He had earlier withdrawn from the festival, calling it a “corporate turn-off” because of the BBC’s partnership, but later changed his mind.
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Neil Young’s headline performance at Glastonbury 2025 is reportedly not part of the BBC’s broadcast coverage.
The legendary singer, songwriter, and guitarist is scheduled to headline the Pyramid Stage on Saturday (June 28) with his band The Chrome Hearts. He follows The 1975, who will perform on Friday, and precedes Olivia Rodrigo, who is set to close the festival on Sunday.
The BBC has now revealed its broadcast plans for this year’s Glastonbury Festival, and it appears Neil Young’s headline set might not be shown on TV or radio. According to the announcement, coverage will be available on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds, as well as across television and radio throughout the event. The network plans to air up to 90 hours of performances from five main stages: Pyramid, Other, West Holts, Woodsies, and The Park.
This year’s presenting lineup includes Anita Rani, Annie Mac, Clara Amfo, Dermot O’Leary, Greg James, Nick Grimshaw, Steve Lamacq, Zoe Ball, and others.
A look at Saturday’s schedule shows no mention of Neil Young’s set being aired for viewers at home.
Instead, the BBC plans to cover performances from acts such as JADE, Brandi Carlile, Weezer, Good Neighbours, John Fogerty, Gary Numan, Ezra Collective, Amyl & The Sniffers, Beth Gibbons, and the enigmatic ‘Patchwork’.
Charli XCX’s major set on The Other Stage, which coincides with Neil Young’s slot, will be broadcast, as will Doechii’s performance on the West Holts Stage.
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Both of the other Pyramid Stage headliners, The 1975 and Olivia Rodrigo, are listed on the BBC’s schedule for live television and radio coverage.
We aim to bring audiences as many performances as possible from the Pyramid Stage, and our schedules and plans continue to be finalised, right up to and during the festival.
In response, a BBC spokesperson told NME:
Although the BBC hasn’t given a clear reason why Neil Young’s set isn’t included, it could be linked to past comments made by the Harvest Moon singer about Glastonbury’s partnership with the broadcaster.
Late last year, Young made headlines after sharing a statement with fans, confirming he would perform at Glastonbury as a headliner—before the official lineup was even announced—but said he pulled out due to creative differences.
This choice, he explained on Neil Young Archives, was tied to the BBC’s involvement and the event feeling like “a corporate turn-off”.
The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all time favorite 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,
his statement read.
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! 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.
Just a few days later, he reversed the decision and clarified it was a misunderstanding.
Due to an error in the information received, I had decided to not play the Glastonbury festival, which I always have loved, Happily, the festival is now back on our itinerary and we look forward to playing! Hope to see you there!
he said
Festival organiser Emily Eavis confirmed Neil Young’s return to the lineup, saying: “What a start to the year! 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.”
When questioned about the reported dispute, a BBC spokesperson told NME: “There’s always great excitement about Glastonbury’s bookings and who will appear at the legendary festival. We’ll talk more about our broadcast plans as the line-up shapes up.”
The exact nature of the “error in the information” remains unclear, and neither Neil Young nor the BBC has issued any statements about the potential lack of coverage for his headline performance.
Neil Young’s upcoming headline set marks a return to Worthy Farm, having previously topped the Pyramid Stage in 2009. That performance followed a canceled appearance 12 years earlier due to injury. His 2009 show ended with a powerful version of ‘Rockin’ In The Free World’ and a cover of The Beatles’ ‘A Day In The Life’.
Earlier this month, the ‘Heart Of Gold’ singer launched his 2025 world tour with Chrome Hearts, featuring a mix of rare and classic tracks in the lead-up to Glastonbury.
This year’s event will be the last before Glastonbury takes a fallow year in 2026. Tickets for the 2025 festival sold out in just 32 minutes last November, using a new queuing system.
Source: NME