Fans of the veteran performer Neil Young are praising the musician following his Malahide Castle show.
Young, 79, will headline Glastonbury Festival tomorrow (June 28), as part of his Love Earth tour. Glastonbury organisers have confirmed the performance will not be broadcast. This is similar to Young’s previous performance at the festival, where just five songs of his set were broadcast to viewers at home. Those who hoped to see Young’s set may be disappointed, especially after seeing what he performed at Malahide Castle in Dublin, Ireland, just a few days before he is set to headline the Worthy Farm spectacle. Fans have been full of praise for Young’s “fantastic” show, which saw Cat Stevens and Van Morrison open for the Rockin’ in the Free World hitmaker.
One fan praised the show in a post made to the r/NeilYoung subreddit, writing: “That was immense. Really surprised, Old Shakeys still got it. Wasn’t expecting that quality of a performance. Best since the first time I seen him in 2009.”
Another added: “Fantastic show and set! Like a Hurricane had a guy beside me crying he was so happy. Greendale got a good showing too.” A setlist for the Malahide Castle show can be found below.
- Be the Rain
- When You Dance, I Can Really Love
- Cinnamon Girl
- Fuckin’ Up
- Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)
- The Needle and the Damage Done
- Harvest moon
- Looking Forward
- Sun Green
- Love and Only Love
- Like a Hurricane
- Name of Love
- Old Man
- Rockin’ in the Free World
It is not yet known what Young will perform at Glastonbury Festival, but his setlist at Malahide Castle seems fairly typical of the Love Earth tour so far. Cortez the Killer and Harvest have also been featured on earlier dates on the tour.
The BBC has confirmed Young’s performance at Glastonbury Festival will not be broadcast “at the artist’s request”. Young very nearly dropped out of performing at the festival, saying it was “now under corporate control”. His comment was made just a day before he was confirmed as a headliner.
Young confirmed his spot on the Pyramid Stage and said there was an “error in the information received” by his team. He wrote on the Neil Young Archives: “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!” Festival organiser Emily Eavis also confirmed the news of Young’s slot at the festival, confirming he will be playing a headline slot on the Pyramid Stage.
Her statement reads: “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.”
You can view Young and the Chrome Hearts’ performance of Rockin’ in the Free World from Malahide Castle below.
