I missed Neil Young in Berlin last year, although I happened to be on the Teufelsberg that evening and could hear it wafting over. When I listened to a bootleg recording, his voice seemed rough and the band seemed a bit worn out. I was still sad I missed it. It’s usually better in person.
This show was opportune given previously-made travel arrangements. I got lucky, as Neil hasn’t toured in a year, and this was just one of two warm-up shows leading up to Farm Aid. I arrived too late to see any of the opening set from 19-year-old viral country pop star Ty Myers, but I don’t think I missed much. I did have the pleasure of seeing Willie Nelson & Family. Willie is 93 years old and looks and sounds it, but he was still warm and vibrant.
The name of the backing group can be taken literally, in that Nelson’s son Micah now plays guitar and provides backing and even some lead vocals. Waylon Payne, son of longtime Family member Jody Payne, also does the same. The group also includes longstanding members Mickey Raphael (harmonica), Billy English (drums), and Kevin Smith (double bass).
The band did a lot of work to lift up Willie, who is clearly aging, although he still tours regularly. He’s frail, a bit like Johnny Cash on his last albums. His voice is thin but still works. He’s given up on rhythm guitar, but still plays leads on his acoustic. His style has become clipped and loose, but it was still great to see him go for it. Micah and Payne filled in a lot of the gaps. Payne sang lead on two covers and Micah played three songs, one of which he’d cowritten with his dad (“Die When I’m High (Halfway to Heaven)”), a humorous but heartfelt song about Willie’s well-known habit. Another was “Everything Is Bullshit”, a solo song with a darker, heavier edge that still retained a touch of humor, particularly in Willie’s “bullshit” echoes.
The band rolled through songs at an incredible pace. They packed in 21 songs in just over an hour. Micah’s were highlights, but so was the Tom Waits cover “Last Leaf”, a touching song about aging. “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die” made for a rousing crowd singalong. Neil Young came out for his duet part on “Are There Any More Real Cowboys?” (changing a lyric to reference data centers), and Myers and Philly native Kurt Vile came out to sing along on the medley of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” and “I’ll Fly Away”.
I loved the collaborative nature of the set, particularly that the band traded parts and seemed genuinely comfortable and fluid with one another on stage. I wish I’d seen Willie when he was younger and sprier, but this was a noble path for him to take. He’s still the star, but he’s graceful about his band’s support.
This show was opportune given previously-made travel arrangements. I got lucky, as Neil hasn’t toured in a year, and this was just one of two warm-up shows leading up to Farm Aid. I arrived too late to see any of the opening set from 19-year-old viral country pop star Ty Myers, but I don’t think I missed much. I did have the pleasure of seeing Willie Nelson & Family. Willie is 93 years old and looks and sounds it, but he was still warm and vibrant.
The name of the backing group can be taken literally, in that Nelson’s son Micah now plays guitar and provides backing and even some lead vocals. Waylon Payne, son of longtime Family member Jody Payne, also does the same. The group also includes longstanding members Mickey Raphael (harmonica), Billy English (drums), and Kevin Smith (double bass).
The band did a lot of work to lift up Willie, who is clearly aging, although he still tours regularly. He’s frail, a bit like Johnny Cash on his last albums. His voice is thin but still works. He’s given up on rhythm guitar, but still plays leads on his acoustic. His style has become clipped and loose, but it was still great to see him go for it. Micah and Payne filled in a lot of the gaps. Payne sang lead on two covers and Micah played three songs, one of which he’d cowritten with his dad (“Die When I’m High (Halfway to Heaven)”), a humorous but heartfelt song about Willie’s well-known habit. Another was “Everything Is Bullshit”, a solo song with a darker, heavier edge that still retained a touch of humor, particularly in Willie’s “bullshit” echoes.
The band rolled through songs at an incredible pace. They packed in 21 songs in just over an hour. Micah’s were highlights, but so was the Tom Waits cover “Last Leaf”, a touching song about aging. “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die” made for a rousing crowd singalong. Neil Young came out for his duet part on “Are There Any More Real Cowboys?” (changing a lyric to reference data centers), and Myers and Philly native Kurt Vile came out to sing along on the medley of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” and “I’ll Fly Away”.
I loved the collaborative nature of the set, particularly that the band traded parts and seemed genuinely comfortable and fluid with one another on stage. I wish I’d seen Willie when he was younger and sprier, but this was a noble path for him to take. He’s still the star, but he’s graceful about his band’s support.
