Neil Young made so many dreams come true last night. About a week ago, he unexpectedly announced the reunion of Crazy Horse! First with two shows in Fresno, California at the Warnors Theatre (May 1 and 2), then with a third (May 3) and then another two shows in Bakersfield, California at the Fox Theater happening this weekend (May 5 and 6). Last night kicked off the string of reunion dates, and Neil and his crazy horses ambitiously took the stage completely unrehearsed and raw. This would mark their first show in four years.
Neil has recently been playing with new band, Promise of the Real, which is him and Willie Nelson’s son, Lukas. Still, Neil hasn’t done any Crazy Horse songs during these shows. You can only imagine the joy that Neil fans felt last night as him and the band busted out songs that haven’t been heard live since 2014. For those who understandably couldn’t make the trek out to Fresno on a Tuesday night, Neil allowed the show to be live-streamed for free.
Before we get into the setlist, it’s important to shout-out all the classic Neil touches that helped make the night memorable. First of all, Warnors Theatre is intimate, lavish, and beautiful. In the middle of the set, Neil took a moment to take that all in. Neil wore his wardrobe staples: underwhelming t-shirt, jeans, and baseball cap. It was a treat to see the 72-year-old shred guitar like no other, while his scraggly hairs wistfully blew back in the air.
The Crazy Horse band featured a new line up with original guitarist Nils Lofgren, who played in the band back in 1973, bassist Billy Talbot, and drummer Ralph Molina. Plugging in for the first time in years, the band opended with “Big Time,” off 1996’s Broken Arrow, it’s the first time they’ve performed that song since 2001. The 15-song setlist included a lot of other ‘90s Crazy Horse hits, like “Scattered (Lets Think About Livin’)," which was the first time they played it in 22 years. The night trucked right along, the sound was impeccable, and Neil’s timeless vocals sounded better than ever.
The chemistry between Nils Lofgren and Neil as they traded between solos was a sight to behold. They played one of their most performed songs, “Cinnamon Girl,” and followed it with an emotional 14-minute rendition of “Cortez the Killer.” This song was easily a highlight of the night as Neil truly got into his feelings and passionately begged the sound guys to turn it up LOUD.
The band also performed plenty of Neil’s solo material including “Only Love Can Break Your Heart,” “World on a String,” and an encore of “Roll Another Number (For the Road).” Neil is playing four more shows this week, and tickets are available to Neil fans. You have to be a member of his website, Neil Young Archives, to have access to ticket purchasing. It’s very easy to do if you’re eager for tickets, and well worth it. Neil is a living rock-n-roll legend and to see him play with Crazy Horse is a bucket list mission.
Keep tabs on Setlist.Fm to see if Crazy Horse will be alternating their setlist each night. In a statement Neil noted:
"We are stoked to be playing all of our songs again! I have no new ones, but maybe tomorrow they will come. They always do and I am so thankful for that. Come and see us if you can as we approach our 50th year as a band. I think it will be the beginning of another beautiful chapter in our long, enriching and life changing Crazy Horse story."
Honestly, even listening to Neil just do feedback is a treat.
