CONCERT REVIEW: Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts - Bethel Woods Center For The Arts

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel, NY — August 25, 2025

A chilly rain rolled through the Catskills before showtime, dropping the late-August air into the 50s and giving Bethel Woods the kind of damp, restless atmosphere that felt made for Neil Young. There’s something different about seeing him on the same grounds where CSNY helped define a generation back in 1969. Monday night wasn’t just another tour stop—it felt like a circle closing.

Young was backed by The Chrome Hearts, a lineup that includes Micah Nelson (guitar), Corey McCormick (bass), Anthony LoGerfo (drums), and Spooner Oldham (organ). Micah may be officially part of this newer version of the band, but his connection to Neil goes much deeper—he’s played with Neil for years through Promise of the Real and even toured with Crazy Horse last summer. And then there’s Spooner Oldham, whose collaborations with Neil stretch back decades, including the Harvest Moon era, making him one of Neil’s most trusted sidemen. Together, the band kept things understated, leaving room for Neil to carry songs that have become part of our cultural fabric.

The show itself wove between eras—opening with rarities, digging into Greendale with “Be the Rain” early on, and then pivoting toward the songs that tie him most to this ground. Midway through, after a quiet pause, Neil grinned and shouted, “I can’t tell what year it is these days…” before crashing into “Ohio.” In a place like Bethel Woods, the moment felt less like performance and more like time collapsing. Later, songs like “Mr. Soul” and “Name of Love” came across as deliberate nods to the Woodstock days. By the end, “Roll Another Number (For the Road)” and “Rockin’ in the Free World” sent the crowd back into the cool night with something between a sigh and a roar.

For me, the night carried an extra layer of magic: I was able to photograph the show alongside Henry Diltz, the legendary rock photographer whose images helped define the Woodstock generation. Diltz was on the original Woodstock site in ’69, documenting not only the performances but the culture around them, and his lens has followed Neil and CSNY for decades. To work next to him on the very ground where so many of those iconic frames were made added another dimension of history and weight to an already unforgettable evening.

Even the details beyond the music reinforced that feeling. Concession stands covered their soda logos with plain brown paper. Water came in cans, not plastic. A little village of vendors handed out peace pins and eco-friendly flyers, a subtle echo of a different era’s marketplace. It wasn’t a gimmick—it was Neil trying to make the night live up to his words.

His voice cracked and wavered often, but instead of distracting, it added to the sense of fragility—of the earth, of the times, and of the rare artists like Neil Young still standing onstage with something to say. As I walked slowly back to the parking lot in the cool mountain air, I caught myself wondering how many more times I’d get to hear these songs, never mind on soil this sacred. Probably not many. Which made this night feel like a gift.

-Scott Kucharski - Three From the Pit