It just seemed so right.
There he was, walking out in a flannel shirt and holding an acoustic guitar to the stage where he had created so many wonderful memories for hundreds of thousands Bay Area fans over the decades.
Yes, Neil Young was finally back at Shoreline Amphitheatre on Friday night, making his first appearance at the Mountain View venue since the last chapter of the legendary annual Bridge School Benefit Concerts unfolded in 2016.
And this long-awaited reunion between artist, venue and fans — most of whom were old enough to have attended the very first star-studded Bridge School Benefit at Shoreline in 1986 — sure felt great.
“Thanks for coming. We appreciate it,” Young said near the start of this thrilling show with his Chrome Hearts band. “Take care of yourself in this crazy world — your friends too.
“I’m just happy to be here tonight.”
The 79-year-old former Bay Area resident, who spent decades living on a ranch in Woodside before flying south to L.A. and marrying movie-star Daryl Hannah, was a force of nature — especially on guitar — as he moved through 20 superb tracks in two hours.
Young pulled mainly from his solo material and his legendary work with Crazy Horse, but also touched upon his time as one-fourth of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY) and even played one song from his new album with the Chrome Hearts (and 49th overall) — “Talkin to the Trees.”
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It was the type of richly artistic and moving night that properly underscored why Young is a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — having first been enshrined in 1995 as a solo artist and then in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield. (And, let’s face it, Young should really be a three-time inductee, but — for some bizarre reason — voters decided to enshrine CSN without the Y. Had voters gone the other way, Young would now be tied with Eric Clapton for most Rock Hall inductions.)
Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts perform Sept. 12, 2025 at Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View (Jim Harrington, Bay Area News Group).
Friday’s concert closely resembled a Young & Crazy Horse show in terms of energy, vibe and focus on swirling guitar-led jams. Young was a beast on the electric, tearing at the strings with force and rocking through one fuzzed-out lead after another, while being pushed ever forward by his terrific Chrome Hearts band — featuring Spooner Oldham on Farfisa organ, Micah (son of Willie) Nelson on guitar, Corey McCormick on bass and Anthony LeGerfo on drums.
Yet, he’d kick off the show with a relatively mellow approach — the soft, folksy and acoustic-driven “Ambulance Blues” from the 1974 solo outing “On the Beach” — before plugging in the electric for “Cowgirl in the Sand” from the singer’s first studio offering with Crazy Horse, 1969’s “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.”
Any sign of the possible fatigue or illness that caused Young to cancel last year’s tour with Crazy Horse was certainly nowhere to be seen as the Canadian-born singer-songwriter — nicknamed “Godfather of Grunge” for his influence on Pearl Jam and other ’90s acts — continued through fierce renditions of the longtime fan favorites “Powderfinger” and “Southern Man” as well the 2003 “Greendale” gem “Be the Rain.”
Next up was a nice take on “Ohio,” with Nelson, McCormick and LeGerfo joining with Young to provide those famed four-part CSNY vocal harmonies. The sole “Talkin to the Trees” selection of the night — “Silver Eagle” — was another winner, with Young at his most Woody Guthrie-esque as he sang this charming travelogue inspired by a conversation with a bus driver.
After waltzing through the tender “Harvest Moon” and the slow-moving beauty “Only Love Can Break Your Heart,” Young and company saved their hardest-hitting numbers for the last quarter of the show. The one-two punch combo of “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)” and “Like a Hurricane” was truly something to behold, as the five musicians melded sounds in ways that, at times, felt like there was only one instrument being played on the stage.
The group drew the main set to a close with the all-time classic “Old Man,” which felt particularly poignant and raw on this night, before making one final strong statement with “Rockin’ in the Free World.”
Young certainly made this night count — just like he had done so many times before at this exact same venue. Let’s just hope he doesn’t wait another nine years before he returns to play Shoreline again.
Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts perform Sept. 12, 2025 at Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View (Jim Harrington, Bay Area News Group).
Neil Young setlist:
1. “Ambulance Blues”
2. “Cowgirl in the Sand”
3. “Vampire Blues”
4. “Powderfinger”
5. “Long Walk Home”
6. “Be the Rain”
7. “Southern Man”
8. “Ohio”
9. “Big Crime”
10. “Silver Eagle”
11. “Sail Away”
12. “Harvest Moon”
13. “Looking Forward”
14. “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”
15. “Sun Green”
16. “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)”
17. “Like a Hurricane”
18. “Name of Love”
19. “Old Man”
Encore:
20. “Rockin’ in the Free World”