Neil Young Assures Fans: ‘Crazy Horse Will be Back, God Willing’

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.”

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.

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.

This article was first published on Billboard U.S.