“It’s Hard to Do”: The 1974 Neil Young Tour That Linda Ronstadt Admitted She Wasn’t Ready For

Linda Ronstadt joined Neil Young on tour in 1974, playing huge venues and stadiums with the established rocker. At that point, Ronstadt had released a few albums, but she wasn’t yet the household name that she would eventually become. Ronstadt was still playing primarily in theaters and smaller venues, which she said was easier for softer, more intimate songs. However, with Neil Young, she was thrust into a spotlight she later admitted she “wasn’t ready for.”

Speaking with Ultimate Classic Rock in 2019, Linda Ronstadt shared the apprehension she felt while playing larger venues than she was used to. “As a club act, we weren’t really ready for Madison Square Garden, but we did our best,” she said.

“They did a pretty good job of trying to make it all work,” she said of the larger venues. “But in those hard, huge cavernous spaces, it’s hard to do really, really quiet, subtle music. You need a small theater for that.”

While Ronstadt had already claimed a No. 25 hit with the song “Long Long Time,” it was her collaboration with Neil Young on “Heart of Gold” that really brought her into the spotlight. Still, she wasn’t nearly on Young’s level. Not yet, at least.

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Linda Ronstadt Shares That Larger Venues with Neil Young in 1974 Were Difficult To Play

While Linda Ronstadt admitted that the larger venues Neil Young was playing were difficult for her and her band at first, they quickly warmed up to the spaces. Plus, Ronstadt’s big, incredible vocals probably helped fill the cavernous venues. The tour itself also helped Ronstadt when she released her next album, Heart Like a Wheel.

“It was good exposure for me. It really helped the record,” she said. Additionally, being on the road helped everyone bond and create a sense of camaraderie on the tour. Ronstadt shared that she always stayed to see Neil Young’s show, even though it was usually two hours long.

“I stayed every night for [Neil Young’s] show, which was almost two hours long,” she admitted. “He had great players. He had Kenneth Buttrey for part of that tour playing drums, [and] Tim Drummond. It was really a great band.”

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