THE FALLOUT: Neil Young Cancels 2026 Europe Tour & What Went Wrong?
The ongoing fallout over the sudden cancelation of Neil Young's 2026 European Tour with The Chrome Hearts continues to reverberate across the Atlantic and beyond.
As the eloquent Scotsman puts it:
Last year on November 21, 2025, Neil Young announced that the LOVE EARTH 2026 UK/EU TOUR would begin on June 19, 2026 in Manchester, England followed by about a dozen other dates. Ticket sales began on November 28.
On January 21, a new tour date was added for June 17 at the Eden Sessions in Cornwall, UK.
Obviously, the rustie speculation is off the charts. Folks bought tickets for Europe. Bought plane tickets, booked hotels and rentals. And suddenly, no tour or plausible explanation.
If nothing else, we can all agree about the disappointment all around.
As the eloquent Scotsman puts it:
"The cancellation of Neil Young's Euro tour has unleashed a tsunami of disappointment (and also bittersweet understanding) among those who had tickets — and raises questions about exactly what went wrong."So first, let's try and unpack what we know.
Last year on November 21, 2025, Neil Young announced that the LOVE EARTH 2026 UK/EU TOUR would begin on June 19, 2026 in Manchester, England followed by about a dozen other dates. Ticket sales began on November 28.
On January 21, a new tour date was added for June 17 at the Eden Sessions in Cornwall, UK.
On January 27, Neil Young held a Patron ZOOM call for roughly one hour -- "looking fantastic" -- where he discussed a multitude of topics including additional possible tour plans in the U.S. plus recording an album of new songs in the studio.
Then on February 6, Neil Young announced the cancelation of the 2026 European Tour with The Chrome Hearts.
In a statement published on Neil Young Archives, Neil wrote:
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but now just isn't the right time."So what happened between January 27 and February 6? Apparently it was still the right time to tour on January 27 but less than 2 weeks later it wasn't?
Obviously, the rustie speculation is off the charts. Folks bought tickets for Europe. Bought plane tickets, booked hotels and rentals. And suddenly, no tour or plausible explanation.
And with that background, The Scotsman steps up to attempt to understand what's happening here ... although it ain't exactly clear. Scotsman walks through the standard litanies of Neil's health, Neil following his muse, Neil's "eat a peach" attitude, etc.
Recall that just back in 2024, suddenly all remaining dates of Neil Young's tour with Crazy Horse were canceled unexpectedly for "health reasons". The Scotsman sums up 3 possibilities for the Europe tour cancelation:
Lastly, we'll highlight The Scotsman's conclusion regarding The Eden Project, the event just added to the itinerary:
A) Health. B) Unsatisfactory sales/demand. C) Donald Trump.The bottom line: who knows?
Lastly, we'll highlight The Scotsman's conclusion regarding The Eden Project, the event just added to the itinerary:
Finally: Take a listen to the first 180 seconds of the video embedded
at the top of the page, (TW: below) about the Eden Project. Particularly, take note of the section around 2:30 to 3 minutes in. This all sounds like a dream scenario for Neil, doesn't it? Indeed, it explicitly focuses on the very same subjects he's passionately dedicated much of the 21st century to.At least in this case, I think he is absolutely sincere about being sorry to let people down... and he will be disappointed not to attend, too.
If nothing else, we can all agree about the disappointment all around.
Thanks Scots -- as always -- for the words. The passion. The insights.
If you can, please support @ The Flying Scotzman | Patreon.
peace
Labels: album, concert, neil young, neil young archives, singer-songwriter, song, tour
by thrasher@PermaLink: 2/16/2026 12:01:00 PM
38 comments
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38 Comments:
First up, thanks Thrasher for linking to "Scotzman HQ", and doing the usual job of being the blogging hub that the rest of us revolve around.
A clarification about my original article that may have been lacking. I didn't mean to imply that Neil is likely to have cancelled at this stage solely because of his previously-stated concerns about interference from the Trump government.
Four months is a long time in the Trump kingdom! Who knows what will be happening in June. (It was also only a relatively short tour that would have been straightforward to plan around.)
The nature of the tour cancellation, plus Neil's vague statement, obviously raises questions.
One of those questions is this:
Where did the confidence come from to mount one of the most epic-scale Neil Young UK tours of all time?
(Do not misunderstand my point. There may be extremely good answers to that question. For example, if Elvis Costello was expected to shift significant tickets.)
But playing 5,000-seat theatres or 10,000-seat arenas in London is not the same as playing a 35,000-capacity field in Wales, where the total population of the entire country is only about a third of the size of England's capital city.
