Neil Young
Actress Daryl Hannah has spoken about the issues faced by husband Neil Young in his journey to becoming an American citizen, claiming “every trick in the book” was used to delay the process.
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Hannah, who has been married to Young since 2018, made the claims in a new interview with the BBC, alleging that the process was delayed purposefully. “They tried […] every trick in the book to mess him up, and made him keep coming back to be re-interviewed and re-interviewed,” Hannah explained. “It’s ridiculous [because] he’s been living in America and paying taxes here since he was in his 20s.”
Indeed, Young was born in Toronto in 1945 but relocated to the U.S. in 1966. In a 1975 interview with Rolling Stone, Young admitted that he had lived in the country illegally until he obtained a green card in 1970.
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In November 2019, Young discussed some of the delays his citizenship application had faced, noting that a policy update from earlier that same year meant that his previous use of marijuana had not seen him meet the standard for “good moral character.”
“When I recently applied for American citizenship, I passed the test,” Young wrote at the time. “It was a conversation where I was asked many questions. I answered them truthfully and passed. Recently however, I have been told that I must do another test, due to my use of marijuana and how some people who smoke it have exhibited a problem.”
Ultimately, Young was granted U.S. citizenship in January 2020, though he would later relocate to Canada that same year.
Recently, Young’s criticism of the U.S. government has seen him share fears that he may be blacklisted from a return to the U.S. based upon the “latest actions of our US government.”
“When I go to play music in Europe, if I talk about Donald J. Trump, I may be one of those returning to America who is barred or put in jail to sleep on a cement floor with an aluminum blanket,” Young wrote on his website on April 1. “If I come back from Europe and am barred, can’t play my USA tour, all of the folks who bought tickets will not be able to come to a concert by me.”
“If the fact that I think Donald Trump is the worst president in the history of our great country could stop me from coming back, what does that say for Freedom?” he added. “I love America and its people and its music and its culture.”
Despite these comments, Hannah noted that she doesn’t share the same fear that Young might be detained at the border, largely due to his status as a U.S. citizen.
“They’ve been detaining people who have green cards or visas – which is hideous and horrifying – but they have not, so far, been refusing to let American citizens back in the country, so I don’t think that’s going to happen,” she stated.
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Veteran Canadian rocker Neil Young has shared his fears over a potential ban from the U.S. that may await him upon his return from Europe.
The musician – who is a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S. – has not been shy in regard to his criticism of President Donald Trump in the past. Previously, Young has gone so far as to call Trump “a disgrace to my country,” and most recently, claim that “the US has lost its standing” on the world stage under the President’s leadership.
However, with an upcoming European tour set to be followed by a run of dates in the U.S., Young has taken to his Archives website to ruminate on the notion that he too may be barred from entering the country for sharing his critical thoughts on Trump.
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“When I go to play music in Europe, if I talk about Donald J. Trump, I may be one of those returning to America who is barred or put in jail to sleep on a cement floor with an aluminum blanket,” Young wrote on Tuesday (April 1). “If I come back from Europe and am barred, can’t play my USA tour, all of the folks who bought tickets will not be able to come to a concert by me.
“If the fact that I think Donald Trump is the worst president in the history of our great country could stop me from coming back, what does that say for Freedom? I love America and its people and its music and its culture.”
As Young continued, he reflected on the constitutional right to freedom of speech within the country, likely referring to recent news stories such as the arrest and orders to deport Syrian-born permanent resident and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil.
“By these latest actions of our US government, it seems that those who speak out freely with their own opinions are now vulnerable to a non-existent Trump law,” Young wrote. “Then it seems to me that if you voted for Kamala Harris over Trump, that makes it possible for you to go to jail or be detained, punished in some way for not showing allegiance to what? How spineless is that? Trump is not be able to stand up to anyone who does not agree with his ideas?
“Remember, all months have 30 days,” he concluded. “One country, indivisible, with Liberty and Freedom for all. Remember that? I do.”
Young is currently scheduled to launch his forthcoming tour with the Chrome Hearts in Rättvik, Sweden on June 18, with North American dates set to begin in Charlotte, NC on Aug. 8. The rocker’s previously-announced plans for a free concert in Ukraine to launch the tour were recently cancelled, with Young citing safety concerns as the reason for the decision.
