Neil Young cancels his Crazy Horse tour due to illness

Neil Young revealed on Wednesday that he's canceling the remaining tour dates with his longtime backing band Crazy Horse due to illness affecting “a couple of us” since their last show in May.

He didn't mention if he was one of those affected.

The canceled shows extend up to three months ahead. They include seven Canadian shows scheduled for July and three U.S. shows in late September: at the Hollywood Bowl, southern California's Eddie Vedder-driven Ohana Fest, and Kentucky's Bourbon & Beyond Festival.

In a statement on his website, Young mentioned that some unnamed band members fell ill after their last performance over a month ago, on May 22 at Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan.

He didn't specify the duration of their break, but it became evident from the festival websites that the unexpected hiatus will last until the end of September.

The Hollywood Bowl's page for Young's September 29 concert now displays an error message, and the venue calendar marks that date as dark. The Ohana Festival website in Dana Point has replaced Young's Saturday night headlining slot with "TBA," and a festival representative confirmed they are searching for a replacement.

“The Love Earth Tour has been a great experience for us so far,” Young's message to fans started. “GREAT AUDIENCES AND MUSIC. WE HAVE HAD A BLAST!”

He added, “When a couple of us got sick after Detroit’s Pine Knob, we had to stop. We are still not fully recovered, so sadly our great tour will have a big unplanned break. We will try to play some of the dates we miss as time passes when we are ready to rock again! We know many of you made travel plans and we apologize for the inconvenience. Thanks for your understanding and patience.”

Young finished with, “Health is # 1…. We want to stay and do more shows and more albums for you…. and for for us…. With love and thanks to all of you from Crazy Horse….. Neil, Micah, Ralph and Billy… Love Earth.”

Young's statement hinted that tickets might still be valid for rescheduled dates, though nothing concrete was confirmed. A representative for Young mentioned they were waiting for more details to share with ticketholders.

Tickets are still available on Ticketmaster for the Hollywood Bowl show, but its absence from multiple pages on the Bowl's website suggests it has been canceled along with the other shows. These cancellations are not due to low sales, as a seating chart for the Bowl concert indicates only seats in the very back are still available.

A representative from Ohana Fest referred to a social media statement stating, “We are sad to announce that Neil Young with Crazy Horse will no longer be performing at Ohana Festival 2024. Please stay tuned for a lineup update coming as soon as possible; in the meantime, we are wishing the band a speedy recovery.” ourbon & Beyond also shared a similar message, urging followers to “stay tuned for a replacement announcement.”

Fans disappointed by the cancellations can find solace in an upcoming album release, "Early Daze," featuring previously unreleased recordings Neil Young made with Crazy Horse in 1969, set to debut on Friday.