Cliff Notes – Glastonbury headliner used cheat sheet on stage to remember his own lyrics
- Neil Young, 79, performed at Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, using a printed song sheet to recall lyrics during his set, particularly for “Old Man” and “Name of Love.”
- The veteran rocker’s performance was met with mixed reactions, with some festivalgoers suggesting that Charli XCX should have headlined instead.
- Young initially declined to perform due to concerns over the BBC’s involvement but later reversed his decision, attributing it to misinformation.
Glastonbury headliner ‘used cheat sheet on stage to remember his own lyrics’
Glastonbury headliner Neil Young reportedly had to use a ‘cheat sheet’ to help him with the lyrics to his own tunes while performing at the festival.
The Canadian-American star took to the Pyramid Stage on Saturday night, sandwiched between Friday’s headliner, The 1975, and Sunday’s closer, Olivia Rodrigo.
Young, 79, was a divisive choice for revellers, with some claiming his slot should’ve been awarded to Charli XCX, who caused a ruckus on the Other Stage with all her Brat anthems.
Nevertheless, the veteran rocker put on a show comprising his biggest hits, including Cinnamon Girl, Like A Hurricane, and Rockin’ In The Free World, performing at one point with Hank Williams’ guitar.
However, as his set neared its end, it’s believed the star started to struggle.
According to fans among the thousands-strong crowd, with 25 minutes to go of his 110-minute set, he started glancing at a printed song sheet.
It’s said the tracks he needed assistance with were renditions of Old Man and Name of Love.
‘You’d think he would know the words by now; he has been singing these songs for years,’ one festivalgoer told MailOnline.
‘But maybe it’s difficult to play the piano and remember the lyrics.’
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Young is one of the oldest artists ever to headline Glastonbury, following in the footsteps of Sir Paul McCartney, who was the oldest-ever Pyramid Stage performer in 2022. Also that year, Billie Eilish, then 20, became the youngest headliner.
His set opened with Sugar Mountain, after which he told cheering fans: ‘Thank you, folks.’
Young’s performance was broadcast live on the BBC on day 2 of Glasto, despite it previously being announced that it would not be, ‘at the artist’s request’.
Just hours before he took to the stage, the BBC issued a statement that read: ‘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.’
He had initially turned down the offer to headline the Worthy Farm festival, critiquing the Beeb’s involvement and claiming it was ‘under corporate control’.
The singer had written on his website: ‘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.
‘It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being.’
He did a 180 just days later, though, which surprised everyone.
Young cited ‘an error in the information [he] received’ for his initial snub, sharing: ‘Due to an error in the information received, I had decided to not play the 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.’
Young first played Glasto 16 years ago, again on the Pyramid Stage.
This year, he joined a starry line-up once more, with Sir Rod Stewart taking charge of the teatime Legends Slot.
Other major names performing this year included Raye, The Prodigy, Noah Kahan, Biffy Clyro, Alanis Morissette, Doechii, Nile Rodgers & Chic, and Wolf Alice.
Glastonbury takes a break every five years to allow the soil to rest, meaning the festival will return in 2027.
Rumours are already swirling around who will be the next lot of headliners, with names such as Harry Styles, Sam Fender, Ed Sheeran, and Taylor Swift all strong contenders.