Bachman-Turner Overdrive is takin’ care of business again with “60 Years Ago,” the Canadian stalwart’s first new material in more than 25 years. And there’s more where that came from.
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The sentimental single, releasing formally on Friday, March 28, was first written by Randy Bachman and his son Tal during their pandemic YouTube show Bachman & Bachman Friday Night Train Wreck and is part of a father-son album that has not yet been released. But after hearing that a highway section in Randy Bachman’s native Winnipeg was to be renamed the Bachman-Turner Overpass – with the dedication on April 18, the day before BTO plays there – inspired the Bachmans to revise the song and make the song public.
“I thought, ‘I’ll go and get “60 Years Ago,” and I’ll give it back to Winnipeg as a thank-you,’” Randy Bachman tells Billboard via Zoom from his current home in Victoria, B.C.. “There was no great plan for this song, y’know. But maybe they’ll play it on Winnipeg radio, and if you live in Winnipeg maybe you’ll want to download it and drive around singing ’60 years ago, so damn cold, so much snow’ and that kind of stuff. And I have a million BTO fans, followers on Instagram and my web site, so maybe some of them will download it.
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“I have a lot of people asking me, always, ‘Is there anything new? Is there anything new?’ So now… yes, there is.”
With its remembrances of the Winnipeg music scene of the mid-’60s, Bachman further torqued up “60 Years Ago” with some appropriate guests – childhood friend and fellow Winnipegian Neil Young, whose guitar solo can be heard at the end, and BTO co-founder Fred Turner who, despite spates of bad health, contributed vocals to the song. Both men are name-checked in the lyrics, along with Bachman’s Guess Who partner Burton Cummings and, as Bachman notes, Winnipeg’s frigid climate.
“I sent it to Neil Young and said, ‘Here’s a song about us and Winnipeg,’” Bachman says. “And he said, ‘I love this. I’ll scream something and play my solo at the end of the track.’ So we did that.” Turner’s part took a bit more doing, however.
“Fred Turner has suffered a lot in the last three years, from Covid, from his own illness. He lost his wife, that was depressing. He lost his voice,” Bachman explains. “When I sent him [the song] I said, ‘Just put this on your computer… put on headphones and sing to it. I just want your voice, Fred.’ He said, ‘I haven’t sang in two and a half years, but I gave it a shot. But I lost my voice in the second verse.’ But because of digital (technology) now you can get a little, tiny sound and make it big, so we managed to get a great vocal on him throughout the song.
“This wasn’t planned to be a single targeting the charts or anything like that. If we have success with this, it’ll be stunning. But people who hear it are saying to me, ‘You’ve done a great thing here. It sounds like BTO in 1976,’ which is great. The new [Rolling] Stones album doesn’t sound like the Stones, right? But this sounds like BTO.”
“60 Years Ago” comes as BTO prepares to hit the road for an extensive Canadian tour that kicks off an extensive, 22-date tour of Canada, followed by summer dates in the U.S., both on its own and with the Marshall Tucker Band, Jefferson Starship and the Outlaws. Bachman is also preparing a BTO live album from 1976 shows at the Budokan in Tokyo for release, and he’s hoping that Takin’ Care of Business, a documentary about finding his stolen Gretsch 6120 guitar while in the midst of a serious cancer battle a couple of years back will see wider release after running on the film festival circuit.
Bachman says more new BTO songs may be in the offing as well, including one called “Rock ‘n’ Roll is the Only Way Out.”
“Rock ‘n’ roll is the only way out of rap and all this crazy pop stuff that’s going on,” Bachman says, “and all this weird country stuff…everybody’s trying to get on the country bandwagon because they still sell CDs.” He’s also collaborating with Turner on other new songs.
“When we were doing [’60 Years Ago’] I said, ‘Have you got any songs, Fred? People are asking for new BTO,’” Bachman recalls. “And he says, ‘Yeah, here’s a couple of old songs. You want to do something new with ’em?’ All he’s got are little cassette tapes, but with AI I can lift off his vocal and get them reformatted and rewrite them and do this and that. I just get a BPM, tick-tick-tick and match his vocal to it. I play guitar. My son Tal plays guitar, drums, bass, flutes, everything. Then we’ll send it back to Fred and get him to sing once it’s a good demo and we’ve got the new groove and new feel. So I am working on new BTO stuff, which is amazing.”
