Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts will headline Glastonbury this coming Saturday, but breaking from tradition, the performance will not broadcast on the BBC.
Back in January, after Young was among the first artists named for the 2025 Glastonbury, the rocker announced he was pulling out of his headlining gig due to the festival’s partnership with the BBC.
“We were told the BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot for things we were not interested in. It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being,” Young said at the 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.”
However, days later, Young rejoined the festival, writing that he left “due to an error in the information received” and that “happily, the festival is back on our itinerary and we look forward to playing!”
Six months later, it appears Young’s issues were with the BBC and not Glastonbury: When the broadcaster revealed its festival schedule earlier this week, Young was noticeably absent, as per his wishes.
“At the artist’s request, we won’t be live streaming Neil Young’s set,” a BBC spokesperson said in a statement to the Telegraph. “Our plans, including those for our TV highlights shows and on-demand coverage, continue to be finalized right up to and during the festival.” Viewers will instead be shown Charli XCX’s Glastonbury set while Young is headlining the Pyramid Stage.
Young last performed at Glastonbury on June 26, 2009, with the BBC only airing portions of his set. “The BBC has spent the last couple of months talking to Neil’s management about how much of his set we might be able to show on TV, radio and online over Glastonbury weekend,” they wrote in a statement to fans wondering why the whole thing wasn’t shown. “Neil Young’s career has been conducted on his own terms. Last night 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.”
