Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts played the penultimate show of their summer tour Friday evening at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California. Midway through the set, Young broke out the Rust Never Sleep deep cut “Sail Away” for the first time since Willie Nelson’s 80th anniversary concert in 2013.
“Sail Away” was first heard by the public on Aug. 1, 1977, when the Ducks — a short-lived band that included Young and Moby Grape’s Bob Mosley — played at the Steamship in Santa Cruz, California. It remained in their repertoire throughout the rest of the summer, and Young recorded it on Sept. 12, 1977, at Triad Recording Studios in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A couple of months later, bassist Joe Osborn, drummer Karl Himmel, and background singer Nicolette Larson overdubbed additional parts at Woodland Studios in Nashville.
The solo rendition of “Sail Away” was the opening track on Young’s shelved 1977 LP Oceanside Countryside, which wasn’t officially released until this year. The overdubbed “Sail Away” was included on Rust Never Sleeps in 1979. (It was one of two tracks, along with “Pocahontas,” that were not recorded at various stops on Young’s 1978 U.S. tour.)
“Sail Away” became a live rarity after the Eighties, popping up only at a couple of benefit gigs in 2009, and Nelson’s 80th birthday show at Nashville’s Third Man Records in 2013. Organist Spooner Oldham previously played it with Young at Farm Aid in 2009, but this was a first for guitarist Micah Nelson, bassist Corey McCormick, and drummer Anthony LoGerfo.
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The Shoreline show also included the tour debut of “Vampire Blues.” A couple of days earlier, Young and the Chrome Hearts played a wild show in Bend, Oregon, where they deviated from the usual setlist order and essentially made up the show as they went along. It included a rare double shot of “Cowgirl in the Sand” into “Down by the River.”
The tour ends Monday night at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. This Saturday, they’ll appear at Farm Aid 40 in Minneapolis. A labor dispute nearly derailed the entire event, but the matter has been resolved. Young’s only show on the calendar after Farm Aid is Harvest Moon — A Gather in Lake Hughes, California, on Oct. 25. It’s a benefit for the Painted Turtle and the Bridge School. He’ll be sharing the bill with Beck.
