Neil Young To Play Free Concert in Ukraine

Neil Young has announced plans to play a free concert in Ukraine to kick off the European leg of the Love Earth tour.

Young will be performing across Europe, Canada, and the US, with his band, The Chrome Hearts, who he introduced last year at Farm Aid, the annual benefit concert for American farmers. The rocker co-founded Farm Aid with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp in 1985 in a bid to help US family farmers who were at risk of foreclosure, and concerts have since included sourcing locally produced products into the concert ecosystem, boosting the local economies while reducing waste.

The exact plans for the free concert have not yet been set, but it will be Young’s first time playing in Ukraine. He has been a vocal backer of the war-torn country since Russian President Putin first began the invasion in 2022.

“Music unites!” Young wrote in a since-deleted post on his official website. “We will be there with you! Join us as we celebrate the Summer of Democracy. Old songs and new songs. Old words and new words. Long jams! We will come together this summer. The Chrome Hearts and I are ready for you! LOVE and Democracy reigns in the USA and the world.”

The Love Earth tour supports their upcoming album “Talkin’ to the Trees.” One track on the album, the recently released single “Big Change,” seems to speak to Young’s patriotic views on the current events in the United States. Young has not been shy about his political views in the past, and that isn’t changing.

In a separate post on his website he wrote, “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 really are. The USA will again be the leader of the Free World.”

Fans of the Canadian/American rocker can catch Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts when the tour formally begins June 18 in Rättvik, Sweden. To see the full list of dates and venues, visit NeilYoungArchives.com