After three months After canceling his summer tour with Crazy Horse due to an unspecified band illness, Neil Young returned to the stage Saturday night at Farm Aid in Saratoga Springs, New York. He was supported by his new band Chrome Hearts, which includes organist Spooner Oldham, guitarist Micah Nelson, percussion band Promise of the Real, guitarist Corey McCormick and drummer Anthony LoGerfo.
Their brief set began with a trio of songs from Harvest Moon“From Hank to Hendrix,” “Harvest Moon,” and “Unknown Legend.” The latter two songs were inspired by the late Peggy Young, and Oldham was a pivotal part of the Survivors, who supported her in the last years of her life. (He also has a long history with Neil Young.) It was a beautiful way to honor her memory.
Young then sat down at the piano to perform the nostalgic “Journey Through the Past” for the first time since 2019, followed by the Farm Aid-friendly “Love Earth” from his 2022 album world recordHis acoustic guitar resurfaced on the rare all-band rendition of “Heart of Gold,” with Nelson brilliantly recreating Ben Keith’s pedal steel parts from the original on his electric guitar, and Young then used the Old Back guitar to deliver his signature rendition of “Homegrown.” The set closed with the scorching “Powderfinger.”
“This is something we can do to help all farmers,” Young told the crowd. “When the soil is solid and healthy, farmers can really do their jobs. Not corporate farmers. Not factory farmers. Not farmers with big offices. Farmers, real American farmers, all colors, all kinds of people on the ground together, all Americans, working together.”
Earlier in the night, Lukas Nelson and the Travelin' McCourys played a cover of Adele's “Someone Like You” before Del McCoury himself called in to sing Willie Nelson's “Man With The Blues.” Mavis Staples turned her set into a gospel show with a powerful rendition of Staples Singers classics “Heavy Makes You Happy,” “Freedom Highway” and “City in the Sky.”
Margo Price, the youngest member of the Farm Aid board, centered her set around new material like “Don’t Wake Me Up” and “Wild at Heart” before dedicating a cover of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 1986 hit “Ways to Be Wicked” to the memory of Jeremy Tepper.
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds delighted the crowd with 90s hits “Don’t Drink the Water” and “Ants Marching” before bringing in Lukas Nelson, Michael Nelson and Nathaniel Rateliff to cover “The Weight.” It was a small preview of the upcoming concert. Life is a carnival Last Waltz '24 TourLukas Nelson will perform on several occasions. Ratliff will perform at the opening ceremony on October 17 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles alongside Staples, Trey Anastasio, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Bob Weir, and many others.
John Mellencamp kicked off his set with his 2008 smash “John Cuckoo’s,” then performed 80s hits like “Small Town,” “Paper in Fire,” “Jack and Diane,” and of course, “Rain on the Scarecrow.” Willie Nelson closed out the show with hits like “Whiskey River,” “On the Road Again” and “Bloody Mary Morning” alongside his sons.
The show marked the start of a shortened tour for Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts. They'll perform at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester on Monday and Tuesday before headlining the Painted Turtle charity show in Lake Hughes, California, alongside Stephen Stills and John Mayer on Oct. 5.
