Neil Young has officially withdrawn from performing at Glastonbury. In a December 31 letter on his Neil Young Archives website, the 79-year-old "Harvest Moon" singer revealed that he and his band, the Chrome Hearts, were backing out due to BBC's involvement and what he described as "corporate control."
According to Young, the festival has changed drastically since he last appeared. "The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all-time favorite outdoor gigs," he wrote. "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. Thanks for coming to see us the last time!"
Young added, "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." While Young didn't specify exactly what the BBC requested, the network has long been tied to the event, and 2024 marked its first global broadcast of the festival.
Rod Stewart, meanwhile, is returning to Glastonbury for the first time in 23 years to perform in June 2025. At 79, he joins a select group of artists who have played the festival at or near 80 years old, including Paul McCartney. The oldest act to take the stage, Burt Bacharach, was 87 when he performed there in 2015. Stewart recently announced he would step back from large-scale tours, though he has no plans to quit performing altogether.