Watch Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts Play Epic 13-Minute ‘Down by the River’
Two days after making their debut at Farm Aid, Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts played their first headlining show Monday night at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. The 14-song set mixed gentle acoustic songs (“Come a Time,” “Journey Through the Past”) with wild, Crazy Horse-style electric numbers (“Big Time,” “Powderfinger,” “I’m the Ocean”) heavy on jams.
The highlight was an epic “Down by the River” that spanned 13 minutes, featuring extended guitar interplay between Young and Micah Nelson. The band also featured organist Spooner Oldham, drummer Anthony LoGerfo, and bassist Corey McCormick. They’re a nimble unit with years of experience backing Neil, even if this exact group never played together before, and they were ready for anything Young threw at them. (They didn’t even flinch when Young ripped the wires out of his lyric teleprompter and threw it on the ground in frustration when it malfunctioned during the opening song.)
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The set included four songs from Harvest Moon (“From Hank to Hendrix,” “Harvest Moon,” “Unknown Legend,” “One of These Days”), while a list of possibilities taped to the stage also listed “Natural Beauty,” “Old King,” and “War of Man.” That means they’ve worked up 7/10th of the album. Young never specified why the 1992 LP received so much attention, but he is combing through that period in the vaults right now while prepping the fourth Archives box set.
The MVP of the evening was Micah Nelson. A year ago, the younger Nelson brother learned how to play pedal steel parts originated by Ben Keith on his Telecaster while prepping for the Tonight’s the Night/Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere shows at the Roxy in L.A. The skill came in very handy throughout the evening, especially on the Harvest Moon material. Ben Keith is irreplaceable, and Young was wise to never attempt to bring another pedal steel player into one of his bands, but Nelson found a way to fill the massive void he left.
When Young plugged in Old Black, Nelson stepped into the shows of his Crazy Horse predecessors, Danny Whitten and Poncho Sampedro, and locked into a guitar mind meld with Young. Oldham, meanwhile, drew from his deep history with Young and added subtle, tasteful organ work to every song.
This wasn’t the September Young booked for himself earlier this year. Had everything gone to plan, he would have played the Bourbon & Beyond festival in Louisville last week before heading out west for shows at the Hollywood Bowl and Eddie Vedder’s Ohana Festival. But he was forced to call off his tour with Crazy Horse at the halfway point due to an unspecific illness in the band. There’s no way of knowing if they’ll ever play again.
The Chrome Hearts were a creation of necessity. Young assembled them to play Farm Aid, and the upcoming Painted Turtle benefit show on Oct. 5. But they’re positioned to become Young’s band of choice in the future when you consider that Crazy Horse’s Ralph Molina and Billy Talbot are both 80-years-old. There will never be another Crazy Horse, but the Chrome Hearts have already proven they’re the next best thing. Long may they run.
Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts’ Sept. 23, 2024, setlist at the Capitol Theatre:
“I’m the Ocean”
“Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere”
“Comes a Time”
“From Hank to Hendrix”
“Harvest Moon”
“Unknown Legend”
“Journey Through the Past”
“Love Earth”
“Homegrown”
“Big Time”
“One of These Days”
“Powderfinger”
“Down by the River”
“Roll Another Number (For the Road)”
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