Neil Young reunites with Crazy Horse after a decade, performs double encore
On Thursday night, magic happened in Tennesseee.
Singer-songwriter Neil Young and rock band Crazy Horse came together to perform their hits over a two-hour show at FirstBank Amphitheater on their first tour together in a decade.
The 2024 “Love Earth Tour” features the now 78-year-old singer alongside the Los Angeles rock band yet again.
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Canadian singer-songwriter Young, best known for songs “Heart of Gold,” “Harvest Moon” and “Old Man,” released the album “Fu##in’ Up” with Crazy Horse on April 25, featuring nine rock ‘n’ roll tracks. The two have released 15 studio albums together.
Young and Crazy Horse kicked off their brief 16-stop tour on April 24 in San Diego and will continue with upcoming stops in Virginia, New Jersey, New York and more.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse performs “Cortez the Killer” as the opener of the Love Earth Tour at FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tenn., Thursday, May 9, 2024.
Thursday’s concert in Franklin was originally slated for Wednesday evening, but was postponed by a day due to inclement weather.
But Thursday night brought the calm after the storm; the evening was serene.
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After opener Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping, a musical performance art experience that draws from religion, Young hit the stage.
The set-up featured a backdrop with a galloping horse and giant speaker cabinets and road cases, the same ones Young took on the road with him for his “Rust Never Sleeps” tour in 1978.
Young appeared in a striped cap, a denim work shirt that featured paint splatters and a Spartan Truck Equipment patch, black pants, black shoes and of course, his guitar, Old Black.
He mentioned the venue’s beauty multiple times — a stage nestled in the woods of Graystone Quarry in Thompson’s Station.
“How you doin out there? Nice to see you,” Young said to the Franklin crowd.
“What a beautiful place. You guys are very lucky to have this place.”
Alongside Young was the band, comprised of 80-year-old Billy Talbot on bass and 80-year-old Ralph Molina on drums. They also have a new member, Micah Nelson on guitar.
Nelson, Willie Nelson’s 33-year-old son, took over for the band’s previous guitarist Nils Lofgren earlier this year.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse performs “Cortez the Killer” as the opener of the Love Earth Tour at FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tenn., Thursday, May 9, 2024.
Throughout the show, Neil Young and the band played a 17-song set, full with jam sessions and occasional harmonies. Young was energized and playful, captivating the crowd with his trademark nasally, emotional voice.
The set list was mostly comprised of older hits, like 1969’s “Cinnamon Girl” and 1972’s “Heart of Gold.”
The band didn’t play any songs from their recent album; the most recent song was 1996’s “Scattered (Let’s Think About Livin’).” Nelson’s big moment came during the tune; he traded his guitar to play a swinging keyboard that descended from the ceiling.
Young’s guitar playing—both electric and acoustic—was adept and agile. Though Young shared in January he has been playing guitar with arthritis in his hand for years, audience members wouldn’t have guessed.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse performs “Cortez the Killer” as the opener of the Love Earth Tour at FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tenn., Thursday, May 9, 2024.
He played the blues on song “Vampire Blues,” hitting guitar licks with a precision like Stevie Ray Vaughan’s. He also performed drawn-out, warping guitar solos on songs like “Like a Hurricane” and “Powderfinger.”
Between songs, Young would hand his guitar off to his techs (who all wore white lab coats), but was audibly uncomfortable until he had a guitar in his arms yet again.
The night’s concert walked the line between a Young that leaned into classic, grunge rock ‘n’ roll with Crazy Horse and a Young that gently cooed with Crosby, Stills & Nash in ’69, strumming an acoustic.
Young pulled off the balancing act.
Here are some of the top moments from the night.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse performs “Cortez the Killer” as the opener of the Love Earth Tour at FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tenn., Thursday, May 9, 2024.
Neil Young opens with ‘Cortez the Killer,’ sings newly released verse
On a purple-lit stage, Neil Young and Crazy Horse kicked off the show with the 1975 song “Cortez the Killer.”
