NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE - BUDWEISER STAGE, 05/20/2024

How often do you get to experience a true legend? Well, on May 20th, 2024 that is exactly
what happened to 15 000 lucky Neil Young fans in Toronto. Riding high on a few recent
releases, Young has reconstituted the legendary Crazy Horse for a run of shows that included
Willie Nelson’s son Micah handling guitar and keyboard duties for an absent Nils Lofgren.

Opening big with the legendary “Cortez the Killer”, the band immediately had the sold out
crowd enthralled. They went from strength to strength with a killer “Cinnamon Girl” and it’s
soaring guitar lines, to a not as necessary but always engaging “Fuckin Up.” They dedicated
“Scattered” to the late David Briggs, the producer that was at the helm of almost all Young’s
recorded output. In a rare moment where he addressed the audience, Young talked about
Briggs: “ Sometimes people leave and go to another place and we”re left here staring at each
other. We’re thinking of him all the time.”

The incredible setlist continued with “Vampire Blues”, “Everyone Knows This is Nowhere” and
“Down By The River”…all played with a vitality and energy that you would’ve witnessed
decades earlier.

The first encore featured a solo Young playing acoustically and giving heart rendering takes on
“Comes a Time”, “Heart of Gold” and “Human Highway”…the multi-generational audience
absolutely lapping it all up. The second encore featured fan favourite and grunge anthem “Hey
Hey My My”, “Don’t Be Denied” and late night drinkers lament “Roll Another Number.”

God knows what happens to Young and Crazy Horse from here. They are all approaching their
80s and tomorrow is definitely not promised to them…they only played one more show on this
tour before it was cancelled due to illness. Whatever the reality, if this was the last Crazy Horse
show Toronto will ever witness, then everyone in attendance should consider themselves very
fortunate. This night was pure magic!

-Johnny Hooper