Jo Hale via Getty Images
Neil Young, here in July 2019.
CULTURE – Rant. Folk-rock legend Neil Young announced this Thursday, January 2, that he was withdrawing from the lineup of the Glastonbury festival, in the southwest of England, accusing him of having fallen “under control” of the BBC, partner of the musical event which will take place at the end of June.
The 79-year-old American-Canadian musician explained on his website that he had ” haste “ to play at Glastonbury, which he describes as one of his favorite outdoor concert venues. The artists who will perform for the 2025 edition of the festival have not yet been announced, but rumors gave him there with his group The Chrome Hearts.
According to the singer, the BBC “wanted us to do a lot of things in ways we weren’t interested in”. “It seems that Glastonbury is now under corporate control and the festival is no longer what I remember it being”he continues.
No details on disagreements
Neil Young, who performed at the 2009 edition, does not clearly explain the requests from the BBC and the festival which pushed him to make this decision. Glastonbury concerts are widely broadcast on the British public broadcasting group’s channels.
In 2009, Neil Young fans criticized the BBC for not broadcasting the concert in its entirety. The audiovisual giant then explained that it had “past two months” to negotiate with Neil Young’s entourage what could or could not be broadcast. This artist “believes in live concerts and in preserving its mystery”the BBC indicated at the time, as it recalled on Thursday on its website.
Glastonbury and the BBC, a partner of the festival since 1997, did not respond to requests from AFP. The festival, which began in 1970, will take place from June 25 to 29, before taking a break in 2026 to let the soil of Worthy Farm, where the event takes place, rest.
Only artist announced: Rod Stewart
According to accounts declared to the British commercial register, Glastonbury’s profits more than doubled in the fiscal year between March 2023 and March 2024. They amount to 5.9 million pounds (7.11 million euros) before taxes, it was announced Thursday.
Under festival policy, £5.2 million was donated to charities including Oxfam, Greenpeace and WaterAid.
On sale in mid-November, tickets for the 2025 edition were sold out in 35 minutes. You have to pay 373.50 pounds for a ticket and five pounds for the reservation fee, or 452 euros. Rock star Rod Stewart is the only artist to have been announced so far.
Last June, around 210,000 people attended the event, which included performances by Coldplay, Dua Lipa and SZA.
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