Bachman is also looking forward to a return to the Guess Who now that he and Cummings have successfully wrested control of the trademarks and copyrights from former bandmates Jim Kale and Gary Peterson, who operated the band with other musicians – which Bachman calls “the clones” – until last July. The guitarist says he and Cummings – who have toured together since Bachman’s 1970 departure, including under the Guess Who moniker during the early 2000s – plan to be on the road together during 2026 playing the band’s material along with BTO and Cummings’ solo hits.
“We’re gonna really have an incredible show, about two hours,” Bachman says. “It’ll be a celebration of the Guess Who. The fans have been wanting it. We’ve already got offers for gigs – really big gigs, really good money. We’re just dealing with them all and working out who’s gonna be in the band – but definitely me and Burton. It’s like Joe Perry and Steven Tyler; you get a rhythm section, and as long as you have those two, you still get Aerosmith. With me and Burton, it’s still the Guess Who.”
BTO’s upcoming tour dates include:
Canada 2025 Tour Dates
April 1 – Save On Foods Memorial Centre, Victoria, BCApril 3 – Abbotsford Centre, Abbotsford, BCApril 4 – South Okanagan Event Centre, Penticton, BCApril 6 – Western Financial Place, Cranbrook, BCApril 8 – CN Centre, Prince George, BCApril 9 – Bonnetts Energy Centre, Grand Prairie, ABApril 11 – Event Centre at Grey Eagle Casino, Calgary, ABApril 12 – Event Centre at Grey Eagle Casino, Calgary, ABApril 13 – VisitLethbridge.com Arena, Lethbridge, ABApril 15 – Brandt Centre, Regina, SKApril 17 – Westoba Place at Keystone Centre, Brandon, MBApril 19 – Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg, MBApril 24 – The Aud (Kitchener Memorial Auditorium), Kitchener, ONApril 26 – Great Canadian Resort Toronto, Toronto, ONApril 28 – Meridian Centre, St. Catharines, ONApril 29 – Peterborough Memorial Centre, Peterborough, ONMay 1 – Canada Life Place, London, ONMay 2 – The Arena at TD Place, Ottawa, ONMay 4 – Sudbury Arena, Sudbury, ONMay 5 – Place Bell, Laval, QCMay 7 – TD Station, Saint John, NBMay 8 – Scotiabank Centre, Halifax, NS
US Tour Dates with The Marshall Tucker Band and Jefferson Starship
July 18 – Harrah’s Stir Cove, Council Bluffs, IAJuly 19 – Treasure Island Casino, Welch, MNJuly 20 – Scheels Arena, Fargo, NDJuly 22 – Kresge Auditorium, Interlochen, MIJuly 24 – Neuroscience Group Field, Appleton, WIJuly 25 – The Mill Terre Haute, Terre Haute, INJuly 26 – Rose Music Center, Huber Heights, OHAug. 1 – Lucky Star Casino, El Reno, OK#
# Outlaws replacing Jefferson Starship as special guest
US Tour Dates – BTO only
July 28 – Bloomington Center For The Performing Art, Bloomington, ILJuly 29 – The Village Green at the Charles Zettek Municipal Complex, Elk Grove Village, ILJuly 31 – MU Health Care Capital Region Amphitheater, Jefferson City, MOAug. 15 – Peppermill Casino, Wendover, NVAug. 16 – Vilar PAC, Beaver Creek, COAug. 18 – Western Idaho Fair, Boise, IDAug. 21 – Pala Casino, Pala, CAAug. 22 – We-Ko-Pa Casino, Ft. McDowell, AZ
Ukrainian Neil Young fans will have to wait even longer to see the musician in person, with Young cancelling a recently-announced free concert in the country.
Young had previously shared word of the forthcoming gig earlier in the month, revealing that his European tour with The Chrome Hearts would be preceded by his debut performance in the country. “We are currently in talks and will make the announcement of details here at NYA,” Young wrote on his Archives website.
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While specifics were not forthcoming, the tour is set to begin in Rättvik, Sweden on June 18, meaning the as-yet unannounced Ukrainian show would have ostensibly occurred in the immediate lead-up. However, Young has since provided a disappointing update to reveal that the show is no longer going ahead as initially planned.
