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Neil Young pulls out of Glastonbury due to BBC involvement

by 72 Comments

Didn’t even know he was booked to appear.

He and his new band the chrome Hearts will apparently
be doing other outdoor gigs around the UK and Europe.
this summer.

While hope he comes to Ireland, pray it isn’t Croke Park

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Comments

  2. I find this report very disturbing, and would love to know the full details. I’m a big Neil Young fan, but would find him headlining a Glastonbury stage to be a very odd booking, given the current profile of the Glastonbury punters. I wonder if they tried to put him on earlier in the day, as they have done with other rockier acts like Guns n Roses, and used the BBC coverage as a justification.

  6. Given the number of people in the UK and Ireland who contacted/spread COVID at outdoor events like March 2020’s Cheltenham Gold Cup race meet, not sure about the effectiveness of Neil’s no indoor gigs policy.

    Amazing to think that it’s five years since COVID first began moving from “and in other news….” to “tonight’s top story” status

  8. They, the BBC, probably wanted a set of Greatest Hits (circa 1975), from a yearning doleful solo artist, rather than raggedy andy shirt tails out rawk from some grizzled old geezers.

  10. The headline slot comes with the BBC broadcast. When he last headlined in 2009 (Friday night, when the news of Michael Jackson’s death was announced) IIRC the Beeb only got 4-5 songs to broadcast from him – and have you ever seen them repeated? I haven’t. For many, a tv broadcast is not a problem, and it would be seen as a plus, eg, Dua Lipa. Headline acts can negotiate on this: In 2022, Macca negotiated a one hour delay on BBC1 and an overnight delay for iPlayer, apparently to ensure the audio mix was up to scratch. I’ve never heard any evidence that Glasto or the Beeb making demands of anyone’s setlist ever. Overall, headliners don’t do Glasto for the money, because they pay below the rate of other festivals, it’s to do with kudos and exposure.

    Assuming Neil was offered a headline slot, he just wanted to do it his way, and he didn’t want to be on tv with it. That’s fine, it’s his prerogative, but don’t piss on our heads and tell us it’s raining, Neil. Complaining of Glasto + BBC being corporate is a bit of a stretch: The not for profit festival and the licence-fee supported TV network? I note the Daily Express headline is that Neil “makes savage dig at BBC”. Well done Neil on giving grist to the anti-BBC mill.

    Of course, assuming Neil wasn’t offered a headline slot, that’s a different thing.

    [Side point: I can’t imagine he is big enough to do Croke Park in Dublin. My money is on a Marley or Malahide show.]

    • I doubt he was offered a headline slot which could be the issue. But really it is just Neil being Neil.

      I saw him (with Crazy Horse) at the “Budweiser Stage” (an outdoor amphitheatre) in Toronto last May and he insisted that all references to that pathetic brew were covered up everywhere, and other beers were sold at the venue on that night.

      I am interested in whether the BBC do have any input into who plays the festival. As it is probably their biggest outdoor broadcast where they are the sole broadcaster it is probably in their interests to have acts that will pull in the viewers. But, in the end, according to Jo Whiley, all performances there are “historic” and “amazing”

      • They wouldn’t say that if “Dumpy’s Rusty Nuts” were playing. And why have neither “The Damned”, “Hawkwind”, “Gong”, or “System 7” been on the BBC’s coverage when they have been playing? Nor Pigs 7, who I am sure played Glastonbury a year or so back. The BBC are not giving me my licence-fee’s worth, nor meeting their charter to inform and educate.

          • Last I heard, Dumpy was unwell. I very occasionally work in Brum with a guy who ran a local crew company and used Dumpy from time to time. About 5 years ago, he said that apart from getting on a bit, Dumpy’s mental health wasn’t good after a series of setbacks.

            • Sad news. The joyous abandon of Dumpy captures a moment and attitude now seemingly lost from life. I can imagine most modern youth seeing him and his oeuvre and looking like they’ve trodden in something unpleasant. More fool them.

    • He’s just a diva isn’t he? Being difficult to assert his self-importance.

      If Dua Lipa, for example, a young woman with spangly outfits, behaved like this no-one would question that this is what she was. But with an elderly man in grungy flannel shirt and jeans, he’s an artist “exercising control.”

      • There’s some assumptions with this leading to certain judgements when maybe we don’t know the true story but we like to think we do know. As so often happens. At the end of the day I don’t care so much about Glastonbury. It’s not what it was, but Neil will always be that performer who made those great records which is what counts. He’s also not what he was. I think with these people their awkwardness and eccentricities is what makes them the great artist they are. You have to be driven and obsessesive, which can mean being a bit of a prat but so what.

