By now, John Mayer is an undisputed veteran who has shared the stage with some of history's greatest guitarists, including Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and B.B. King. Another pair of legends he can now add to his list? Neil Young and Stephen Stills – who performed a 13-song set chock-full of classics at the Harvest Moon Festival in Lake Hughes, California, last weekend.
The historic set, which saw the former CSNY bandmates reunite, concluded with an encore and a surprise appearance by Mayer. Wielding what looks like his signature PRS SE Silver Sky in piano black, the Slow Dancing in a Burning Room guitarist remained on the sidelines, giving the spotlight fully (and rightfully) to Young and Stills, before delivering a searing, Mayer-flavored solo.
The daytime benefit concert, which raised funds for the Painted Turtle Camp and the Bridge School, saw the two legends kick off their set with Long May You Run, from their 1976 collaborative album of the same name.
They then moved on to Human Highway, a song initially intended for a CSNY record and as a follow-up to 1970’s Déjà Vu, which Young eventually included on 1978’s Comes a Time.
The duo also took on a rare rendition of Hung Upside Down from 1967’s Buffalo Springfield Again, a song they hadn’t played together since that year.
“The worst four words you can hear in a live performance are ‘here’s a new song,’” Stills joked as he addressed the crowd. “But this is actually a new version of an old song that took two centuries to write. It’s called Hung Upside Down.”
Their appearance at the Harvest Moon Festival marked the longest set the two had played together since the 2011 Buffalo Springfield reunion tour – although they briefly reunited last year at an autism awareness benefit in Los Angeles.
As for Rockin’ in the Free World, the song has taken on a life of its own over the decades, and bridged generations. It was recently performed by Paul McCartney, super-producer Andrew Watt, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith at an impromptu show in the Hamptons.
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