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Neil Young has announced that he will not be holding a free concert in Ukraine, citing safety concerns.
The artist says that he cannot “in good conscience” fly his crew out to the war-torn country and apologize to all his Ukrainian fans.
“We had a good venue, close to a shelter, but the changing situation on the ground was too much,” Young wrote on his website. “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”
All about Neil Young's decision to axe his Ukraine show:
Neil Young announced his show earlier this month, though he failed to mention specifics like the date and location. He later revealed that he would kick-start his tour with a debut performance in Ukraine, following it up with his European tour with The Chrome Hearts.
“We are currently in talks and will make the announcement of details here at [the Neil Young Archives],” Young wrote on his Archives website at the time. "Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World.”
The remainder of the show is slated to commence in Rättvik, Sweden on June 18, which means the now-axed Ukrainian show would have played out before then.
As reported by Consequence, Young has previously referred to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “the crazy war of an old dying guy who wants to relive his life and make things better for himself because of mistakes he thinks were made 50 years ago.”
The artist has never been to Ukraine, but he has been an ardent advocate of it since 2022. He has also been critical of Trump's handling of the crisis.
“Under 47’s leadership, the US has lost its standing,” Young wrote late last month in a post titled Leader of the Free World No More. “Loyalists will never be stronger than Patriots, and Patriots are in the majority here in the USA. Our Patriots will take to the streets to peacefully demonstrate. There will be a moment of truth in our country and we will show the world who we really are. The USA will again be the leader of the Free World.”
Neil Young's tour plans will see him traverse through Europe before heading back to the U.S. in August. At the time of writing, it remains unclear if he will head to Australia as well.
Neil Young is slated to drop his album with The Chrome Hearts next month.
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