Neil Young has announced that he will embark on the BARN Tour with Crazy Horse later this year, reversing his earlier position that he would take 2020 off from touring.
The recently-naturalized American citizen announced on Sunday via the Neil Young Archives that he will team up for a tour with Crazy Horse that would see the ensemble visit some of their old stomping grounds.
Many of the old places we used to play are gone now, replaced by new coliseums we have to book year in advance and we don’t want to go to anyway. That’s not the way we like to play. It sounds way to much like a real job if you have to book it and wait a year, so we have decided to play old arenas – not the new sports facilities put up by corporations for their sports teams. Largely soulless, these new buildings cost a fortune to play. We wanted to play in a couple of months because we feel like it. To us it’s not a regular job. We don’t like the new rules.
While the singer-songwriter didn’t announce any specific dates, he did go on to list the “old arenas” that they wanted to play, sorted by whether or not they still stand. Among his list of those venues still around are Madison Square Garden, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Providence Civic Center, Cow Palace, The Forum, and a couple dozen other arenas throughout the United States and Canada.
This announcement came as a surprise to many who had been following Young’s recent activity, as he told fans just last week that he was “not focused on playing,” and not to expect any tour dates. Recently, Young has concentrated on the release of vintage material and concert films from the Neil Young Archives. As of now, the only concert he has scheduled is an appearance at the Light Up The Blues autism benefit concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on May 30th. Visit Young’s website to stay up-to-date on tour information.