THIS NOTE'S FOR YOU: Where Do We Go Now ... or How Did We Go From There to Here?

NEIL YOUNG: Where Do We Go Now ... 
Charles Theater, Baltimore, MD
December 2012
photo by Stacey(Note: Photo not AI/Photoshopped; Actual Double Feature Marquee)

As you may recall, at the end of 2022, we posted on the subject of Where Do We Go Now?.

Essentially, this humble blog Thrashers Wheat has always been about the live concert experience with real time updates from fans around the world. We've covered so much and it has been such a wonderful trip.  

But for us this has always been about the concert experience.  The albums, bootlegs, videos, etc are all secondary.

 ZERO Upcoming Neil Young Concerts

https://www.sugarmtn.org/

Now, we see another long dry spell of no Neil Young concerts. For the first time since Bridge School Benefit concerts began back in 1986, there was no Bridge School Benefit this year. We see this as another significant sign of Neil's pullback from public performance.

In 2026, outside of the 2 Farm Aid concert warmup concerts, Neil Young performed a total of about a dozen songs live, in concert, both of which were benefit concerts.  The entire 2026 Europe Chrome Hearts sudden tour cancelation subject continues to be unaddressed, last we checked.

Back in 2022, it had been over a 3 year drought since a Neil Young concert and there was serious debate on whether we would ever see Neil Young perform live again.  Let's all face it ... the last full blown Crazy Horse tour possibility faded away years ago.

With the various stipulations that Neil has made about performing, it seemed doubtful we would see him onstage again unless there's some acceptance of practical reality. Which -- thankfully -- he did. (Hey, we're all for standing on principle.)  Since, Neil has been true to his word and principle, he hasn't really toured again in any conventional sense, by past history.

Thrasher's Wheat Traffic: 2022 - 2026

Our September traffic (see above) hit another all-time high of over 2.5 million visits. And this is without any major concert tour news -- which has always been the major driver of TW traffic.

So why pack it in if Thrasher's Wheat traffic is still hitting all time highs?

As we mulled all of this over and over again, we came across a video from our good friends over at Radio Paradise.  If you have a moment, take a look at this documentary on a radio station in Paradise, California.  You can imagine the DJ guy Bill as thrasher and his daughter as thrashette plugging away on their vision.  And you can imagine that you -- yes you, yourself -- as one of his Radio Paradise listeners.

Just swap out RP for TW as you watch and listen.

 

Music Was Never Meant to Be an Algorithm | Radio Paradise

So, let us just say, we can't begin to tell you guys how much fun we've had on this journey.  The friendships we've made have been incredible and enduring across the continents, generations and the ages.

w/ FarmAidian Joe @ Farm Aid Eve 2026

We continue our practice here at TW of not utilizing AI to auto generate content. TW is 100% human derived. Mostly hand coded and pecked out a letter at time.  TW is definitely an internet dinosaur as the 2nd longest running music blog in the  history of the internet, founded 30 years ago near the end of the 20th Century in 1996. 

But wait a second thrasher. Neil just released his best album since either 2016 or 2006 or 1996 or 1993 -- depending on your reference and preference. Why now?

At the moment, everyone can relax somewhat because Thrasher's Wheat will continue to celebrate Neil Young, his music and the fan communities.

Maintaining a robust, healthy, engaged community that allows open, honest and free speech is paramount for us here in Neil / RUST & TW grain communities.  There is simply nothing whatsoever which is more important to us and what we do and stand for.  Again, thank you so much for reading our articles, sharing them throughout the web, and contributing your own thoughts through comments and messages. Today, more than ever, we need independent thinkers like you folks out there in the rustie-grains village that rely on a solid moral compass – not a pre-determined agenda – to understand this circus, to stand up, to speak up, and to fight for what is right.

So then what becomes of TW going forward?  If a blog founded on the live concert experience with real time updates from fans around the world is no longer relevant, do we just pack it in and buy a pickup?

Goodbye Neil Young???
Avery Fisher Hall, New York City, NY, April 24, 2011
(see The Emotional Resonance That IsNeil Young)

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