Neil Young's Glastonbury set will be screened live
In a reversal of its previous decision, Neil Young's headline set at Glastonbury Festival will now be shown live on the BBC on Saturday night, the BBC has announced.
The corporation had previously said that the Canadian rock veteran's set would not be broadcast live "at the artist's request".
A spokesperson said: "We are delighted to confirm that Neil Young's headline set from Glastonbury on Saturday will be broadcast live to audiences across the UK on the BBC."
Young's set will be shown on the BBC iPlayer Pyramid Stage stream from 10pm, as well as broadcast on BBC Two and BBC Radio 2.
A spokesperson said: "We are delighted to confirm that Neil Young's headline set from Glastonbury on Saturday will be broadcast live to audiences across the UK on the BBC."
The 79-year-old, who recently played Malahide Castle with Van Morrison, will be part of the five-day celebration of performing arts and music with his band the Chrome Hearts.
Earlier in the year the singer, who began his career in the 1960s with the band Buffalo Springfield, said he had initially turned down the offer to perform at the festival, saying it was "under corporate control" of the BBC in a message on his website.
But he then backtracked and was announced as one of the headliners, saying he had "always loved" the event and he was looking forward to performing.
Young last played Glastonbury in 2009.
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RTÉ News
29 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Glastonbury Festival 2025 ends after weekend of controversy and surprises
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Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
BBC under pressure amid criticism of ‘death to the IDF' chants at Glastonbury
Sir Keir Starmer has led criticism across the political spectrum of chants at Glastonbury for 'death' to the Israeli military as the BBC faced pressure to explain why it kept broadcasting. Rapper Bobby Vylan, of rap punk duo Bob Vylan, on Saturday led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of 'Free, free Palestine' and 'Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)'. A member of Belfast rap trio Kneecap suggested fans 'start a riot' at his bandmate's forthcoming court appearance related to a terrorism charge. Responding to the chants from Bob Vylan, the Prime Minister said: 'There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech. 'I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence. 'The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast.' A member of Kneecap said 'f*** Keir Starmer' during their performance after the Prime Minister called for the band not to play at the festival. 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Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel wrote in the Daily Mail that the incident was a 'systemic failure'. 'What happened at Glastonbury was dangerous,' she said. 'Chants calling for the death of Israeli soldiers crossed a line no civilised society should ever tolerate, and it was shameful that the BBC continued with its live broadcast of this incitement to violence. 'The fact the BBC – a national institution – broadcast this hate-fuelled content will risk legitimising and normalising those views in society.' Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to the BBC director general about Bob Vylan's performance, a Government spokesperson said. The BBC said it showed a warning during the performance and that viewers would not be able to access it on demand. Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts Stage (Ben Birchall/PA) A spokesperson for the broadcaster said: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. 'During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. 'We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.' The Israeli embassy said it was 'deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival'. The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said it would be formally complaining to the BBC over its 'outrageous decision' to broadcast Bob Vylan. 'Our national broadcaster must apologise for its dissemination of this extremist vitriol, and those responsible must be removed from their positions,' a spokesperson said. Bob Vylan, who formed in Ipswich in 2017, have released four albums addressing issues to do with racism, masculinity and class. Bobby Vylan's real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, according to reports. He is listed on Companies House as the director of Ghost Theatre Records, which is operated by Bob Vylan. Kneecap performing on the West Holts Stage (Yui Mok/PA) In a statement posted to Instagram, Vylan said: 'Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place. 'As we grow older and our fire starts to possibly dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us. 'Let us display to them loudly and visibly the right thing to do when we want and need change. 'Let them see us marching in the streets, campaigning on ground level, organising online and shouting about it on any and every stage that we are offered.' Kneecap have been in the headlines after member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence. 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'We have edited it to ensure the content falls within the limits of artistic expression in line with our editorial guidelines and reflects the performance from Glastonbury's West Holts Stage. As with all content which includes strong language, this is signposted with appropriate warnings.'
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Police assessing videos of Kneecap and Bob Vylan's Glastonbury performances
Rapper Bobby Vylan, of rap punk duo Bob Vylan, led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of: 'Free, free Palestine' and: 'Death, death to the IDF', before a member of Irish rap trio Kneecap suggested fans 'start a riot' outside his bandmate's upcoming court appearance. In a post on social media, Avon and Somerset Police said: 'We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon."
