Concert Review: Neil Young And The Chrome Hearts (PNC Pavilion)

Neil Young BY MARK DOLEJS

Neil Young And The Chrome Hearts opened the U.S. leg of their Love Earth World Tour Friday night in Charlotte at PNC Music Pavilion. The house wasn’t full, but for those in attendance, it was an exceptional night.

Reverend Billy & The Stop Shopping Choir
The show started with opener Reverend Billy & The Stop Shopping Choir. They were quite entertaining, with their pro-earth, pro-environmental themes, and the Reverend gallivanting around the stage with his choir singing behind him. But, their 30 minutes on stage just delayed the main event that everyone was there for.

Young started with a nine-minute version of “Ambulance Blues,” from his 1974 album On The Beach. It was a beautiful way to start the night with his guitar licks and harmonica mixed in intermittently.

Many of the songs that he is known for were played throughout the night. “Southern Man,” “Cowgirl in the Sand,” “Hey Hey, My My,” “Harvest Moon,” and “When You Dance I can Really Love” were among those songs.

Neil Young
The crowd, mostly my age or older, were very appreciative of this timeworn monster of music. Young is all about the music, no chitchat between songs, just music. And, it appears he still enjoys performing as much as he ever has throughout his long career.

The Chrome Hearts are made up of Spooner Oldham on organ, Corey McCormick on bass, Micah Nelson on guitar, and Anthony LoGerfo on drums. These guys are jelled like a fine wine and mesh really well with Young, as if they have been playing together for many years.

Probably the most impactful part of the night for me was “One of These Days.” The lyrics really resonated with me personally, kind of caught me a little off guard, as I’ve personally thought about this same topic recently.

“One of these days
I'm gonna sit down and write a long letter
To all the good friends I've known
And I'm gonna try
And thank them all for the good times together
Though so apart we've grown”

Neil Young
The night ended with two encores, the first, “Like a Hurricane,” “Name of Love,” and “Old Man.” This was a genius way to end the night, although honestly, I’m not sure you could go wrong with any order of songs from this man.

The final cherry on this Friday night sundae was the second encore, about a ten-minute version of “Rockin’ in the Free World,” which has been his go to ender for this tour.

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MARK DOLEJS

Photography is an avenue that Mark Dolejs uses to learn about the people and places that cross his path. After more than 30 years as a photojournalist, Mark enjoys concert, macro, and roadside photography. Follow Mark on Instagram at @solidrockpix.

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