The Chrome Hearts’ singer, 79, made his festival debut on Saturday night with his band at Pyramid Stage, but the audience wasn’t as big as they had anticipated.
Neil Young’s headliner at Glastonbury Festival failed to attract large crowds when it kicked off on Saturday night, we can reveal.
The iconic singer, best known for songs such as Rockin’ In The Free World, Like A Hurricane and Cinnamon Girl, headlined the festival’s Pyramid Stage on Saturday night with his band the Chrome Hearts. He opened his set with the song Sugar Mountain, saying “thank you folks” to the crowd as he finished singing.
The stage was initially smaller than anticipated due to the headlining set’s size. However, more people joined the crowd to watch Neil perform his hits, including Harvest Moon, as he started playing, and the size of the crowd increased.
READ MORE: Neil Young’s Glastonbury performance will air on the BBC in dramatic U-turn
The crowd appeared sparse just 10 minutes before Neil’s performance in an image shared by a festival-goer on X. Neil Young on in ten minutes, the photo’s caption read. That is a pretty small ol crowd. “.
Another person claimed that Charli XCX’s “Aurora audience” is likely more popular than Neil Young’s. The person who published the photo at the beginning said: “Yeah. Skepta just arrived there, and it was already “overrammed” there.
One person remarked, “It is a festival that is more geared toward young people.” According to some, “Pyramid stage field isn’t even 1/4 full by looks.” Shame on Neil Young, who sounds fairly good.
Some people posted comments on social media saying they didn’t like Neil as a headliner, and that they thought it was the worst Glasto Saturday night pyramid booking ever. He’s more of a Sunday evening slot, I suppose.
Another claimed that Neil Young should not headline Glastonbury on Saturday night. Zero production value, and the audience appears to be dozing off. This #Glastonbury set is not the one, according to another user who tweeted: “Neil Young may be a legend in his own right.” especially for a headline for Saturday.
However, some online users expressed more positive thoughts, such as “Wife’s favorite on now, Neil Young.” She is yelling along. Another user tweeted, “Neil Young demonstrating the process to every guitarist”! “No words can express how much I love this man,” a fan said.
There were “terrifying people questioning Neil Young’s leadership of Glasto.” one of the greatest rockers and song writers in the past 50 years. God bless Neil Young, another wrote.
Initially, the BBC said Neil’s set would not be shown on TV “at the artist’s request” but earlier today, the singer had a change of heart and it was eventually shown on TV. A spokesperson for the BBC 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.”
During his performance, Neil appeared to make a reference at the BBC streaming his set as he said at some point: “Hello to people watching in their bedrooms.” Among the songs he performed this evening were Be The Rain, When You Dance I Can Really Love, Cinnamon Girl and Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black), with lyrics that reference Johnny Rotten, the stage name of Sex Pistols’ John Lydon. Neil announced last year he would play Glastonbury in 2025, only to retract his decision upon learning of the BBC’s involvement, but then later changed his mind.
Colin Paterson, a presenter for the BBC, responded to my earlier question on Friday: “I asked [event co-organisator] Emily Eavis what was going on. She said she doesn’t think Neil Young’s set will be broadcast by the BBC. There have been various backstage arguing and negotiations, but the BBC won’t be able to broadcast Neil Young’s headline performance on Saturday night as it stands right now. Instead, Charli will be shown.
Only five songs were broadcast during Neil’s 2009 performance at Glastonbury. When Mark Cooper, the then executive producer of the BBC’s Glastonbury coverage, said: “Neil Young’s career has been conducted on his own terms. They think the live performance will keep its mystery and that of its creator.
They have chosen to publish one song online over the weekend to give a taste of his set. They made the decision to decide that in the Free World. “You won’t likely find too many Neil Young performances on television or the internet for free.”
Source: Mirror
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