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."

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