Getty ImagesRock star Neil Young has announced he will not be performing at this year’s Glastonbury, believing the festival shared with the BBC is “now under corporate control”.
79-year-old Canadian Wrote on his website that he and his band the Chrome Hearts were “looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my favorite outdoor gigs of all time” but will no longer be at Worthy Farm in June.
“We were told that the BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot of things that we weren’t interested in,” said Young, who headlined Glastonbury in 2009.
“Glastonbury seems to be under corporate control now and not the way I remember it.”
Young took to his website to thank fans for seeing him and his band at the festival one last time, adding: “We won’t be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it’s a corporate turn-off, and for me Not as it used to be.
“Hope to see you at one of the other places on the tour.”
The BBC declined to comment on Young’s website post.
BBC News has also contacted Glastonbury Festival and Young for comment.
The festival has worked closely with the BBC since 1997, and is its exclusive broadcast partner.
Young headlined the Pyramid Stage in 2009 – alongside Bruce Springsteen and Blur – ending his set with an extended version of his track Rockin’ in the Free World and a cover of the Beatles classic A Day in the Life.
His performance came 12 years later than planned, after he was originally forced to pull out with an injury after cutting his finger while making a sandwich.
Previous Glastonbury appearance
In 2009, fans left comments on the Glastonbury website asking why the BBC was not showing all of Young’s sets on the website or on TV.
The corporation said at the time He “spent the last couple of months” talking with Young’s management about what he could show.
The BBC said, “Neil’s management agreed to allow TV and radio to broadcast five songs after they saw and heard his performance. They believe in the live event and its secrets and its artists. maintain,” said the BBC.
“They decided to make a song available online over the weekend to give a taste of their set. It’s Rockin’ In The Free World and that’s their decision.”
Glastonbury, the UK’s biggest music festival, returns to Somerset from June 25, with Rod Stewart the only headliner officially named in Sunday’s “Legends slot” so far.
During an acceptance speech at the Rolling Stone Awards in November, guitar hero Nile Rodgers appeared to casually confirm that he and Chic would be playing.
Tickets sold out in about 35 minutes. Anyone not paid in full by April will be put up for resale, organizers said in November.