Neil Young has cancelled his upcoming free concert in Ukraine – see what he had to say below.
Earlier this month (March 3), Young announced that he would be performing a free concert in Ukraine sometime this year. The show – which was due to mark his first-ever show in the country – never received a confirmed date.
Now, however, Young has taken to his official website to announce the cancellation of the Ukraine gig over safety concerns. He wrote on March 20: “Our concert in Ukraine is cancelled. We had a good venue, close to a shelter, but the changing situation on the ground was too much.”
He continued: “I could not in good conscience take my crew and instruments into that area. My apologies to all. Ukraine is a great country with a good leader. Slava Ukraini.”
Neil Young performs during 2017 Farm Aid on September 16, 2017 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania CREDIT: Matt Kincaid/Getty Images
Young has been a very vocal backer of Ukraine ever since it was invaded by Russia in 2022, and has been extremely critical of President Trump. In 2020 he filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Trump over his usage of his song ‘Rockin’ In The Free World’, and shared multiple open letters on his website condemning the former President’s continued unauthorised use of his music.
Young’s cancellation of the Ukraine show comes after an explosive meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on February 28. The two leaders met in Washington D.C. with the intention of securing a minerals and defence deal. However, the summit was cut short after a tense argument erupted between the presidents and US Vice President JD Vance in front of the press, during which Trump said the Ukrainian leader was not “ready for peace” and accused him of “gambling with world war three”.
Since the meeting, figures including Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have expressed strong solidarity with Zelenskyy, with the former hosting a summit of European leaders in London on March 2 to discuss how to support Ukraine moving forward.
Figures from across the entertainment world have been reacting to the extraordinary scenes on Friday, with Jack White describing Zelenskyy as a “very courageous man who deserves the support of the world. He has taken on the struggle of his people and his country with valor and honor.” Meanwhile Rod Stewart also weighed in, saying that “we must keep supporting the Ukrainians”.
Neil Young live at Farm Aid 2024. Credit: Gary Miller/Getty Images
Later this summer, Neil Young is set to return to the UK and Europe as part of his ‘Love Earth’ world tour with the Chrome Hearts.
This includes a bill-topping set at Glastonbury Festival in late June, and a headline slot at BST Hyde Park the following month. For the latter, he’ll be joined by Yusuf/Cat Stevens and Van Morrison, with further support acts to be confirmed at a later date. Visit here for tickets.
As well as the live shows, Young recently released his first track with his live band The Chrome Hearts, ‘Big Change’. He has since given an update on his debut album with the group, explaining that he hoped to release it in April ahead of a summer tour.
“It is in mastering now to make the vinyl, CD and digital copies,” Neil Young wrote. “I am very happy and relieved to have this done in the short time it took. The album art has been completed and handed in with Jenice Heo. I am working on the lyric sheets now, hoping to hand-write the words and get them in, in time…”
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