Neil Young has hit out at organisers of Hyde Park’s British Summer Time festival, saying that the announcement of his upcoming show with Bob Dylan was “a massive fuck up”.
Last month, it was announced that Young would be returning to London on July 12 for a huge co-headline show with Dylan.
James King, the Senior Vice President of AEG Presents, said that “being able to bring together two of the biggest cultural icons together for this historic day of music counts as possibly the biggest event we have ever delivered in Hyde Park.”
With tickets going on sale to the public on November 30, Neil Young now claims that the announcement was premature and at odds with his own plans and values.
“I had no idea the announcement was coming that day,” the musician writes in a post on his Archives website. “I was still finessing the art for the poster and trying to make sure that all of the details of the show were agreeable to me.
“Then, suddenly, someone jumped the gun. The tickets were put on sale and the announcement was made, all without my knowledge.”
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Young goes on to say that he was “angry” over tickets being put on general sale, as he had “promised” the Archives’ subscribers to gain first access. “You didn’t,” he says.
Young also voices his concerns over BST’s “fossil fuel entity” sponsorship, Barclays. “This doesn’t work for me,” he says of the partnership.
“I believe in Science. I worry about the Climate Crisis and am deeply concerned about its massive global ramifications and my beautiful grandchildren’s future.” An image under the post describes the company as ‘The dirty bank’.
Saying that “it’s been a massive fuck up!”, Young states that he and his team are “trying to rectify the situation” and will update fans “soon”.
Young says that he has been having discussions about “requiring a different sponsor as one option”.
NME have contacted British Summer Time for comment on the statement.
Earlier this year, Neil Young criticised bands who embark on farewell tours, calling the shows “bullshit”.