Why isn't Neil Young's Glastonbury headline set on the TV schedule?

25 June 2025, 18:29 | Updated: 28 June 2025, 23:25

Neil Young in 2025 with Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage inset. Picture: Ted Soqui/SIPA USA, Alamy, Matt Crossick/Empics/Alamy Live News

By Jenny Mensah

The Heart Of Gold singer will headline the festival on Saturday 28th June, but will you be able to watch it at home? Here's what we know so far...

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*UPDATE: iPlayer did end up streaming Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts' set live on on their Glastonbury Channel hub.

Neil Young was the first act confirmed to headline Glastonbury Festival 2025.

After some controversy, the Old Man singer announced he'd be topping the bill on the Pyramid Stage with his band The Chrome Hearts on Saturday 28th June.

However, it appears that the legendary musician's set won't be shown on television - or it at least isn't advertised on the schedule as yet. Though Young's omission from streaming and television coverage may not come as a shock to many, we take a look back at the latest news surrounding his set and if there'll be any chance to watch it.

UPDATE: iPlayer did end up streaming Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts' set live on the day on their Glastonbury Channel hub.

Will Neil Young's Glastonbury set be on TV?*

It doesn't appear that Neil Young's headline Glastonbury set on Saturday 28th January will be available to watch on TV. The Saturday schedule appears to be showing Charli xcx's headline stint on the Other Stage will be shown on BBC One from 22.30pm instead. On BBC Two there will be Glastonbury 2025 coverage at the same time... Neil Young isn't named on the latest schedule. This was backed up by organiser Emily Eavis who told Entertainment Correspondent Colin Patterson that she "does not believe” it will be shown (via Far Out).

*UPDATE: iPlayer did end up streaming Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts' set live on on their Glastonbury Channel hub.

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Neil Young last headlined Glastonbury festival in 2009. Picture: PA Images / Alamy

What did Neil Young say about Glastonbury?

At the start of the year, where Young decided to both simultaneously announce and pull out of his Glastonbury set after learning of the BBC's involvement.

Taking to his official website Neil Young Archives, the US singer-songwriter wrote: "The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all time favorite outdoor gigs. We were told that BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in."

The 79-year-old musician added: "It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being. Thanks for coming to see us the last time!"

However, there must have been a few reassuring calls made to the Keep on Rockin' In The Free World legend, because not long after he walked his comments back.

In a fresh post dated on 3rd January 2025, he wrote: "Due to an error in the information I had received, I had decided not to play Glastonbury Festival, which I always have loved. Happily the festival is now back on our itinerary and we look forward to playing. Hope to see you there!"

Emily Eavis went on to confirm the headline slot with a post which read: "What a start to the year! 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".

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Neil Young is famously anti-establishment and anti-corporation, so it's no surprise that he may have balked at the idea of his set being shown on a major streaming channel. However, it has been noted that Young did headline the festival in 2009, when the network was still providing coverage.

There's nothing to say that Neil Young won't appear in snippets or highlights on BBC iPlayer, but for now nothing has been confirmed.

Some reports suggest things are still being negotiated. A BBC spokeswoman told the Mirror: "We aim to bring audiences as many performances as possible from the Pyramid Stage, and our schedules and plans continue to be finalised, right up to and during the festival."

*UPDATE: iPlayer did end up streaming Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts' set live on on their Glastonbury Channel hub.

Read more: