Rocker Neil Young has never shied away from politics.
He didn’t tonight in a short show of greatest hits at Bridgeport’s Hartford Health Arena.
Young was here with his band the Chrome Hearts, as a sort of warm up for Farm Aid this Saturday in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The opening act was none other than 93 year old Willie Nelson, who also played for about an hour.
At one point, Neil sat down with Willie — who does the show comfortably seated (he can walk, don’t worry) — for a master class duet.
A living legend now, Willie is surprisingly adept for a man of his years. He plays and sings like time and age mean nothing. He sang all his hits — 18 different titles like “On the Road Again,” “Georgia On My Mind,” and “You Are Always On My Mind” — with serene confidence, fronting a band that includes his son talented son Micah. Seeing him up close at this point was, frankly, magical.
The crossover came toward the end of Willie’s sweet set, when Neil joined him for an exquisite maybe once-in-a-lifetime duet cover of the Young’s “Are There Really Anymore Cowboys?” (See below)
After 18 songs by a 93 year old, you didn’t know what to expect from Young, a spry 80 year old who generally rocks the house.
But this show, truncated, was low key, offering a dozen numbers that were almost all acoustic greatest hits — “Heart of Gold,” “Old Man,” “Long May You Run,” “Comes a Time,” “After the Goldrush,” “Harvest Moon,” included. The band was battling an unforgiving sound system, but this was their plan. After sitting through 50 years of Neil Young shows, it was kind of an odd treat to hear his most popular songs presented very simply.
He also introduced two songs he’d never played live before, from his new album “Second Song.”
After “After the Goldrush,” Young — rising from the piano — looked a little dazed, took a bow, and shuffled the band off the stage. There was concern in the audience that all we were getting was 10 songs. But then Neil and the Chrome Hearts returned for an unexpected political statement.
First came “Living with War,” the 2006 song Young wrote during the George W. Bush administration about the Iraq War. He’s played it only a handful of times in 20 years. But the lyrics certainly resonate now as Trump wages a forever war in Iran: “I join the multitudes, I raise my hand in peace/ I never bow to the laws of the thought police.”
He finished the set with a twist on an angry, stompin’ rock out version of “Rockin’ in the Free World,” which felt like an eruption after 11 mostly soft songs. It was as if Young and the band awakened from a soft rock dream, particularly when he added a chant to the song: “Take America back!” he blasted over and over. From whom? Use your imagination. Like a lot of us, Neil Young has had it.
And that was it. Over and out on a landmark night in the middle of nowhere. A lot of history made unexpectedly. By the way– who’s the audience? Totally sold out, all ages, genders, races. A poll taker’s dream. The appeal is universal.