If we treat UK 2025 and UK 2026 as essentially one long tour with a break in the middle, then the sheer capacity of all the venues is in excess of even big arena tours like Crazy Horse 2001, or Alchemy in 2013. And Alchemy was the first Crazy Horse UK tour in 12 years — demand was obviously going to be high.
Why such huge venues? It raises the question whether this was originally intended to be marketed as a final European tour. (A separate question: without that marketing, how strong was demand likely to be?)
Imagine several shows have struggled to shift tickets at large scale. At this point, a firm decision has to be made by those in charge: do we press onwards and wait for things to pick up? Or do we cut our losses and move on to greener pastures?
In this hypothetical scenario, I can then imagine other concerns (including some of those discussed in the original article, or others entirely) being the straws that collectively broke the camel's back.
That's one entirely plausible scenario. It's not the only one.
I'm disappointed, of course. But disappointment is tempered by the realisation that Neil is 80 and could have retired years ago. Tours are naturally going to become less reliable. Health concerns (even just the generalised "do I want to be doing this much longer?" kind) have to be near the top of the list, for this tour and any other.
If it turns out the tour has essentially been cancelled due to bad planning, many will argue that is less defensible.
Scotsman.
So nice to hear back Scots!
Thanks on clarifications.
Certainly, the full back story will emerge. It took months after the aborted CH tour for the "truth" to be revealed.
Likely someone will write a letter to Neil and he'll be candid similar to 2024.
The strange part for us is the Patron call. No hint whatsoever to soften blow.
Ww firmly believe something occurred early February to trigger decision. Did Neil hear something that spooked him?
As for chalking this up to bad planning? Seems impossible in this day and age where algorithms can crunch every scenario instantly.
Or What Would Elliott Have Done?
Hmmm. Over on Reddit there’s a lot of chatter about some other pretty big, politically active musicians putting together a U.S. Springtime tour. Beginning right after the Next major NO Kings protest, end of March, running thru May. Encompassing all of the recent “Hot Spots” N,S, E, W and Mid West, Central. I’m not saying Neil will or won’t be. But If this isn’t age or medically related (hopefully not), then how could Neil Not be involved?
Wait, so I’m not familiar w/any of the planned stops that were planned in Europe.(other than outdoor festivals),Was Neil planning on larger INDOOR venues? Or were they all outdoor venues, post pandemic tour modus operandi?
If that the were the original motivation at time of cancellation, then the statement wouldn't have begun with the claim that Neil has decided to "take a break".
In that context, the very wording would create an easily-exposed lie that need not even exist.
(That doesn't necessarily mean there's not a plan b.)
Scotsman.
Big outdoor venues. (Not a total change since the pandemic; Neil's been playing outdoor venues and festivals in the UK since the 90s. But rarely so many of them in one go, or at such scale.)
In medical imaging work sometimes people tell me “I hope they find something” & I gotta say, finding nothing is preferable. Not a direct comparison.
Autopsy of a lost tour? You all raise some smart points. Thank you Scotzman. I feel badly for all who had plans dashed. Seeing him play live is always an incredible experience.
There are areas of Neil’s life which deserve privacy. We can only hope that all is well with our old hero, in the ways that matter most: Love, Health.
It may be that he does not owe us an explanation because the issue is personal. Not for public consideration or discussion.
And it may be that we are all better off not knowing, because to find out we may be forced to look at ourselves & wonder why we felt we deserved to know.
In light of facts not privy to us, we may be better off without an explanation. Nobody can say right now.
Sometimes it’s better not to know. Contrary to much of the news of the day.
Freedom Tour 2026 sounds good to me, as long as Rage Against The Machine is there! I am grateful that Bruce & Neil have the courage to speak up.
If Neil is involved in a protest tour, that would be cool. He cares about people all over, in Europe, the US, & everywhere else. There may be a higher calling in this dark time to join in the fight for free speech, justice, etc.
(Sensitive to American discussion, fair warning. You can stop reading here)
#NoKings March 28 Saturday, in US Capitols, cities, & everywhere else! Worldwide,
even the UFO’s hate Trump. I pray they come and rescue us from tyranny & fascism from the idiot king with the golden toilet.
Hold fast Brothers & sisters. The time has come to stand & demand free speech, freedom, liberty, human rights, & freedom from injury, from murder by ICE. Arbitrary / random lethal violence demands our objection, our unity.
Like the rest of us, the 2nd amendment guns rights guys didn’t like seeing Alex Pretty executed for nothing, tho he had a holstered gun with a legal right to carry?! That doesn’t play well with the guns rights crowd.
The US Government no longer represents the people. We have lived in Oligarchy for decades, but now it’s worse.
