Neil Young has announced plans to perform a free concert in Ukraine ahead of his upcoming European summer tour.
The Canadian singer-songwriter is set to hit the road this summer with his ‘Love Earth’ world tour with the Chrome Hearts. It’ll follow Young’s bill-topping set at Glastonbury Festival in late June.
Now, he’s shared plans to perform a free concert in Ukraine before the tour kicks off. It will mark his first ever concert in the country.
“We are currently in talks and will make the announcement here at [the Neil Young Archives],” Young wrote on his official website. “Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World.”
It’s not clear when or where this show will be, but the European run of dates begins on June 18 at the Dalhalla in Rättvik, Sweden. From there, Young and co will make their way across Europe with stops in Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. You can find a full list of dates here, and tickets here.
It comes after an explosive meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday (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 yesterday (March 2) to discuss how to support Ukraine moving forward.
Figured 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”.
Young has also 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.
Last year, he granted Kamala Harris’s running mate Tim Walz permission to use the song in his own campaign to be Vice President.
In other Young news, last week he was announced as the latest headliner for London’s BST Hyde Park 2025, where he’ll be joined by Yusuf / Cat Stevens and Van Morrison, with further support acts to be confirmed later.
Tickets go on general sale at 10am GMT this Wednesday (March 5) – you’ll be able to buy yours here.
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.
