Neil Young will headline the Glastonbury Festival Pyramid Stage this year, overturning his earlier vow to snub the iconic event. The 79 year old rock legend had previously declared that he and The Chrome Hearts wouldn’t perform at Worthy Farm due to BBC’s involvement in the festival, however, he now cites “an error in the information I received” as the motive for his original withdrawal.
Confirming his return on his website with joy, Neil said: “Due to an error in the information received, I had decided not to play the Glastonbury Festival, which I have always loved. Happily, the festival is now back on our itinerary and we look forward to playing. Hope to see you there.”
Overjoyed Glasto organiser Emily Eavis expressed her excitement on social media, penning: “What a start to the year ” She added her warm thoughts about the ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ singer: “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.”
Neil Young’s last Glastonbury slot was in 2009
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The details of whether this U-turn means the BBC will broadcast Young’s performance are still unknown. He previously allowed only a snippet of his two-hour headline gig in 2009.
In a prior comment, Young suggested his distaste towards the festival was due to his belief that it had fallen under “corporate control,” shunning the chance to bring his music to its stages once again.
In a note on his website, he expressed: “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. Thanks for coming to see us the last time! ” He further 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 tour. ” Signing off with “LOVE Neil” and “Be well (sic)”.
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