Having spent over 60 years in the music industry, Neil Young watched as he slowly became an icon in genres like country rock and folk. It also helped that he produced nearly 50 studio albums throughout his time in the spotlight. Although looking to continue his career on stage, Young surprisingly canceled his tour alongside Crazy Horse. With fans shocked over the decision, Young recently decided to shed some light on the reason the tour was canceled.
Deciding to share his thoughts during a livestream, Young admitted that age caught up to him when he and some of the other performers “Hit a wall.” He continued, “I just woke up one morning on the bus and I said, ‘I can’t do this, I gotta stop.’ And it was like, I felt sick when I thought of going on-stage. My body was telling me, ‘You gotta stop.’ So I listened to my body.”
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Neil Young Promises Crazy Horse Is Not Over
Young seemed to share the same feeling with his fans as he hated to walk away but felt it was necessary. “Then it gets into all the legal matters. ‘You got this, you got that, people bought tickets, they did this, they did that.’ I understand that, but 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 loved to come and see.” He insisted, “But if that’s not there, me going isn’t happening. My body told me to not do it.”
Needing to take a break, Young promised fans he was feeling great and even thought he could return to the stage. But for now, he waits on other members of the band. “Crazy Horse will be back, God willing, and we’ll play more. But in the meantime, I have a lot of friends that I play with.”
While preparing to hit the road on a theater tour, Young explained how fans should expect a different show. “They won’t be marathons. They won’t be two hours and 10 minutes of blasting rock ‘n’ roll like it was with Crazy Horse.”
(Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for SXSW)
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