  14. This Jo Whiley bollocks is just not on. All presenters for Glastonbury do similar over-enthusiasm, as far as I can tell, but she gets it in the neck. It’s entirely possible that she gets the job because she genuinely enjoys it. But a female presenter can’t possibly enjoy ‘our’ music, right…?

    I mean yes, it’s also a bit annoying, but not THAT annoying.

    • It’s entirely possible she’s annoying because she is rather vacuous in her presenting style and it’s nothing to do with her sex. That’s my position at least. These kind of generalised assumptions about people’s motivations are quite annoying too. How can you know what they are?

      • Mine too. Full disclosure, I rarely watch any of it as all the presenters are annoying, she’s the only one I know the name of. The last act I watched was Kylie.

      • Fair point, and duly noted. I don’t know what anyone thinks – and barely know what I think myself half of the time. I think my point is that all of the presenters do something similar, the only one who didn’t really do this was Peel – I think Whiley and Peel were a sort of yin-yang situation.

        My point was that they all do it, and the ‘female presenters assumption’ (TMFTL) was a bit rude. Sorry.

        (Having a bad time at the moment, for various reasons, sorry again)

        • It’s ok, I didn’t really need to snap back so much. The last two sentences weren’t really necessary. I just find these assumptions bug me a bit. It’s not the first time somebody’s made that point and it won’t be the last regarding the Wiley question. 😉

        • I mentioned Jo Whiley because she is the one I know and to her credit has been doing the coverage for decades. Many years before that I remember Peter Powell being enthusiastic about everything too on the radio and TOTP.

          So I am sure other presenters do it too, I just don’t know who they are

  15. As others have pointed out, Neil does have form in this regard. He just doesn’t like being told what to do. It will be interesting to find out definitively, but I imagine it must be down to scheduling or giving the BBC control over what goes out on air. I can’t imagine they would be trying to insist on a playlist. Essentially, the BBC are sponsors, and he doesn’t like that sort of thing.

    As for the presenters, what do you expect them to say? ‘Oh, I thought Rod Stewart’s set was a bit iffy and his voice has gone, hasn’t it? Meanwhile over on the Other Stage, someone you have never heard of….’.

  18. Seriously, though – what a prat. Has only succeeded in making himself look ridiculous. No doubt the Daily Express, GB News et al, are giving blanket coverage to the news that the BBC are not to blame for something.

    • I don’t know, he has indelibly printed his presence as being worthy of “Glastonbury Headliner” status at 80 years old, whether you agree he is or not. He will mean little to many attendees these days, bar the grizzled habituates who are doomed, like the undead, to perpetually stalk their old stumbling grounds. His 5 songs will be avidly viewed on telly by the Glastonbury’s not what it was legions, who complain about pop music bill toppers.
      If Emily pops him on stage, late on Sunday, it’s win win, as many will have gone home by then, he still keeping his status and pride. Were I attending it would be a tough call. The advantage of a likely depleted crowd in the Pyramid field would be a plus, but not if my knees were playing up like my last time at Pilton.

      • He’s only 79! I am amazed he will headline. He doesn’t have enough hits for the tea time singalong thingy and I think many will move to other stages or try and find their tent if he appears late at night.

        I wouldn’t, he’s still a brilliant live performer if you catch him on the right night, but 20 minute feedback drenched offerings are not for everyone

  20. I’m weirdly fascinated by the amount of effort folk are prepared to put in to comment on a headliner they won’t listen to at a festival they’re not going to on a channel they don’t watch. Whereas I’m more interested in seeing where this fits in the pantheon of weird, inexplicable or curmudgeonly things Neil Young has done in his life. Off the top of my head, this isn’t even top ten.

    • @Skirky

      Agreed

      I think the “Eat a Peach’ end of the Stills Young tour in 76 would be up near the top of that list.

      His inexplicable decision to never again play with the band who did that stunning version of Keep on Rocking on SNL would be in there somewhere

      Playing the reprise of Tonight’s the Night when a disgruntled punter shouted out “play something we know” during his 73 tour would be a third entry

      Having his barn re-roofed with copies of Comes a Time because he rejected the record company’s cover recommendation would also merit a place…

      I’m sure you and @Dai can come up with loads more…

        • Fine album

          Neil is often a bit of a jerk though, artistic temperament and all that. Loads and loads of examples. I forgive him for so many great albums and live gigs

          In his favour he did (co) run the Bridge School concerts for 30 years raising funds for disabled children

          • One of my favourite records of all time.

            Anyhoo – Skipping out on Buffalo Springfield just before they did The Johnny Carson Show didn’t do them any favours. I always enjoy the standard rejoinder to;
            Used to play in a rock ‘n roll band,
            But they broke up
            We were young and we were wild
            It ate us up
            Now I’m not saying who was right or wrong
            which is “You, Neil. It was you”.

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