Directed by his wife Daryl Hannah, their fourth project together, Neil Young: Coastal was recorded during his 2023 solo tour, his first in four years, taken from a few California dates. The concerts featured a lot of deep cuts and the film’s setlist does as well, which may limit the appeal but will surely please die-hard fans.
Buy Coastal: The Soundtrack CDCoastal is shot in black and white. Hannah records some of the behind-the-scenes material with a handheld device and uses unmanned cameras on stage and in positions like the front corner of the tour bus, capturing driver Jerry Don Borden and Young when he sits up front next to him. It takes about 19 minutes before Young performs and other than showing the mundaneness of life on the road for a musician, it offers little of interest.
Taking the stage at John Anson Ford Theater in Los Angeles, where Young played four nights to start the tour, he opened with “I’m an Ocean” on acoustic guitar. Off Mirrorball, he hadn’t performed since 1997 with Crazy Horse. At one point, Neil disintegrates into stardust, the particles of which turn into ocean water, and then he returns. It looks fantastic and fits the song, but this animation technique is only used during one other song.
Young and the roadies experience some tech issues. He engages in funny banter with the crowd, revealing a good sense of humor. He plays “Comes a Time,” moves to piano for “Don’t Forget Love,” then grabs an electric guitar for “Prime of Life.” Back on the bus, with his son Ben who get little camera time, Young is critical of the performance, says he “made a lot of mistakes…not any right chords.”
Down in San Diego to play the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, he repeatedly tells Hannah how much he’s missed her on the bus, but it’s not clear how long they have been apart. He plays “A Dream That Can Last” on piano then “On the Way Home,” a Buffalo Springfield song, on an acoustic guitar given to him by Stephen Stills. He chastises the crowd multiple times for not singing loud enough on “Love Earth.” When the show is over because of the curfew, fans boo after the light comes up. It strikes him as curious and he brings it up to an audience at a different show.
A portion of “Vampire Blues” is played off screen. We see Young arrive at the Greek Theatre of Los Angeles and warm up during the day but when he plays “Throw Your Hatred Down,” he is somewhere else. He plays “Mr. Soul” on pipe organ and “When I Hold You in My Arms” starting on piano. When he turns to play electric guitar but the piano part keeps going, revealed in the credits to be played by Bob Rice, who also played vibes but I am not sure where.
Neil Young: Coastal will make audiences want to see more of Young, on and off the stage, even though not all that Hannah has presented from off stage is memorable. The performances are very well done, although some may be disappointed not all the songs are complete. But the movie does make a case for giving his lesser-known songs a chance to be heard.
Neil Young: Coastal will be presented in movie theaters worldwide on April 17th for a special one-night only event. Please visit www.CoastalTheMovie.com for ticketing and the most up-to-date information about participating theaters.
