While Crazy Horse might be Neil Young's best known backing band, the classic rock legend has never been shy about finding others to join him on the road. Over the years he's engaged with a handful of other prime musicians to help bring his monstrous noise jams to life and with Crazy Horse on their way to recovery, he's enlisted a new group called The Chrome Hearts to join him on the road. In the spring, Young and the Horse had been leveling their crowds with a tour de force of greatest hits that had the band rearing to go and blazing with sound. For this go around, he's swapped out some of his '70s-era bangers for a hefty dose of 1992's revolutionary comeback album Harvest Moon. Roaring out the gates, Neil ripped into "I'm the Ocean," from 1995's Mirror Ball and the band wasted no time in revving up the volume as Young laid into that singular guitar sound he's been issuing to audiences for decades and immediately followed it up with "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere." Letting his guitar rage on, the crowd roared back with esteemed enthusiasm as countless people began to play air guitar and sing along to the all-time classic. It was an instant one-two punch that got the night off to such a propulsive start. Micah Nelson, Corey McCormick and Anthony LoGerfo of Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, and Spooner Oldham all make up the Chrome Hearts and all were phenomenal in coming together to make these tunes hit with the force and passion they deserve. Grabbing an acoustic guitar early in the evening, "Comes a Time" was a bit of a cool down after such an explosive opening and led the way for the main theme of the night to come into the fold. "From Hank to Hrendrix" and "Unknown Legends" were bright, glistening moments that showcased Neil's softer side, a wonderful juxtaposition from his glorious wall of sound, and really connected with the crowd. To be a Neil fan is know that the unexpected is always around the corner. After years of keeping some of his most prized recordings tucked away in his mysterious vaults, Young has finally been giving fans what they want with his own bootleg releases of such long sought for collections. On this occasion, Neil decided to give "Hey Babe" from 1977's American Stars N Bars its live debut, a wildly unbelievable moment that Young didn't even acknowledge. His nonchalant attitude always remarkable and part of the charm. Moving to piano, "Journey Through the Past" gave an even more delicate vibe as Neil and Spooner Oldham duetted away on opposing keys. After another ballad, the band whipped into a stomping "Homegrown" that really let the guitars run ragged as Neil's deafening roar and iconic wail tore up the venue. Micah Nelson was tremendous on supporting guitar and enhanced Neil's already mesmerizing performance. Capping off the night with fan favorite and undeniable hit "Powderfinger" was the true highlight of the night and as if for some reason there was any doubt about Young's perpetual ability to shred, he made sure if was known with this exceptional rendition that left the crowd bursting with excitement. Through another tremendous blast of ear-splitting distortion the band delivered a crushing "Throw Your Hatred Down" with a nod to the jolts of "Hey Hey (My My)" finding its way into the band's blown-out fuzz to bring things to a close. It was a scorching finale and assured the crowd that no one can find a band that can instantly sound so classic quite like Neil Young.
Set list:
01 "I'm the Ocean"
02 "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere"
03 "Comes a Time"
04 "From Hank to Hendrix"
05 "Unknown Legend"
06 "Tumbleweed"
07 "Hey Babe"
08 "Journey Through the Past"
09 "Love Earth"
10 "Homegrown"
11 "Big Time"
12 "War of Man"
13 "One of These Days"
14 "Powderfinger"
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15 "Throw Your Hatred Down"
08 "Journey Through the Past"
09 "Love Earth"
10 "Homegrown"
11 "Big Time"
12 "War of Man"
13 "One of These Days"
14 "Powderfinger"
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15 "Throw Your Hatred Down"
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