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“We had a good venue, close to a shelter, but the changing situation on the ground was too much,” Young shared on his Archives page on Thursday (March 20). “I could not in good conscience take my crew and instruments into that area. My apologies to all. Ukraine is a great country with a good leader. Slava Ukraini.”
The initial announcement of the performance felt rather pertinent, given the outpouring of global support received by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Feb. 28. The highly-contentious meeting resulted in widespread criticism of Trump, and took place only days after Young himself focused on the President in a post titled “Leader of the Free World No More.”
“Under 47’s leadership, the US has lost its standing,” Young wrote. “Loyalists will never be stronger than Patriots, and Patriots are in the majority here in the USA. Our Patriots will take to the streets to peacefully demonstrate. There will be a moment of truth in our country and we will show the world who we really are. The USA will again be the leader of the Free World.”
Young’s Ukrainian cancellation follows on from his announcement that future performances would no longer feature the sale of ‘Platinum’ tickets, having been inspired to axe the option after being inspired by an interview with The Cure’s Robert Smith.
“It’s the story of the bad thing that has happened to concerts world-wide. It’s this story that really helped me to realize that I have a choice to make and can make a difference for my music loving friends,” Young explained. “My management and agent have always tried to cover my back on the road, getting me the best deals they could.
“They have tried to protect me and my fans from the scalpers who buy the best tickets and resell them at huge increases for their own profits. Ticketmaster’s High priced Platinum tickets were introduced to the areas where scalpers were buying the most tickets for resale. The money went to me. That did not feel right.”
Young’s upcoming tour will see him accompanied on all shows by the Chrome Hearts band, featuring his longtime collaborator keyboardist/organist Spooner Oldham, as well as Promise of the Real members Micah Nelson (guitar/vocals), Corey McCormick (bass) and Anthony LoGerfo (drums). The group released the grungy anthem “Big Change” in January. Young debuted the Chrome Hearts band last year and has said an album from the group is tentatively slated for release in April.
Taking inspiration from The Cure’s Robert Smith, Neil Young has informed fans that he will no longer be offering ‘Platinum’ tickets to his upcoming shows.
Young’s change in ticketing attitudes follows on from an interview Smith conducted with The Times in October 2024. The interview occurred just weeks after Oasis had put the controversial topic of dynamic ticket pricing into the headlines, and Smith had attempted to keep tickets as low as possible – often as low as $20 – for their U.S. tour dates.
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“I was shocked by how much profit is made [by ticketing],” Smith said. “I thought, ‘We don’t need to make all this money.’ My fights with the label have all been about how we can price things lower. The only reason you’d charge more for a gig is if you were worried that it was the last time you would be able to sell a T-shirt.”
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“It was easy to set ticket prices, but you need to be pig-headed,” he added. “We didn’t allow dynamic pricing because it’s a scam that would disappear if every artist said, ‘I don’t want that!’ But most artists hide behind management. ‘Oh, we didn’t know,’ they say. They all know. If they say they do not, they’re either f–king stupid or lying. It’s just driven by greed.”
Now, Young has taken to his own Neil Young Archives website to point to Smith’s 2024 comments, explaining how the conversation inspired him to make his own changes in terms of ticketing to his shows.
“It’s the story of the bad thing that has happened to concerts world-wide. It’s this story that really helped me to realize that I have a choice to make and can make a difference for my music loving friends,” Young explained. “My management and agent have always tried to cover my back on the road, getting me the best deals they could.
“They have tried to protect me and my fans from the scalpers who buy the best tickets and resell them at huge increases for their own profits. Ticketmaster’s High priced Platinum tickets were introduced to the areas where scalpers were buying the most tickets for resale. The money went to me. That did not feel right.”
As Young concluded, he alerted his fans to the fact that ‘Platinum’ tickets will no longer be available for his upcoming performances in the near future.
“I have decided to let the people work this out,” Young added. “Buy aggressively when the tickets come out or tickets will cost a lot more in a secondary market.”
Young’s upcoming tour will see him accompanied on all shows by the Chrome Hearts band, featuring his longtime collaborator keyboardist/organist Spooner Oldham, as well as Promise of the Real members Micah Nelson (guitar/vocals), Corey McCormick (bass) and Anthony LoGerfo (drums). The group released the grungy anthem “Big Change” in January. Young debuted the Chrome Hearts band last year and has said an album from the group is tentatively slated for release in April.