Maybe we can gain insight from Neil’s next album.
Your Brother Alan in Seattle.
Reading all these theories about why and when the tour was aborted I believe that there is not a single reason but rather a bunch of them. Some might be the proverbial back-breaking straws, some of them may be of bigger weight. Reading Neil Young’s answer to a letter by Robert Broadfoot over at NYA regarding an Australian tour there are issues that have not been discussed that much. Neil Young and his management are thinking about lowering the ecological impact of his touring obviously all the time, investigating all kinds of formats, logistics, also cross-subsidizing. Is it too far-fetched to believe that they also consider the ecological impact on the audience side? In other words the question is: How to tell the core fan community that Neil Young might not want to be part of a travelling circus following him around across Europe or North America leaving an ecological footprint that might be bigger than the actual tour operation itself.
In a way the ultra fans who follow a larger section of a tour render absurd the whole concept of such an undertaking: An artist is travelling to meet his regional or local audiences. Originally it was not intended the other way round, namely that the audience is travelling far and wide, across continents and even between continents to meet the artist, although admittedly that has been the case for some audiences since the 60’s and by now is an important part of rock’n’roll history.
Looking at the geographical outline of recent Neil Young tours one can make out a tendency. (A while back for some time somebody always created tour maps, that showed the extent of touring quite clearly. Was this on the now defunct „Numbers on the Site“ by Matthias Butterweck?)
The 2023 Coastal Tour was limited to the West Coast.
The last Crazy Horse tour (2024) was cut short due to health issues.
Last year’s European tour was limited to Great Britain, Scandinavia and west/central Europe.
The 2025 North American tour leg admittedly does not fall within the category of geographically limited tours.
The aborted tour was a British Isles tour with a few appendixes on the continent, but it was not to extend far to the European south or west as have been previous outings (Lucca would have been the southernmost point, i.e. within the reach of fans from Rome, Nancy and Nimes the westernmost locations, within the reach for audiences travelling from Paris or the Iberian peninsula).
As other commenters I would not be surprised if Neil Young will be part of a larger operation in spring or summer travelling with a number of other acts who will be targeting audiences across the US with a political message. If there is any reason to my musings above that would include a geographically limited number of concerts with a full band and occasional solo or guest appearances.
The more I have thought about this - I believe it is poor ticket sales. The venues are huge, Heaton Park in Manchester is around 80k. Don't forget neither Dublin or Hyde Park were sold out last year. A year on could Neil really sell out such a large set of UK venues - I really don't think so. The none die hards who saw the Chrome Hearts in 2025, probably would give it a miss in 2026, especially given the price of tickets. I'm gutted, I had four shows booked but at least i hadn't coughed up for flights, etc. I was planning to do these for in my VW van. I think this is it - I can't see NY coming over again.
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Andrew: yes. I agree.
Also, Hyde Park (for anybody who doesn't know, located in by far the UK's biggest city) had Van Morrison *and* Cat Stevens—plus other opening acts—to help bring up the numbers.
It was a tremendous gig with a great turn-out by all the respective fanbases, people travelling from far and wide to be there. But it gives us a barometer for what would likely be achievable in other parts of the country, to a lower scale. And Glastonbury last year was by most accounts not particularly well attended.
Like any of the UK's other cities, Manchester is a mere fraction of the size of London, but going by your figures, the venue there would have been comparitively enormous.
The curious thing is that those planning the 2026 tour must surely have known all this, but decided to go with it anyway. This is what made me wonder if the tour was originally going to be marketed as a "retirement" tour, or similar, which would have helped elevate demand to the size of the venues. Otherwise, it's hard to know what projections the venue sizes were based on.
Scotsman.
The thing I can't work out in this, was why was the Eden Project gig added later if ticket sales were poor? Thats another sizeable venue, when there was already Chelsford, Cardiff, Blenheim in the South of the UK booked in?
I agree on Hyde Park - it was a superb gig, if thats my last live Neil gig then I'm happy i made the effort to go, gold circle on the day was an extravagance but worth it. Dublin was also great but had a different vibe.
I'm back at Malahide for Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds in June, which given Neil has cancelled, I'm glad i booked (£160 for a VIP ticket - ouch).
European tours in the past that did not go according to plan: 1982 Trans Tour with it's overdone stage production (Chip Monk); 1987 CH Tour, because for many Europeans Neil Young had gone conservative (see Muddy Track) and ticket sales were poor, and the Ham Sandwich tour in 1997 that never happened. So while Neil Young has a reputation for being a control freak there have been instances when his tour management went over the cliff ... But again, I believe that's just one of several reasons for the cancellation.
