Neil Young will only tour again if it’s fully environmentally sustainable

Neil Young has said that he will only go on tour again in the future if it can be done completely sustainably.

Earlier this year the singer indicated that he’s not yet ready to play concerts, saying that he doesn’t think it is safe amid the ongoing COVID pandemic.

In a new interview with The New Yorker, Young said that he’s “not sure I want to” tour again full stop but if he were to change his mind it would have to be a with a completely environmentally sustainable plan.

“I have a plan,” Young said. “I’ve been working on it with a couple of my friends for about seven or eight months. We’re trying to figure out how to do a self-sustaining, renewable tour. Everything that moves our vehicles around, the stage, the lights, the sound, everything that powers it is clean. Nothing dirty with us. We set it up; we do this everywhere we go.

“This is something that’s very important to me, if I’m ever going to go out again… and I’m not sure I want to, I’m still feeling that out. But if I’m ever going to do it, I want to make sure that everything is clean.”

The singer added: “What was the last thing you remember eating at a show, and how good was it? Was it from a farm-made, homegrown village? I don’t think so. It was from a factory farm that’s killing us. I’ve been working on this idea of bringing the food and the drink and the merch into the realm where it’s all clean. I will make sure that the food comes from real farmers.

“Once it’s up and going, and I’m finished with my part of the tour, there’s no reason why the tour has to stop. The tour can keep on going with another headliner. It’s about sustainability and renewability in the future, loving Earth for what it is. We want to do the right thing. That’s kind of the idea.”

Young has not performed in public since 2019. His latest comments echo ones made in December of last year, when he said he wouldn’t be returning to touring until COVID was “beat” and the pandemic was over. “I don’t care if I’m the only one who doesn’t do it,” he said during an interview with Howard Stern.

Last year Young also called on promoters to cancel “super-spreader” gigs while a pandemic was still ongoing.

2022 saw the world’s first high-profile eco-friendly stadium tour in the form of Coldplay‘s world tour for new album ‘Music For The Spheres’.

The measures included cutting direct emissions by 50 per cent compared to the band’s last tour in 2016 and 2017, using 100 per cent renewable energy and having solar installations at every venue.

Discussing the idea behind the tour, Coldplay said in a statement: “We’re very conscious that the planet is facing a climate crisis. So we’ve spent the last two years consulting with environmental experts to make this tour as sustainable as possible, and, just as importantly, to harness the tour’s potential to push things forward.”

They added: “We won’t get everything right, but we’re committed to doing everything we can and sharing what we learn. It’s a work in progress and we’re really grateful for the help we’ve had so far. If you’d like to come to a show and sing with us, we’re so excited to see you.”

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