Neil Young has cancelled his first public performance since 2019 over concerns about COVID-19.
The 75-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter was scheduled to appear on Sept. 25 at Farm Aid in Connecticut along with artists like Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Sturgill Simpson.
“I find myself wondering whether Farm Aid will be safe for everyone with the [COVID-19] pandemic surging,” Young wrote. “I worry about audiences coming together in these times.
“My soul tells me it would be wrong to risk having anyone die because they wanted to hear music and be with friends.”
Young is a co-founder of Farm Aid and sits on its board.
“While I respect Willie, John and Dave’s decisions to stick with it and play, I am not of the same mind. It is a tough call.”
Young pointed out that people who are fully vaccinated can still get and spread COVID-19. “I worry about the children who could become infected after Farm Aid, just by being with someone, maybe a parent, who caught the virus at Farm Aid and didn’t know it.
“There are already too many children in hospitals.”
Young joins a growing list of artists who are pulling the plug on performances due to COVID-19, including Stevie Nicks, Limp Bizkit and Garth Brooks.