Neil Young Shares Early Concert with Crazy Horse, Featuring Live Debuts of “Don’t Let It Bring You Down,” “Come On Baby Let’s Go Downtown” and More
In the winter of 1970, Neil Young and Crazy Horse were a relatively new band. After consummating its musical direction in 1968, the ensemble forged into the shag and bell-bottoms decade with a litany of songs that would endure as classics. In the bandleader’s latest move to excavate his live repertoire, Young has shared an early performance with Crazy Horse, a 16-song set played on Feb. 25, 1970, at Cincinnati’s Music Hall.
The live concert is available for paid streaming on the artist’s Neil Young Archives, and finds the maestro, on acoustic and electric guitar, joined by Danny Whitten (guitar, vocals), Billy Talbot (bass, vocals), Ralph Molina (drums, vocals), and Jack Nitzsche (electric piano). As initially pointed out by Rolling Stone, the collection carries the live debuts of “Don’t Let It Bring You Down,” with the reminder: “It’s only castles burning,” the drug scorin’ “Come On Baby Let’s Go Downtown” and a cover of Joe London’s “It Might Have Been.”
In addition to debut material, the ensemble also played Young’s Buffalo Springfield contribution, the smoke ring dazed “On The Way Home,” the reflective features “I Am a Child” and “Sugar Mountain,” amongst fan loved classics, “Down By the River,” “Cinnamon Girl,” and “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” [“La la la, la la la la…”]
Despite the early label on the live show, Young and Crazy Horse had submitted an extensive roster of live performances in 1969, playing over 40 gigs before the turn of the decade. At this time, the band’s concert on Feb. 25, 1970, is the earliest known concert by this ensemble to surface on a public listening platform.
Notably, Young was a member of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young at the time of the concert. He often used his free time, outside of CSNY commitments, to work on Crazy Horse tasks.
At this time, Young and his Chrome Hearts Band have shared a series of 2026 tour dates that will take them to the UK and Europe beginning on June 19, 2026. View more.
Listen and view Young and Crazy Horse’s Feb. 25, 1970, performance log here.
