Neil Young & Crazy Horse headlined the second Saturday of New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on May 4th, which also coincided with the 54th anniversary of the Kent State University shootings in Ohio. To mark the solemn occasion, Young turned in a moving solo performance of his protest anthem “Ohio”.
After performing nine out of the rocking set’s 12 total songs, Young cast off his backing band comprised of drummer Ralph Molina, bassist Billy Talbot, and guitarist Micah Nelson (Particle Kid), who is currently subbing for Nils Lofgren while he tours with The E Street Band. While Young’s shows so far on the Love Earth Tour have included a mid-set solo acoustic interlude, Neil instead strapped on an electric semi-hollow body guitar for his solo segment at Jazz Fest. The performance of “Ohio” from the Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young catalog was brief but potent, clocking in at just over two minutes. The clank of Young’s rusty guitar tone added more gravitas to the rendition as the audience sang along to the anthem—a particularly poignant moment as protests continue across the country against issues new and old.
Saturday’s Jazz Fest appearance marked the first performance of “Ohio” during a Neil Young & Crazy Horse show since August 20th, 1997, when they headlined the traveling H.O.R.D.E. Festival, per Setlist.fm. The song has been a staple of Young’s solo shows for over half a century. “Ohio” commemorates the murder of four unarmed college students by the Ohio National Guard on the campus of Kent State University in Kent, OH on May 4th, 1970 amid protests over the Vietnam War.
The rest of Young and Crazy Horse’s set was heavy on the singer-songwriter’s classics, with “Scattered (Let’s Think About Livin’)” from 1996’s Broken Arrow marking the newest song of the show. So far on the Love Earth Tour, Young and company have made sure to include favorites “Cortez the Killer”, “Powderfinger”, and “Cinnamon Girl” at almost every concert with other audibles thrown in the mix. Saturday’s Jazz Fest appearance saw a fairly abridged version of the live show, clocking in at around 80 minutes (ending ten minutes ahead of schedule).
Watch Neil Young & Crazy Horse perform “Ohio” at Jazz Fest and check out a gallery of images courtesy of photographer Ron Valle. The Love Earth Tour continues tonight, May 5th, in Huntsville, AL. For tickets and a full list of tour dates, head here.
Neil Young – “Ohio” – 5/4/24
[Video: Michael Weinbaum]
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