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Neil Young performed “Long Walk Home” live for the first time since 1989, according to reports, at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York, on August 23, 2025. Playing piano and harmonica with the Chrome Hearts, Young also updated the song’s Vietnam-era lyric with a reference to Ukraine.
Watch Neil Young perform “Long Walk Home”
JamBase shared audience-captured footage of the performance; it is not established as an official video release. Young performed the song midway through the Jones Beach set, which also included “Ohio,” “Harvest Moon” and “Old Man.” “Rockin’ in the Free World” closed the night as the encore.
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How Young changed the lyrics
The 1987 original, released by Neil Young & Crazy Horse on the album Life, includes the lines “From Vietnam to old Beirut.” At Jones Beach, Young sang “From Canada to Old Ukraine,” followed by “We broke our word and left the pain.” Rolling Stone Australia reported that the rest of the performance remained largely faithful to the album version.
The Ukraine reference came after Young canceled a planned tour stop in the country. In a letter to fans quoted by Rolling Stone Australia, he explained the decision: “I could not in good conscience take my crew and instruments into that area.” The outlet reported that safety concerns led to the cancellation.
#1 Best Overall
The song’s Reagan-era context
“Long Walk Home” appeared on Life in 1987, during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. Its references to Vietnam and Beirut frame the song’s protest against war and its consequences. The 2025 Ukraine lyric brings that theme into a different conflict without changing the song’s central concern with broken promises and human cost.
Young’s own relationship to Reagan’s politics was more nuanced than blanket support. In a 1990 interview with MTV, quoted by Rolling Stone Australia, he said, “I was never a Reagan supporter in a total blanket sense.” The outlet also noted Young’s explanation that he agreed with Reagan’s call for communities and neighborhoods to take more initiative.
Rank #2
What to listen for
The 1987 studio recording on Life is the original version; the Jones Beach performance is a distinct live rendition with the changed Ukraine lines. The available footage is audience-captured, and the reporting does not establish an official commercial release of the 2025 performance.
JamBase’s report and audience-captured footage and Rolling Stone Australia’s account of the performance and lyric changes provide additional details.
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- Includes the classics 'Heart of Gold' 'Old Man' and 'Harvest Moon'
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