Neil Young is bringing new meaning to “Rockin’ in the Free World,” announcing plans to give his Ukrainian fans a free concert during his upcoming European tour. News of Young’s upcoming concert were announced by the Canadian music veteran on his own Neil Young Archives website. “Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts will open the […]
The ever-prolific Neil Young has assured fans that 2025 will feature a new album, with the Canadian veteran offering an update on his debut album with new band The Chrome Hearts.
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News of the upcoming record comes just weeks after Young shared “Big Change”, the first single to be released with his nascent band. The Chrome Hearts first debuted by Young back in September 2024, just months after an unspecified illness necessitated a “big unplanned break” from touring with longtime backing group Crazy Horse.
The Chrome Hearts, as Young himself describes, “reconfigures musicians he has worked with before”, with guitarist Micah Nelson, bassist Corey McCormick, drummer Anthony Logerfo, and organist Spooner Oldham comprising the lineup. While Nelson, McCormick, and Logerfo have performed with Young as members of Promise of the Real, Oldham has worked with Young for decades, appearing on records such as 1978’s Comes a Time and 1992’s Harvest Moon.
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Working with producers John Hanlon and his brother-in-law Lou Adler at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La studio in Malibu, Young explains that “Big Change” is the first taste of a forthcoming album from The Chrome Hearts, with the material being written throughout November and December.
“They feel fresh to me and I am very happy to have this all ready for you. It won’t be long now and it will be great to have new songs to play on the road this summer in Europe, the USA and Canada,” Young said via his website. “We are looking forward to that!”
Young added that the record is now in the mastering stage for vinyl, CD, and digital copies that are expected to be released in only a couple of months.
“I am very happy and relieved to have ths [sic] done in the short time it took,” he explained. “The album art has been completed and handed in with Jenice Heo. I am working on the lyric sheets now, hoping to hand-write the words and get them in, in time..
“It is a happy feeling I have today, knowing I have made an album I think people will enjoy. I hope it’s out in April. That would be pretty fast.”
Presuming the April release date is adhered to, it would make the as-yet-untitled record the second release from Young in 2025, with his “lost” 1977 album Oceanside Countryside set to drop on Feb. 14.
Young and The Chrome Hearts will also be performing at England’s Glastonbury Festival in June. Young’s inclusion on the lineup was marred by an “error in the information” which initially saw him distance himself from the event, labelling it a “corporate turn-off”.
Neil Young has dug deep into his archives for the latest addition to his Fireside Sessions, pulling out “Pardon My Heart” for its first performance in over 50 years. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The live rendition was shared to his Neil Young Archives website as […]
Neil Young has opened up about the cancellation of Crazy Horse’s Love Earth tour, citing health concerns as the primary reason.
During a recent Zoom call with followers of his Neil Young Archives, Young shared the challenges that led to the difficult decision.
“I was doing great, and we were moving right along. Everybody was loving the shows. Then I just woke up one morning on the bus and I said, ‘I can’t do this. I gotta stop.’ It was like I felt sick when I thought of going on stage,” Young explained in a video that was shared to Reddit on Aug. 28.
“My body was telling me, ‘You gotta stop.’ So I listened to my body.”
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The cancellation, which was announced in late June, came after several band members, including Young, fell ill following their performance at Detroit’s Pine Knob.
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The band had to press pause on their first tour together in a decade. “We are still not fully recovered, so sadly our great tour will have a big unplanned break,” the band shared in a statement on Young’s official website at the time.
Young acknowledged the complexities involved in cancelling a tour, including the legal and logistical challenges.
“Then it gets into all the legal matters: ‘You got this, you got that, people bought tickets, they did this, they did that.’ I understand that. What matters to me is the art of playing, and the music. That’s what matters. That’s what people loved. That’s what they come to see. But if that’s not there, me going is not happening,” Young continued.
Despite the setback, Young remains hopeful for the future. “I’m starting to feel like I could do it again and that’s a great feeling. Not all of Crazy Horse — this happened to a couple of us, and we’re not all the way back. Crazy Horse will be back, God willing. And we’ll play more.”
In the meantime, fans can look forward to Young’s upcoming performance at this year’s Farm Aid, scheduled for Sept. 21 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Looking ahead, Young hinted at the possibility of a more intimate tour, focusing on smaller venues where he’s played before.
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