Neil Young-The Needle and the Damage Done-San Francisco 1986

The shortest, most intimate performance on the Neil Young landmark February 1972 release Harvest packed the most devastating punch, precisely because it was so achingly personal: “The Needle and the Damage Done” is Young’s lament over the  overdose of Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten, who was struggling with heroin addiction. Clearly you can hear in this 1986 Cow Palace performance that the ensuing fifteen years had done little to mollify Neil’s sense of loss. –Redbeard