[Willie Nelson & Family.]
Neil Young appeared with his recent touring band The Chrome Hearts, which is basically old hand Spooner Oldham and half of Promise of the Real. Ironically that included Micah but not his older brother Lukas, who founded and led POTR. For most of the set, Neil played acoustic guitar or piano, and with Spooner on keys and Micah also frequently on acoustic guitar or piano, they were less intense than when I saw Young with POTR in 2019. They had more of a country rock feel, and at least initially stuck to that side of the back catalog. (When I first saw Neil in Dallas in 2014, he played solo acoustic, so I was happy to witness a different configuration.) Bassist Corey McCormick and drummer Anthony LoGerfo rounded out the band.
“Long May You Run” was a beautiful opener, and “Human Highway” is also one of my favorites. “Comes a Time” was yet another solid classic that I’d not yet seen him do. “Casting Me Away from You” from Neil’s brand-new album Second Songs was written in the 60s well before even Buffalo Springfield, and while it wasn’t too sophisticated, hearing the line “we found things to do in stormy weather” that he later reused in “Long May You Run” was cute. “Earth Girl”, a new song from the new album, was somewhat bland and by-the-numbers.
After some greatest hits, we were treated to a fantastic, rare, full-band version of “After the Gold Rush”, with Neil playing the solo on harmonica. Then he finally picked up his electric guitar (Old Black) and tore into “Powderfinger”. It rocked. Neil played lengthy solos for an extended, roaring rendition. “Roll Another Number” was a delight, with the crowd singing along about as much as they had for “Heart of Gold”. The encore opened with the brooding but still relevant “Living with War”, but Neil lifted the mood by closing on “Rockin’ in the Free World”, this time without multiple fakeout endings.
This was a great show. “Old Man” was just a bit sloppy, and Neil’s voice on “Living with War” was rough, although that kind of fit. Otherwise, they were in strong form. I was worried they’d be out of practice, but they sounded fresh. We also got a longer set than the prior show, and both bands had shorter sets at Farm Aid a couple days later. Willie might be a little worn down, but I appreciated his easygoing charm. And Neil isn’t slowing down at all!
[Neil Young & the Chrome Hearts. Not the best picture, I know.]
Willie Nelson & Family’s setlist:
01. Whiskey River [Johnny Bush cover]
02. Stay a Little Longer [Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys cover]
03. Still Is Still Moving to Me
04. Bloody Mary Morning
05. I Never Cared for You
06. Die When I’m High (Halfway to Heaven) [cowritten and lead vocals by Micah]
07. Workin’ Man Blues [Merle Haggard cover, lead vocals by Waylon Payne]
08. Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys [Ed Bruce cover]
09. Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground
10. On the Road Again
11. You Were Always on My Mind [Gwen McCrae cover]
12. Good Hearted Woman [Waylon Jennings cover]
13. Georgia on My Mind [Hoagy Carmichael and His Orchestra cover]
14. Help Me Make It Through the Night [Kris Kristofferson cover, lead vocals by Waylon Payne]
15. Everything Is Bullshit [Particle Kid cover, lead vocals by Micah]
16. Last Leaf [Tom Waits cover]
17. Are There Any More Real Cowboys? [Neil Young cover, with Neil Young]
18. I Thought About You, Lord [lead vocals by Micah]
19. Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die
20. Will the Circle Be Unbroken? [Ada R. Habershon/Charles H. Gabriel cover] → I’ll Fly Away [Albert E. Brumley cover, with Kurt Vile and Ty Myers]
21. I Saw the Light [instrumental outro; Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys cover]
Neil Young & the Chrome Hearts’ setlist:
01. Long May You Run
02. Human Highway
03. Comes a Time
04. Casting Me Away from You
05. Earth Girl
06. Old Man
07. Heart of Gold
08. Daddy Went Walkin’
09. Harvest Moon
10. After the Gold Rush
11. Powderfinger
12. Roll Another Number (For the Road)
Encore:
13. Living with War
14. Rockin’ in the Free World
Scores:
Willie Nelson & Family: B
Neil Young & the Chrome Hearts: A
P.S. This was the first time I’ve ever seen the line to the men’s bathroom far outstretching the one for the women.
P.P.S. Thanks to the Hammons-Murphy family!
