Neil Young took the stage for the first time this year at the Bernie Sanders/Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez “Fighting Oligarchy” rally in front of 36,000 people at L.A.’s Gloria Molina Grand Park. The bill also included Joan Baez, Maggie Rogers, Jeff Rosenstock, Dirty Projectors, Indigo De Souza, the Red Pears & Raise Gospel Choir.
Young came out gripping his 1953 Gibson Les Paul, better known as Old Black, shortly after a fiery speech by Service Employees International Union President April Verrett. He teased the opening notes of “Rockin’ In The Free World” several times while leading the crowd in a “Take America Back” chant before kicking into “Rainbow of Colors.” This is a deep cut from his 2019 LP Colorado that few in the crowd likely recognized, but the lyrics were perfect for the occasion.
“There’s a rainbow of colors In the old USA,” Young sang. “No one’s gonna whitewash/Those colors away/But this I can tell you/We the People are strong/And we know that our brothers/And our sisters in song.” (To see the performance from a better angle, fast forward the below video to the 4:11:20 mark.)
He followed it up with an extraordinarily rare solo electric rendition of “Rockin’ in the Free World,” with a harmonica solo taking the place of his standard guitar solo. Midway through, Joan Baez and Maggie Rogers came onstage to help sing the chorus, and fire up the crowd by chanting “Power to the People” and “Take America Back” between the verses. They never got around to the final “thousands point of light for the homeless man” verse that takes direct aim at George H.W. Bush and the greed of the Eighties.
“Thank you folks,” Young told the crowd once it ended. “Thanks for being here. And thanks for being somewhere next weekend, and the weekend after that until we get this straight. Just keep coming back, people.” (AOC was the next speaker, and she delivered her address in front of Young’s vintage amps.)
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Earlier in the afternoon, Baez and guitarist Greg Leisz played a brief set that included John Lennon’s “Imagine,” Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” and Phil Ochs’ “There But For Fortune.” And Rogers broke out “Different Kind of World,” “Light On,” and “Alaska” during her own set.
The rally marked the beginning of an extremely busy year for Young. His next show will take place April 26 at the semi-annual Light Up The Blues benefit at L.A.’s Greek Theater where he’ll share the stage with Stephen Stills, Billie Idol, Cat Power, and Linda Perry. He’ll then head up to Lakefield, Ontario on May 23 for a benefit show to raise money for Lakefield College School. And on June 18, he’ll kick off a world tour with his new band the Chrome Hearts in Rättvik, Sweden. The American leg begins August 18 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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The original itinerary included a special show in Ukraine before the official kickoff in Sweden, but those plans were ultimately scuttled. “We had a good venue, close to a shelter, but the changing situation on the ground was too much,” Young wrote in a message to fans. “I could not in good conscience take my crew and instruments into that area. My apologies to all. Ukraine is a great country with a good leader. Slava Ukraini.”
Young has also expressed concerns that he might not be allowed back into America at the end of the European tour due to his relentless criticism of President Trump. “If you say anything bad about Trump or his administration, you may be barred from re-entering USA if you are Canadian,” he wrote to fans on April 1. “If you are a dual citizen like me, who knows? We’ll all find that out together.”
