On Wednesday, December 12, the exterior of the Palace Theatre in uptown Manhattan was eerily illuminated by the blinking lights of a cluster of emergency vehicles parked out front. Despite it being the first night of Neil Young’s six-night residency at the Palace, the New York Fire Department felt it was high time to bring the theatre’s sprinkler system up to code. This left 3,000 cold ticketholders who were uncertain whether or not they’d be admitted at all sprawled into the street until 9 p.m., when it was at last decided that Young could take the stage. The delay meant that Pegi Young had to cancel her opening set, but Neil more than made up for his wife’s absence with an intimate two-hour set that encompassed his entire musical career.
Surrounded by a semi-circle of acoustic guitars, Young promptly apologized to his audience. “Sorry you were inconvenienced for some bullshit reason,” he said, before opening with a haunting rendition of “From Hank to Hendrix” from Harvest Moon, his 1992 return to form. Though Young did some interacting with the crowd, songs like “Harvest” and “A Man Needs a Maid” spoke for themselves. Delivering a performance with the same grit and gusto captured on Young’s classic 1971 album Live at Massey Hall, he again confirmed his place as one of the most iconic musicians of all time.
After 45 minutes, Young brought out a backing band comprised of musicians he’s played with for the last 30 years. Together they launched into “The Loner” from the 1970 film soundtrack Strawberry Statement. Wielding his Bigsby-equipped Les Paul like a bazooka, Young treated the audience to favorite classics as well as tracks like “Dirty Old Man” from his most recent release, Chrome Dreams II.
After an emphatic—and heavily improvisational—set, Young’s band returned for an encore that proved to be the climax that Young had been building toward all night. Ripping into “Cinnamon Girl” and “Don’t Cry No Tears,” he ended the night with an extended version of “Like a Hurricane,” which was so inspiring it was borderline religious, fitting for such a soulful performance inside a church.