Review of Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts’ Rock Concert: Still Unsettled After Decades

s own capricious nature that keeps him from ever offering the same performance twice.Once he dipped back into the early stuff for a revival of “Down By the River” and another round of “Southern Man,” one could sense the show was ending. But instead of following that script, Young closed with a stripped down, then rousing, version of “Rockin’ in the Free World,” a song that remains a timeless, furious declaration of independence backed by leathery rock ‘n’ roll chords.Was this show the same as the Love Earth tour Young was making in 2024? Not by a long shot. The Chrome Hearts brought a level of vitality that the Crazy Horse outfits of recent years had lost. And Young tilts toward an almost Amos ‘n Andy pitch in his wail now. But the unsettled nature of Young’s performances is their true attraction. He is 79, but he has no inbuilt autopilot for his concerts. Young is determined to challenge himself as well as his audience every time he takes the stage. And as long as he keeps reinventing himself, there will always be something to gain from a Neil Young show. He turns 79 on November 12. Long may he run.

Scott McLennan is a music journalist, filmmaker, and Tanglewood enthusiast who lives in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. In addition to writing for The Arts Fuse, a magazine that covers the arts in all forms and contexts, he is also a former editor at the Berkshire Eagle. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Pitchfork.