Neil Young reversed his decision not to perform at this year's Glastonbury Festival.
The 79-year-old rocker previously announced that he and his band the Chrome Hearts would not play at this year's event, citing concerns about the BBC's involvement, which he claims places the event "under corporate control."
In a letter published Tuesday on his website, Young said the BBC was a partner in Glastonbury and "wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in," adding, "It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being."
However, Young had a change of heart, as he revealed in a new announcement on his website.
"Due to an error in the information received, I had decided to not play the Glastonbury Festival, which I always have loved," he wrote. "Happily, the festival is now back on our itinerary and we look forward to playing. Hope to see you there!"
Glastonbury organizer Emily Eavis revealed that Young will be among the headliners.
"What a start to the year!" she wrote on Instagram. "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."
It is not known whether this means Young's 2025 Glastonbury set will be televised.
The BBC has been Glastonbury's exclusive broadcast partner since 1997, providing over 50 hours of coverage annually. However, during his last performance at the festival in 2009, Young allowed the BBC to air only a brief segment of his two-hour headline set.
At the time, the corporation explained it had negotiated with Young's management for a "couple of months" over televising the performance and ultimately, it was agreed that five songs would be broadcast from Young's set on the Pyramid Stage.
"They believe in the live event and retaining its mystery and that of their artist," said Mark Cooper, the then-executive producer of the BBC's Glastonbury coverage.
"You probably won't find too many Neil Young performances available freely on TV or online," he added. "He generally prefers the audience to find his albums."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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