The Hollywood Bowl has hosted just about every flavor of rock and folk under the stars, but on a Monday in mid-September, it felt like the earth itself had tilted toward rebellion. Neil Young, 79 years old and still sneering at power with his high tenor and gnarly guitar tone, rolled into town with his “new” backing band, The Chrome Hearts, for the final night of their Love Earth Tour. What unfolded was less a nostalgia set than a battle cry: part funeral dirge, part protest rally, and part rock ’n’ roll exorcism.
Young first played the Bowl nearly 60 years ago with Buffalo Springfield. Standing on the same stage now, flanked by Micah Nelson (Particle Kid), Corey McCormick, and Anthony LoGerfo—all of whom previously backed him in Promise of the Real—plus 82-year-old organist Spooner Oldham of the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Young reminded everyone why they call him the “Godfather of Grunge.” His songs still bleed, his solos still howl, and his politics are still sharp enough to cut steel.
Before Young even touched a guitar, the evening opened with a holy ruckus courtesy of Reverend Billy and The Stop Shopping Choir, the New York gospel-punk collective preaching “Earth-allujah!” with wild-eyed fervor. They sang of wildfires, hurricanes, and the fragile beauty of the planet on numbers like “La La La Liberate” and “Beautiful Earth”. Their sermon set the tone that this wasn’t going to be a night of comfortable greatest hits.
Young’s set began in hushed tones on “Ambulance Blues”, picking at his acoustic like it was carved out of bone, before going electric on “Cowgirl in the Sand”. The two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer briefly reminisced about making his Hollywood Bowl debut in 1966 before launching into “Be the Rain”.
From there, the set burned hotter. He and his band came roaring back with “Southern Man” and “Ohio”, their anger somehow fresher than ever in the California night, undoubtedly fueled by current events that echo all too closely the tenuous times during which those songs were first etched.
Neil Young And The Chrome Hearts — “Southern Man” — 9/15/25
[Video: Todd Norris]
Neil Young And The Chrome Hearts — “Ohio” — 9/15/25
[Video: Todd Norris]
Halfway through, Neil unveiled the new material that’s made The Chrome Hearts such a jolt. “Big Crime”, premiered just weeks earlier in Chicago, took dead aim at government corruption. “Got to get the fascists out / Got to clean the White House out,” Young sang defiantly. Nelson’s guitar filled the air, fuzzed out and furious. Later, Young sat at the piano for “Long Walk Home”, his voice cracked but unbowed.
There were lighter moments, too. Young led into “Silver Eagle” (from this summer’s Talkin’ to the Trees album) with a funny story about a substitute bus driver inspiring the song, while “Harvest Moon” had couples swaying under the Bowl’s glowing arches. Just as quickly, though, he turned back to fire, plugging in and spitting through a bullhorn during “Sun Green”.
The electric stretch hit like a storm. “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)” bellowed like an open wound, followed by a titanic “Like a Hurricane”, with Micah Nelson hammering an angelic keyboard suspended from the rafters. Someone in the crowd yelled, “Happy birthday!”, not his, but Young grinned and briefly sang, “Happy birthday to everyone.” Then, he dusted off a refurbished organ for a hidden Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young gem, “Name of Love”.
Neil Young And The Chrome Hearts — “Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)” — 9/15/25
[Video: Todd Norris]
Young closed the main set with “Old Man”, stripped bare and devastating. For the encore, he shuffled back out, wry smile intact, to croon “Roll Another Number (For the Road)”. It was classic Neil: sly, ragged, and unvarnished, a wink and a middle finger in the same breath.
Through it all, The Chrome Hearts proved themselves a worthy renewed chapter in Young’s long line of backing bands. Where Crazy Horse was always about brute force and unpolished stomp, with feedback-drenched jams stumbling into glory, The Chrome Hearts bring a sharper edge. They’re looser on the fringes, but wiry, agile, and unafraid to splatter sound like Pollock paint across the stage. The grit is still there, but the textures feel fresher, almost psychedelic, with Nelson in particular channeling some of the anarchic spirit of Danny Whitten while still carving his own space. It wasn’t Crazy Horse, but it didn’t need to be.
At 79, Neil Young still plays like the world depends on it, and maybe it does. The Chrome Hearts are the right foil: younger, hungrier, and willing to drag his songs into noisier, angrier territory. Love Earth was billed as a tour about climate, justice, and survival, and at the Bowl, it felt like a sermon, a rally, and a rock show all in one.
What comes next? Knowing Neil, maybe another band, another cause, another set of songs that cut against the grain. Still, one thing is certain: as long as there’s injustice in the air and amplifiers onstage, Neil Young isn’t done raising hell.
Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts have one more date left on Saturday for Farm Aid 40 at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN. Find tickets here, and check out a photo gallery from the Hollywood Bowl show courtesy of photographer Josh Martin and videos from Todd Norris.
Neil Young And The Chrome Hearts — “Ambulance Blues” — 9/15/25
Setlist: Neil Young And The Chrome Hearts | Hollywood Bowl | Los Angeles, CA | 9/15/25
Set: 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
Encore: Roll Another Number (For the Road)
