With time on his hands ever since he recognized the riskiness of scheduling a tour with Crazy Horse in the current climate, Neil Young has used that time to create an updated version of “Shut it Down,” a song from their 2019 album, Colorado. On April 9, he released a video for “Shut it Down 2020.” (Watch it below.)
In announcing the video, Young wrote: “These are uncertain times. I wish you all the best as you care for our sick, the young and old who we love so much.
“Sending the best wishes to all the health care and government workers all over the world, to all the scientists who will learn and share with us the best ways to ensure survival in our world challenged. Let’s all work together and stay positive that we will find a way. With love to all, in all walks of life, all political persuasions, all colors. We will succeed working together for the good of our world as we are here together, hanging in the balance of nature.”
In early March, just two weeks after indicating that he was considering a 2020 tour with Crazy Horse, the classic rock legend indicated that the “barn tour,” as he described it, was on hold, due to these “uncertain times.” Young was referring to the Coronavirus outbreak.
According to a March 7 post on his Neil Young Archives website, the veteran singer-songwriter-musician noted, “We are looking at this uncertain world with our fully booked Crazy Horse Barn Tour, ready to announce the first stage.
“The last thing we want is to put people at risk, especially our older audience. Nobody wants to get sick in this pandemic.”
Young closed the post by writing, “Sending best wishes to all of the health care and government workers in all of the world, to all the scientists who will learn and share with us the best ways to ensure survival in our world challenged.”
Watch “Shut it Down 2020”
From Young’s late February description, the shows would take place not in actual barns but in “old arenas.”
The news of the possible tour came only days after announcing that he would not be touring at all in 2020.
Young’s full statement in late Feb. was as follows:
“We have been looking at booking the Crazy Horse BARN Tour,” Neil wrote. “Many of the old places we used to play are gone now, replaced by new coliseums we have to book (sp) 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 (sic) 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 in.”
“We wanted to play in a couple of months because we feel like it,” Young added. “To us it’s not a regular job. We don’t like the new rules.”
Young then listed a number of arenas in which he used to perform but have since been demolished, and then listed arenas still in existence. “If you are looking for us on our Crazy Horse Barn Tour, we will hopefully be in one of the existing arenas,” he said at the end of his statement.
Listen to the track “Think of Me” from the latest Neil Young and Crazy Horse album, Colorado
Young did not list any specific tour dates. If he does hit the road with Crazy Horse, more than 50 years after the release of the band’s debut album, Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, the lineup will likely consist of Young, Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina and Nils Lofgren.
Related: Read our Album Rewind review of Everybody Knows This is Nowhere
As of now, Young’s only definite live date is alongside Stephen Stills at the Light Up the Blues autism benefit at the Greek Theater in L.A. on May 30. Young has said previously that he wants to spend the year working on releasing vintage recordings from his archive. Already on tap is the unreleased 1975 album Homegrown, due out in April; an album culled from the 2003-04 Greendale tour with Crazy Horse; the Archives Volume 2 boxed set; and a January 1971 solo show.
And what about those guys called Crosby, Stills and Nash? Although there has been some buzz about the quartet reuniting “for the common good” (likely meaning a political cause they all agree on), to which Young has posted that “anything is possible,” it still appears unlikely that CSN&Y will be appearing onstage together any time soon.
Watch Young and the band perform “Down By the River” at the 1994 Farm Aid
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