The first lyrics from Young brought cheers from the audience as he sang, “He came dancing across the water / With his galleons and guns.”
Young surprised fans at the first concert of the tour by singing unreleased lyrics to the song, ones he said did not record due to a power outage on the recording console in 1975.
Young found the lyric manuscript, he said in an interview mid-April this year.
The verse was lost for nearly 50 years. Young sang the verse again in Franklin.
“I floated on the water / I ate that ocean wave / Two weeks after the slaughter/ I was living in a cave / They came too late to get me / But there’s no one here to set me free / From this rocky grave / To that snowed-out ocean wave.”
Neil Young calls on local non-profits to support his eco-friendly mission
Neil Young has been vocal about his environmental efforts throughout his career.
In 1985, Young helped establish the annual Farm Aid concerts. In 2022, he released album “World Record,” an album that focuses on climate change. Later that year, Young said he refused to play venues that are supported by factory farms.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse performs “Cortez the Killer” as the opener of the Love Earth Tour at FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tenn., Thursday, May 9, 2024.
The environmentalism was felt at his Franklin show.
Upon entering the concert, fans saw a series of tents and tables from local environmental organizations all hand picked by Young, including Tennessee Local Food. The organizations attended the concert and chatted with fans about their missions.
Young calls it the “LOVE EARTH Village.”
At different stops on the tour, hundreds of non-profits working for sustainability and social equity will join to chat about issues like organic farming, wildlife protection, Native American rights and climate change solutions.
According to a venue employee, Young also changed the menu for the venue’s offerings on Thursday, opting for more eco-friendly options (Coke products were nowhere to be seen).
On a handout at the venue, Young wrote, “Support your friends, support your land, and support the people that want to care for the land.
“The revolution starts with us. The revolution starts with you.”
Neil Young goes acoustic mid-show, takes stage alone
At one point, Young took an empty stage, traded Old Black for an acoustic, and donned the harmonica around his neck.
He sang songs, “Comes a Time,” “Heart of Gold” and “Human Highway” onstage alone, leaning into his folk singer-songwriter roots.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse performs “Cortez the Killer” as the opener of the Love Earth Tour at FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tenn., Thursday, May 9, 2024.
Despite the occasional hoot or holler in the audience, a hush crept over the amphitheater as Young sang, played plucky guitar and showcased his harmonica skills between verses.
It was a gentler, softer and more intimate side to the evening.
“Heart of Gold” stood out among the acoustic section.
Young sang his biggest hit: “Keep me searching / For a heart of gold / I’ve been a miner / For a heart of gold.”
An encore and…another encore
Before the encore, Young ended his set with song “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black),” leaving the audience with the classic and singing, “Hey hey, my my / Rock and roll can never die.”
And it didn’t die just then, Young and the band returned to the stage to play “Roll Another Number (For the Road)” as their encore.
After the song finished, the audience didn’t stop cheering. Young and company came back to deliver a second encore, this time three songs long.
For encore two, they performed “Danger Bird,” “Don’t Cry No Tears” and “Sedan Delivery,” ending the night on a grungy rock ‘n’ roll note that included pink lights and plenty of reverb.
Afterwards, the band and Young gathered arm-in-arm in a single spotlight and gave their final bow.
Neil Young’s Set List
- Cortez the Killer
- Cinnamon Girl
- Scattered (Let’s Think About Livin’)
- Like a Hurricane
- Vampire Blues
- The Losing End (When You’re On)
- Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
- Powderfinger
- Love and Only Love
- Comes a Time
- Heart of Gold
- Human Highway
- Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)
- Encore: Roll Another Number (For the Road)
- Encore II: Danger Bird, Don’t Cry No Tears, Sedan Delivery
For more information on Neil Young’s tour, head to neilyoungarchives.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Neil Young reunites with Crazy Horse after a decade, performs double encore