Andrew: It depends if the Eden Project gig was actually booked later, or just announced later — in accordance with the Eden Project's own schedule. It was presumably booked some time before we found out about it.
Either way, in Cornwall, it's kind of it's own market. Playing there would have been a passion project for Neil, rather than an essential part of the touring schedule. The fact that obtaining pre-sale tickets (and then general sale tickets) was easy, even days after they went on sale, suggests demand wasn't overwhelmingly high. Even at a 6,000-capacity venue. (Granted, at a very tucked away part of the country.)
Have fun at Nick Cave, and enjoy the back-protecting benefits of carrying around a slightly lighter wallet!
Scotsman.
(Reposted after mild edit for clarity, typos etc. Probably still missed some.)
--------
Alan, and all: There absolutely *are* areas of Neil's (or anybody's) life that deserve privacy.
(Readers will have noticed my own close interest in Neil's career is strictly limited to exactly that: his career. His songwriting. His guitar setup. His performances or projects. And remember I thought Dark Mirage was a mistake.)
But let's not play ourselves down too much — we need to have some self esteem, when we actually are actively involved. As Thrasher pointed out, it's the fans who pay for tickets, accomodation, travel tickets etc — aside the artist's (and middle-men's) own investments. The shows I was planning to attend were not all that far to travel, thus limiting costs. But most will have invested something considerable, in time or money or both.
Neil's statement is obviously vague, so it invites wonder as to what happened. It's entirely appropriate if the issue is health related, but less so for planning cock-ups or sudden changes of direction.
I hope my write-up has stayed firmly on the side of known facts. For example: the population of the entire country of Wales is approximately one third the size of the population of London. That remains a fact whether a tour happens or not. The implication of that fact—that it might be harder to sell quite as many tickets in Wales as in London—is itself fairly defensible.
I wouldn't put too much weight on Neil's recent letters. There, he very briefly responds to environmental concerns (concerns I share, incidentally) about touring in the same breath as mentioning cancelling the tour. But it's not stated that one explicitly led to the other.
If instead there are other touring plans already on place, there is no need to flagrantly lie about this. Which is why I don't think that is the case... no matter what materialises next. My opinion remains that the deepest justification for cancelling was likely pragmatic.
The cancellation is sweetened for me by the fact that the tour essentially felt like a bonus... my memories of Neil's superb Hyde Park gig undiminished by the chaos since!
Scotsman.
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Thanks folks for all of the good, civil, healthy discussion.
Very appreciated.
A Comment of the Moment here somewhere, TBD.
peace
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Speaking of live music, I recently got to go see Micah Nelson’s band Particle Kid at a tiny venue. This is the 2nd time I have seen them live and both times were fantastic & magical.
I arrived after the show began & missed some of the first set. Micah Nelson's guitar player Milo opened the show. Micah joined him on 2nd guitar & they had a female singer whose name I missed. 2nd act was Lyla Clark (if I got the last name right). She was very good. She covered Woodstock!
Particle Kid: This young band is exciting & they have huge potential.
I was enjoying the show standing 10’ back from Artist or so. A guy named Bruce recognized me from the TW blog. He told me he liked my writing at first. I said “You might have me confused with someone else; I’m not a writer.” He said Sure you are, from Thrasher’s Wheat.” Oh right! Hahaha.
Then Bruce introduced me to Bob, another TW regular. Bob builds custom guitars & he once gave one to Neil. Neil then gave him tickets to the Bridge School shows for years. Bob showed me a photo of Neil with the guitar.
Yes, Bruce & Bob, a couple of Thrasher’s Wheat regulars. Good people, & coincidentally they were on an interstellar journey, as was I!
Particle Kid is the right show to hit for a psychedelic experience. We were hitchhiking through the galaxy together.
Particle Kid dabbles in many forms. I loved their set. Micah is a great singer & guitar player, like his brother Lukas & their Dad Willie.
What a cool scene we have here at Thrasher’s Wheat! It was so nice to meet Bruce & Bob. They had a 3rd friend with them, like minded, whose name I forgot.
Micah Nelson is an original and very creative Artist who uses multiple mediums, film projection, etc during his sets.
He is a fantastic songwriter & performer. His rhythm guitar skills are impressive. He uses all kinds of lesser used chords.
Micah can sing just like his dad but that was not part of this night’s show . He has his own identity & his band is a unique & fun group to watch.
I have all of his albums except “Particle War” (with Sunny War, a collaboration. They do a gorgeous cover of the Clash’s “Lover’s Rock.” They make it their own. The Clash’s version being way different than this worthy new creation.
