Neil Young turned down Glastonbury slot

Rock star Neil Young has announced he will not perform at Glastonbury this year, saying he believes the festival, which is partnered with the BBC, is “now under corporate control”.

79 year old canadian wrote on his website that he and his band Chrome Hearts were “looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all-time favorite outdoor events” but now they will not be at Worthy Farm in June.

Young, who headlined Glastonbury in 2009, said, “We were told that the BBC were now partners in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot of things that we had no interest in.”

“It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and it’s not like I remember.”

Young thanked fans on his website for coming to see him and his band at the festival one last time and said: “We won’t be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it’s a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be. Was .

“Hope to see you somewhere else on the tour.”

The BBC has 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 with Bruce Springsteen and Blur in 2009 – 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 originally had to pull out due to an injury after cutting his finger while making a sandwich.

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 that time It “spent the last few months” talking with Young’s management about what they could show.

The BBC said, “Neil’s management agreed to broadcast five songs while watching and listening to his performances on TV and radio. They believe in the live event and its mystery and in maintaining the mystique of their artist.”

“They’ve decided to make one song available online over the weekend to add flavor to their set. It’s Rockin’ in the Free World and that’s their decision.”

The UK’s biggest music festival Glastonbury returns to Somerset from June 25, with Rod Stewart the only officially named headliner so far in Sunday’s “Legends Slot”.

During an acceptance speech at the Rolling Stone Awards in November, guitar hero Nile Rodgers appeared to accidentally confirm that he and Chic would also play.

Tickets sold out in about 35 minutes Organizers said in November that they would be put up for resale if full payment was not made by April.