Photo Credit: Bill Kelly

In late June, Neil Young and Crazy Horse dropped out of their Love Earth summer tour, calling the decision a “big unplanned break,” while also providing reasoning which stemmed from an undisclosed illness that originated after their May 22 concert at Pine Knob in Clarkston, Mich. In the wake of the tour dismissal, Young unveiled more details via his most recent Zoom Q&A with subscribers of the Neil Young Archives, first reported by Consequence. 

The Canadian musician, whose career dates back to the early sixties, explained the feeling of lacking vitality and how his body and others responded, “A couple of us really hit a wall.” Young continued, “I just woke up one morning on the bus and I said, ‘I can’t do this, I gotta stop.’ I felt sick when I thought of going onstage. My body was telling me, ‘You gotta stop.’ And so I listened to my body.”

Touching on the legality behind the decision, he explained, “‘You got this, you got that, people bought tickets, they did this, they did that.’ I understand that. What matters to me is the art of playing, and the music. That’s what matters. That’s what people loved. That’s what they come to see. But if that’s not there, my going isn’t happening. My body told me to not do it.”

After emphasizing the physical response he experienced, Young went on to provide hope for the future, and impending gigs, “We haven’t announced any shows yet, but they are mostly theaters that I played before, little theaters, and then I can play a little bit of acoustic, and then have the band come out and play.” Adding,  “They’ll probably be on the East Coast and then going towards Michigan and then Ohio, and then a few other ones. They won’t be marathons. They won’t be two hours and 10 minutes of blasting rock & roll like it was with Crazy Horse.”

Speaking on his live show format and the inclusion of others, Young said, “Crazy Horse will be back, God willing.” He continued, “We did a good service to the name Crazy Horse and paid respect to what that was. But when it got to the point where we had done it, and now we were doing it again, that’s why I stopped. That can’t be controlled. You can’t tell when that’s going to happen. I’m sorry to all the people who bought tickets who couldn’t go, but I listened to my body.”
For the latest on Young’s activity, visit neilyoungarchives.com.