People can't get over 'sparse' Neil Young crowd at Glastonbury after singer made U-turn decision on rare blackout

Glastonbury fans said that Neil Young's crowd at the festival was 'sparse' after the singer appeared to change his mind on letting the BBC broadcast his set.

The rock legend had the headline set on the Pyramid Stage last night (28 June) but those who couldn't make it to Glastonbury were expecting not to be able to see it.

That's after the BBC said earlier in the week that it couldn't broadcast it live 'at the artist's request'. The 79-year-old rockstar had previously said that he'd turned down the offer to perform at Glastonbury as it was 'under corporate control' of the BBC.

However, he changed his mind on the offer to step onto the Glastonbury stage, saying he'd 'always loved' the festival and it seems as though he made a U-turn on letting the Beeb broadcast it, as it was eventually allowed to be shown.

A BBC spokesperson 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."

However, some of the folks at the festival said that Young's crowd at the Pyramid Stage looked 'sparse', with a few complaining that 'there were only a few hundred there for a headliner'.

Others joked that the crowd was 'just a few hundred blokes discussing petrol lawn mowers' and thought it might be 'the smallest crowd I have seen at Glastonbury EVER for a headline act'.

Even Dom Joly got in on the conversation to claim there had been an 'underwhelming audience', but he did say the performance was 'a rather radical antidote to ever increasingly gimmicky headliners'.

Amid the criticism of crowd sizes there was a lot of praise for Young's actual performance, with some fans saying he was 'f**king brilliant' and that he played an 'incredible set'.

Someone else called it 'a perfect Saturday evening' and said Young's set was 'what Glastonbury was made for' so they seem to have thought it was plenty enjoyable.

Neil Young on in ten minutes. Pretty sparse ol crowd that. pic.twitter.com/zSRLxIDf2s

— Trve. Cvlt. Pop! Podcast (@TrveCvltPop) June 28, 2025

See, the thing about Glastonbury and its multiple stages is if you're not into one of the acts you can always wander somewhere else and get a different kind of music.

However, it seems as though whether they were watching at home thanks to the blackout being lifted or made up the crowd there were plenty enough people to appreciate the music of Neil Young.

They'll have enjoyed having the chance this year because there won't be a Glastonbury in 2026.

The music festival is going to have a 'fallow year' to allow the farm that hosts it time to recover from the thousands of people and weighty stages that get set up there on an annual basis.

LADbible has contacted Neil Young's representatives for comment.