![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-song-that-kick-started-the-Neil-Young-and-Stephen-Stills-rivalry-Far-Out-Magazine-1140x855.jpg\")
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Credit: Far Out \/ Omroepvereniging VARA \/ Warner \/ Reprise<\/p>\n
Sat 16 May 2026 20:30, UK <\/p>\n
For a man whose music was brimming with empathy, Neil Young<\/a> rarely showcased any such ability to his close circle of friends. <\/p>\n Never found bending over backwards to fulfil the wish of a friend<\/a>, Young was brutally uncompromising and thus garnered a reputation within the music industry for being something of a cantankerous grump. But his music was quite the contradiction; in fact, he was one of the pioneering voices of the counterculture movement and gave empathetic strength to those otherwise unheard. <\/p>\n The juxtaposition made him something of a perfect partner for Stephen Stills, who spent time in his career in two bands with Young. First Buffalo Springfield and then Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, where, despite all of the creative and personal difficulties that arose, the Canadian pair wrote some of the most vital and profound counterculture anthems of the era.<\/a> <\/p>\n But those moments of greatness only came in glimmers, because the pair, often in reaction to Young\u2019s behaviour, regularly fell out. Despite making music for the people, they would often put themselves first and in 1976, Young put his two fingers up to Stills and all of their fans, by walking out of a tour midway through. <\/p>\n The pair embarked on a tour together in a bid to combine their respective back catalogue of solo hits and those from their two bands, to help fans relive the glory days. And to begin with, the shows were a real killer, with the pair rattling off hits like \u2018For What It\u2019s Worth\u2019, Young\u2019s \u2018Southern Man\u2019 before wrapping up on an encore of a triumphant \u2018Suite: Judy Blue Eyes\u2019.<\/p>\n The pair even seem reconciled for good, and not in the performative rock and roll sense, with Stills declaring after a show in Hartford, Connecticut, \u201cThere\u2019s no place I\u2019d rather be than right here, playing with that guy\u201d. But god damn, we should have known better than to get our hopes up. <\/p>\n But then the gloss wore off, and the bad reviews came trickling in. Many questioned the guitar-playing ability of Stills while wondering why Young hadn\u2019t committed to working solely with The Crazy Horse. Either way, it irked Stills, who spiralled back into erraticism<\/a>, and would stay up after shows, drinking excessively and tormenting himself over the reviews.<\/p>\n Further reading: From The Vault<\/strong><\/p>\n Young decided he had had enough and, with several shows left to go, bailed. While Rolling Stone cited his departure as \u201ca recurring throat illness\u201d and \u201cgone into seclusion at his Northern California ranch\u201d, the truth was, he had left his old mate in the cold when the music wasn\u2019t up to scratch. There was absolutely nothing in the way of notice, just a telegram that read \u201cDear Stephen. Funny how some things that start spontaneously end that way. Eat a peach, Neil\u201d.<\/p>\n It was a cryptic exit that many simply believed was a reference to the tour\u2019s next stop, \u2018the Peach State\u2019, Atlanta, one Young would miss, but more eagle-eyed fans picked up the reference to The Allman Brothers\u2019 1972 album, Eat a Peach, which came from Duane Allman\u2019s belief that doing so brings peace. So does that mean Young left out of care? Who knows. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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