In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, Neil Young premiered a new video on Thursday (November 23) dubbed “Stand for Peace” that features him performing a solo instrumental version of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The clip, which has been posted on the Neil Young Archives website and at Young’s official YouTube channel, shows the folk-rock legend playing the national anthem on a distorted electric guitar, reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix’s famous rendition at the 1969 Woodstock festival.
Videos by American Songwriter
The video shows Young perched on a small stage decorated with a tattered U.S. flag, positioned in front of a large rotating mirror ball. As the 78-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer plays the song, smoke swirls around the room, and red and white crepe-paper streamers are seen being blown by a wind machine.
[RELATED: Neil Young “Stopping All Use of X” After Owner Elon Musk’s Alleged Anti-Semitic Comments]
At the end of the performance Young lets his guitar drone with feedback, and the phrases “Be Brave” and “Stand for Peace” appear at the bottom of the screen.
Accompanying the video, Young has posted a message that reads, “Our new presentation specially for all of you this holiday season is ‘Stand for Peace.’ … We hope for a wonderful day for all, safe travels to each of you, seeing your loved ones and a peaceful day.”
The clip was directed by Young’s wife, actress Daryl Hannah, and the audio was produced by “The Volume Dealers,” which are Young and his longtime studio engineer Niko Bolas.
The video arrived a few days after Young announced that he was boycotting X, the Elon Musk-owned social media platform formerly known as Twitter, in the wake of Musk making online comments in which the tech billionaire appeared to support what many people deem to be an anti-Semitic and racist conspiracy theory.
“We are stopping all use of X that we can control,” Young wrote in a message posted November 19 on his official website. “For reasons that should be obvious to the richest man on Earth, we are taking this action against his company.”
Young’s note then addressed the ongoing conflict in Israel and the Gaza Strip, calling for a peaceful resolution.
“For our many Palestinian friends and our many Jewish friends, we do need to start over in the present and release our terrible connections to the past,” he wrote. “As bad as they are, they need to be forgotten so we can be free to move on in life together, all humanity, focused on saving our planet for future generations of all people.”
As previously reported, Young will release a new album titled Before and After on December 8. The 13-track collection features stripped-down acoustic renditions of songs from throughout his 50-plus-year career, and includes a mix of deep cuts and better-known tunes.
You can pre-order Before and After now at Young’s official online store, and can check out two previews of the upcoming album on his YouTube channel.
(Photo by Matt Kincaid/Getty Images)
(Featured Image by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for SXSW)
