Neil Young brings his hits — and his worries — to the Hollywood Bowl

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Jeans, a flannel shirt, and silvery sideburns visible under a worn train conductor’s cap – that was his look.

Neil Young captured the essence of himself during his Monday night performance at the Hollywood Bowl, delivering a setlist full of classic songs. Highlights included “Harvest Moon,” “Ohio,” “Only Love Can Break Your Heart,” “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black),” “Southern Man,” and “Old Man,” along with “Cowgirl in the Sand.” While playing the latter, he reminisced about first performing at the venue with Buffalo Springfield back in 1966.

“Finally made it back here,” he added with a little grin.

Given Neil Young’s often hesitant approach to mainstream success over the years, his recent Love Earth tour-which concluded Monday after three months-could be seen as a somewhat unexpected move. Some might view the 79-year-old simply giving fans what they want by performing his most popular songs, despite his previous reluctance to cater to popular demand.

But listen to what those hits are saying.

In “Southern Man,” he sang about the horrors of slavery, recalling sounds of screams and the crack of bullwhips. And in “Ohio,” he described the experience of Americans being controlled by their own military, singing about soldiers shooting people down.

Around the middle of the concert, Young moved to the piano and performed “Long Walk Home,” a moving ballad he first wrote in the early 1970s about soldiers coming home from Vietnam. He later updated the song in the late 1980s to reflect the conflicts in the Middle East. This time, he changed the lyrics once more, questioning why we hadn’t kept our promises to Ukraine and asking, “America, what has happened to us?”

Pretty bleak stuff for a boomer icon in his crowd-pleasing era.

Following his recent album, “Talkin to the Trees,” Neil Young is hitting the road on the Love Earth tour. He’s assembled a band called the Chrome Hearts for the tour, featuring guitarist Micah Nelson, bassist Corey McCormick, and drummer Anthony LoGerfo – all members of the band Promise of the Real, who have previously performed with Young. Joining them is legendary organist Spooner Oldham, known for his work on classic Southern soul records from the Muscle Shoals, Alabama music scene in the 1960s.

Music

After a forty-year hiatus from releasing new music, the former teen heartthrob is embarking on his biggest tour yet.

During the show at the Bowl, Oldham appeared on stage in a wheelchair. Nelson explained that the 82-year-old had recently broken his pelvis in an unusual basketball injury.

“I just didn’t want you mistaking him for a frail old man or something,” Nelson added.

Neil Young performed one song, “Silver Eagle,” from his album “Talkin’ to the Trees.” He explained he wrote it after his bus driver encouraged him to write a song about the bus itself. He also played a new, energetic rock song called “Big Crime,” released this month with his band Chrome Hearts. The song directly criticizes President Trump, featuring a repeated refrain of “No more great again.” While not his most insightful commentary, the audience at the Hollywood Bowl responded positively to the message.

What truly made the show special was how Young still brought fresh energy to his classic songs. The guitars in “Cowgirl in the Sand” were particularly lively, and “Like a Hurricane” had a powerful pace. He also clearly expressed his anger towards those who harm the environment in songs like “Be the Rain” and “Sun Green.”

The Chrome Hearts weren’t quite as raw and rugged as Crazy Horse, and their mix of ages was sometimes striking – Nelson resembled Kurt Cobain, Oldham looked like a friendly older gentleman, and McCormick moved like someone from the band 311. However, when they played the powerful song “Hey Hey, My My,” they created a sound as unstoppable and forceful as a speeding train.

Neil Young ended his concert with “Roll Another Number (For the Road),” a rambling country song from his iconic 1975 album, “Tonight’s the Night.” Back then, Young was grappling with the end of the idealistic 1960s. But performing the song on Monday, he seemed like someone who’d realized that even more disappointments were still ahead.

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2025-09-16 22:01