Stephen Stills, Neil Young and Chris Stills on stage together on April 22, 2023
Photo: Getty Images, Harmony Gerber. All rights reserved.
On Saturday night (April 22), Neil Young made his first major live appearance in almost four years at a benefit concert in Los Angeles. Willie and Lukas Nelson, Joe Walsh, Chris Stills and Sharon Van Etten were also part of the event. For a special occasion: the annual charity show “Autism Speaks – Light Up The Blues”. It is hosted by Stephen Stills and his wife Kristen, with proceeds benefiting Autism Speaks.
Young shared most of the stage there with Stills. A tribute to her late bandmate David Crosby was also offered. And, according to Variety, Paul McCartney was in the audience, cloaked behind a black mask.
Young and Stills: The Concert – with a surprising tribute to David Crosby
For the LA set, Young and Stills were joined by Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real. They have performed Young’s classics including “Heart of Gold” and “Comes a Time”. Then came Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s song Helpless, with Stills on piano. The ensemble also set some Buffalo Springfield tunes to music, such as “On the Way Home” or “Mr. Soul”. Here with Joe Walsh on guitar. The 11-song set ended with Stills Young’s “Long May You Run.”
A pre-recorded message from Graham Nash was also featured: “David was my best friend for almost 50 years. I will miss him terribly in my life and think of him every day. Here’s how I want to relive a beautiful piece of music: Here David and I are playing ‘Guinnevere’ at the Jazz at Lincoln Center with the famous trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. Enjoy the music and rejoice please. I will miss him every day of my life.” This was followed by a 2013 recording of Guinnevere.
The silence between the two musicians was long: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young performed together for the last time in 2015 and broke up in a dispute a year later. Graham Nash and David Crosby reconnected before his death.