Neil Young wants to keep on rockin' in the free world, emphasis on the "free" part. The 79-year-old singer is about to set off on a summer concert tour around the country, and he's extending an invite to President Trump to come to one of his shows, kick back, and quit talking about politics for a while. "When I tour the USA this summer, if there is not martial law by then which would make it impossible, let's all come together and stand for American values," Young wrote on his website. He assured fans that "we will not be doing a political show" and that "we will be playing the music we love for all of us to enjoy together."
Then, a more personal appeal: "President Trump, you are invited. Come and hear our music just as you did for decades." Rolling Stone notes that last part is a reference to Trump's longtime fandom of Young's work—the real estate mogul even used to attend concerts in New York going back decades and once praised Young as a "terrific guy" who "just brings it down." Both Rolling Stone and Billboard lay out how their relationship has deteriorated since, with Young becoming "increasingly more outspoken" about Trump's policies stretching back to his first term, as well as Trump's unauthorized usage of "Keep On Rockin' in the Free World" at campaign rallies. Young recently got behind Bruce Springsteen in his own feud with Trump.
"You are a disgrace to my country," Young wrote in early 2020 regarding Trump. "Your mindless destruction of our shared natural resources, our environment, and our relationships with friends around the world is unforgivable. ... Our first black president was a better man than you are." Young's current online message also notes that "our country and our way of life ... is now threatened by our government," and that Springsteen, himself, and others will be performing nationwide throughout the summer. "We are proud to be who we are, and must never let the government forget it," he noted. (More Neil Young stories.)