I must admit I was a bit disappointed when Neil Young & Crazy Horse abruptly cancelled their last tour midway though its run last year. But not being one to rest on his laurels, Neil was back before too long with a new backing band (The Chrome Hearts) and a new album and now he’s back on the road again. And on Tuesday night, Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts played the second of two nights at Budweiser Stage alongside Neil’s sister Astrid Young and Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir as part of the Love Earth tour.
Reverend Billy, a New York-based performance artist who takes on the persona of a reverend preaching the gospel of anti-consumerism, put on an interesting show alongside his Stop Shopping Choir. On the surface, their pseudo-gospel performance doesn’t really seem like a natural fit for a rock show opener – it came off a little hokey at times, though likely intentionally so.
Maybe it was the white suit and matching white hair or maybe it was just the similar name, but Reverend Billy at times brought to mind Baby Billy from The Righteous Gemstones if they had cast Steve Martin in the role instead of Walton Goggins. The group’s satirical pseudo-religious service carried a very real anti-consumerist and pro-environment message, making them kindred spirits to Neil Young’s own anti-corporate sentiments, even if many of those in attendance likely didn’t pay them much attention.
Taking to the stage shortly after 8:30, Young and The Chrome Hearts (Micah Nelson, Corey McCormick, Spooner Oldham and Anthony LoGerfo) opened the show with “Ambulance Blues” off of 1974’s On The Beach and played for a little over two hours, running through a set that drew from throughout Young’s six-decade-long career. Other highlights included “I’m the Ocean,” “Cinnamon Girl,” “Harvest Moon,” “Like A Hurricane,” “Ohio” (still relevant more than 50 years after its initial release) and the sweet, ukulele-led “Tumbleweed.”
Young kept the stage banter to a minimum (generally offering periodic variations on “How you doin’ out there?”) and the focus firmly on the music. And the band sounded great throughout. They may not be Crazy Horse, but the vibes were similar: crunchy guitars and long, extended jams, albeit with more organ and piano than you’d typically hear in a Crazy Horse set.
One of the more notable moments of the night was the performance of “This Note’s For You,” which Young apparently played for only the second time in the past 28 years, the first time being two nights before on the same stage. He even briefly altered the lyric to “This earth’s for you,” presumably to tie in with the Love Earth theme.
One cant help but connect the dots and figure out that the fact that he was playing a venue named after a beer must have inspired him to resurrect the song that features the lyric, “Ain’t singin’ for Bud.” And we’re all the better for it.
Sure, in a world where advertisements and brand endorsements are one of the few viable income sources for up-and-coming musicians, it’s definitely a throwback to another era to stand so staunchly against commercialism. But that’s Neil Young in a nutshell. And that’s why we love him.
