Neil Young

After rumors swirled early this month surrounding Neil Young’s return to touring, the artist confirmed a string of West Coast dates, bringing his four-year break from the road to an end. The outing, named the Coastal Tour, will consist of 13 shows, picking up on July 1 and spanning until July 24. The limited run will also include special guest Chris Pierce.

Young will commence his tour in Los Angeles with a four-night stand at John Anson Ford, lasting from July 1 through July 5, (he will not perform on July 3) where he’ll deliver deep cuts instead of popularized numbers that have typically frequented his live sets. From there, the celebrated figure of rock music will take an evening off before popping back up on July 7 at the Santa Barbara Bowl in Santa Barbara, Calif.

The artist’s time in the Golden State will continue with a night at Vina Robles Amphitheatre in Paso Robles, Calif., on July 8. Next, Young will travel back down the coastline, stopping in San Diego on July 11 before a return to the City of Angels on July 13 for a one-night stand at the esteemed Greek Theatre. Next, they’ll head north, stopping at The Greek in Berkeley, Calif., on July 15, before continuing up the West Coast.

The announcement comes after Young teased the forthcoming run via a live Zoom call with paid Patreon subscribers through the Neil Young Archives. During the video chat, Young spoke about the shift from fan favorites to less-played numbers, adding, “I don’t want to come back and do the same songs again.” He continued, “I’ll feel like I was on some sort of carnival ride. I’d rather be doing these other songs I haven’t done… I won’t have to compare how I’m doing ‘Heart of Gold’ to [how I played it in] 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020.”

Young had also added commentary on the 15 tracks he plans to run through during upcoming appearances via Zoom, mentioning his 1995 Pearl Jam collaboration, “Song X,” and “Prime of Life” from 1994’s Sleep With Angels and others. “I did a demo of [‘If You Gotta Love’] a few years [after Trans] with a synclavier, a drum machine, harmonica, and some effects.” He added. “I listened to it [recently], and it turned me on again. I’m doing it with the organ and harmonica. It’s pretty cool.”