It’s been a long time coming, but Neil Young returned to Chicago for the first time in more than seven years, joined by The Chrome Hearts.
Last year, Neil Young was scheduled to perform at this very venue, accompanied by Crazy Horse. Unfortunately, due to sickness within the band, the show was canceled just hours before the showtime. The remainder of the tour went on to be canceled too. Fast forward to February this year, and the announcement comes for the 2025 tour dates. This time, Young would be joined by The Chrome Hearts rather than Crazy Horse. Referring briefly to last year’s cancelation, Young apologized, “I’m sorry I couldn’t be here the last time I couldn’t be here.”
The Chrome Hearts is comprised of Micah Nelson and The Promise of the Real’s rhythm section, drummer Anthony LoGerfo and bassist Corey McCormick, as well as longtime Young collaborator Spooner Oldham on the organ. In June, Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts released their debut album, Talkin To The Trees. Only one song was performed from this album for the Northerly Island crowd, “Silver Eagle,” while the rest of the evening went through Young’s extensive back catalog, including songs from his time with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Buffalo Springfield, and Crazy Horse.
Neil Young is known for being outspoken when it comes to politics, and this show was no exception. While he isn’t one for a lot of talking in between songs, he certainly gets his point across with his lyrics. The evening was opened with their performance of “Ambulance Blues.” While this song was originally penned referring to Richard Nixon, the final verse received loud cheers from the audience as it resonates with the current regime. “I never knew a man could tell so many lies/He had a different story for every set of eyes/How can he remember who he’s talking to?/’Cause I know it ain’t me, and I hope it isn’t you.”
The Chicago crowd was also treated to a premiere of an unreleased song, “Big Crime.” This one left no shadow of a doubt that it was written about Trump with the lyrics, “There’s Big Crime in DC at The White House,” and “Don’t want soldiers on our streets,” which clearly resonated with the Chicago crowd due to current threats that the National Guard will be headed this way.
The evening also included a performance of the protest song, “Ohio,” as well as classics such as “Harvest Moon” and “Old Man.” During “Like a Hurricane,” an organ was lowered on a swing for Micah to play as it swayed back and forth. The evening was closed out by “Hey, Hey, My My (Into The Black),” which received cheers for the line, “Rock and roll can never die.” Never was a truer word sung.
The Love Earth Tour continues until September 15th, where it will conclude at the Hollywood Bowl in LA before he joins the Farm Aid lineup in Minneapolis on September 20th.
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