Neil Young Plays Favorites and Shows ‘Em How Protest Music Is Done in an Ideally Balanced Hollywood Bowl Show: Concert Review

Long before contemporary artists like Jesse Welles adopted protest music, Neil Young had already carved out its blueprint. On Monday night, he revisited that legacy with force at the iconic Hollywood Bowl, delivering a potent four-song sequence that connected America’s past and present struggles. Opening with "Southern Man"—his searing early-‘70s indictment of racism—Young moved into "Ohio," a haunting tribute to students slain by the National Guard. He then introduced "Big Crime," a newly penned rebuke of Donald Trump, and repurposed the ‘90s track "Long Walk Home" by substituting “Ukraine” for “Beirut,” casting a shadow over the nation’s ideals. Though this politically charged suite felt climactic, it served only as the evening’s opening statement.

Backed by his newly configured band, the Chrome Hearts—an evolution of his earlier group Promise of the Real—Young demonstrated his enduring musical versatility. The lineup, which includes guitarist Micah Nelson, bassist Corey McCormick, drummer Anthony LoGerfo, and keyboard veteran Spooner Oldham, adeptly navigated between hushed folk intimacy and thunderous rock crescendos. As music scholar Dr. Elena Torres noted, “Young has always toggled between introspection and fury, but this iteration of his band synthesizes those extremes with rare fluidity.” The setlist blended timeless favorites like "Harvest Moon" and "Old Man" with deeper cuts from "Greendale" and later Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young collaborations, appealing to both longtime followers and newer listeners.

The performance was elevated by striking visual and sonic touches. A weathered pipe organ accompanied "Do It in the Name of Love," while a winged synthesizer descended from the rafters during an expansive "Like a Hurricane," hovering spectrally under the stars. For songs from his 2003 rock opera "Greendale," Young used a distorted megaphone microphone, lending his delivery a raw, urgent quality. The band’s cohesion shone during extended improvisations, such as an 11-minute "Cowgirl in the Sand," where each musician listened and responded with palpable intention, reinforcing the sense of spontaneous artistry.

Beyond the music, the evening felt like an immersion into Young’s ethical worldview. The opening act, Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir, reinforced an anti-consumerist message, while concession stands featured locally sourced offerings—reflecting Young’s longstanding commitment to sustainable touring. As he repeated the line “somewhere safer where the feeling stays” during the climactic finale of "Like a Hurricane," it became clear that for his audience, Neil Young remains not just a musical legend, but a moral anchor.

Setlist: Ambulance Blues; Cowgirl in the Sand; Be the Rain; Southern Man; Ohio; Big Crime; Long Walk Home; Silver Eagle; Sail Away; Harvest Moon; Looking Forward; Only Love Can Break Your Heart; Sun Green; Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black); Like a Hurricane; Name of Love; Old Man; Roll Another Number (for the Road).