Last year, Antony Blinken, Joe Biden's amateur-musician Secretary Of State, made a surprise visit to Kyiv and covered Neil Young's modern standard "Rockin' In The Free World" in a basement bar. That was a rough moment in pretty much every way, and I can't imagine that it gave too much comfort to the people of Ukraine. Since then, things have gotten even worse for the nation of Ukraine, but now they will at least get a free concert from the real Neil Young.
These days, Neil Young has a new band called the Chrome Hearts. They've got an album that'll probably come out next month, and they'll head out on a world tour in June. Now, the Neil Young Archives website announces that Young and the Chrome Hearts will start their tour "in UKRAINE with a free concert for all!" The site continues, "We are currently in talks and will make the announcement of the details here at NYA. Keep on Rockin' in the FREE WORLD."
The announcement comes shortly after Donald Trump and JD Vance berated Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a tense White House meeting, with reporters present, last week. Young is no friend of Donald Trump, and he sued Trump in 2020 to prevent Trump from using "Rockin' In The Free World" at campaign events. (Last year, he gave Tim Walz permission to use the song.) Last week, Young posted a short message about Trump on his website:
LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD NO MORE
Under 47's leadership, the US has lost its standing. 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 reallly are. At that moment, the USA will again be the leader of the Free World. PEACE, Patriots.
Presumably, the logistics of mounting a massive free concert in Ukraine are daunting, but Neil Young can make things happen.