Sunny War is recommended to check out. Go see Particle Kid & get lifted up by his live music. Variety is the spice of life!
Your Brother Alan in Seattle
Upcoming Particle Kid tour dates:
Feb 18: The Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA
Feb 19: The Wayfarer,
Costa Mesa, CA
Feb 20: Booth House Gallery, CA
Feb 21: Farm House Collective, Riverside, CA
YBAiS
Thanks for the detailed report Brother Alan.
Pretty cool that 3 TW readers connected!
Along with PK himself. All in good company.
#KORITFW
@ Thrasher & all: I left out some details about the after show conversation with Micah.
Micah was breaking down gear after the show. Thrasher had told me to say Hello from Thrasher’s Wheat, so I did. Micah was glad to hear that message & he returned the greeting & said to say Thanks!
I told him about Bruce & Bob also being TW fans. He was glad to see us all there.
Micah was specific in that he, the band & Neil really appreciate Thrasher’s Wheat. He said TW helps them keep track of things & more. And again, he expressed gratitude for this fine blog.
Thank you Thrasher / Thrashette!
Your Brother Alan in Seattle
And he said that the band would be recording a new album next month! YBAiS
Lyla _______ also covered Can’t Find May Way Home. She played keyboards solo & she sang & played well.
Lyla Forde is the young keyboard player / singer who played 2nd, and Micah’s lead guitar player Milo’s last name is Gonzales. Lyla’s version of Woodstock was cool.
Lila Forde is correct spelling.
I was sent this from a friend last night.
There are several health reports about Spooner -
"From Spooner…
I'll be having radiation soon, for a stage three, slow growing prostate cancer. I'd rather not go public but seems best thing to do, at this time. I'm not worried, God is Good.”
Other reports suggest the treatment was Feb 11.
So a further reason for cancelling.
Thanks Andrew.
Right, Spooner's health might be the missing link.
Shout out to @YBAIS for the Particle Kid tip. Went to the show last night at The Troubadour. It was a last minute decision, and I'm really glad I made the trek across town. Bought a ticket at the box office (cash only!) and got an actual paper ticket. The analog experience continued inside and onstage. Sadly only caught the end of Milo's set, but it was clear this young man from Venice Beach is a formidable guitar player. The song I caught was very complex, flamenco inflected Spanish style. After Milo, a local bluegrass band called Water Tower played a rousing set, including a great cover of the VU classic "Waiting on my Man," which Micah guested on and did a pretty convincing Lou Reed vocal. Again, all very young musicians, reaching back to roots music and making it very contemporary. Least expected song dedication in a bluegrass set was their closer: "This goes out to anyone suffering from mental health or addiction struggles." They invited the audience to join them in the chorus to sing "I miss you", which literally moved me to tears. This is music at its most impactful, reaching out and resonating with your very core.
Then came Particle Kid, hitting the stage just before 9:30 and for the next 100 minutes pulling off a mesmerizing set with just two acoustic guitars, an e-bass , and shakers and rattles duct taped to Micah and the bassist's shoes serving as percussion. Here's the thing. Micah is very much his own guy with his own unique voice, both in terms of his style and the sound of his voice. He does not sound like his dad or his brother. You don't hear any influence of Neil in his work. It's all originally, authentically him, stepping out from being in the background to a commanding stage presence and connecting with the audience. He could ride coattails, but he chooses his own path and that is a beautiful thing.
Oh, and and then when announcing his last song, he said he wanted to bring out an old friend, everyone of course was electrified and hopeful that Neil would appear. Turned out to be John Densmore, who then played an African drum on Everything is Bullshit. He quipped before the song, "Am I on LSD?" Not sure why.
I am so glad you got to hit the show! Agreed on all!
Your Brother Alan in Seattle
Wsanjose01 gave me the tip on Particle Kid’s tour. Thanks!!!
Man, you guys are so lucky on the left coast! Gotta give it to knowmad. What’s yer day job? S/b writing for Mojo or Guitar Player (notice I didn’t say R/S?)
Serious. Good’n 👍
Librarian. Plenty of towns in other parts of the country have great music scenes. Talent abounds, and I love discovering new acts. Fills me with some hope and joy. "Live Music Is Better" as our man Neil once said.
When I was at UCSC and trying to figure out what to do with my life, I thought music journalism would be a cool career. In fact, for a journalism class, I called up Neil's management and tried to get an interview with him for a story I was writing about bootlegs. This right before his gigs at the Cocounut Grove where he debuted his bluenotes material. I was told he wasn't doing any interviews. In the next issue of R/S there was an interview with him. So it goes.
Eat a peach.
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