Neil Young, the iconic Canadian singer-songwriter known for his decades-spanning career and restless creative energy, is facing an unexpected legal hurdle just as his latest musical endeavor, Chrome Hearts, wraps up a triumphant tour. On September 15, 2025, the luxury Los Angeles-based fashion brand Chrome Hearts filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Young and his band in California federal court, alleging that the group’s name is causing confusion and diluting the brand’s hard-won reputation.
According to court documents and reporting by ABC Audio, the Chrome Hearts brand claims that Neil Young and his band have "intentionally and knowingly capitalized off of confusion between" the established clothing label and the newly formed group. The fashion house, founded in 1988, has built an enviable profile in the world of high-end apparel, collaborating with celebrities like Madonna, Rihanna, Lou Reed, and Cher. More recently, Timothée Chalamet donned Chrome Hearts attire at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, further cementing the brand’s place in pop culture.
The legal dispute began simmering in July 2025, when Chrome Hearts reached out to Young and his bandmates, requesting they stop using the name. Despite the warning, Young and the Chrome Hearts pressed on, continuing to perform under the moniker and even selling merchandise emblazoned with the contested name. The lawsuit now seeks a court order to force Young’s band to drop the name, as well as financial damages and reimbursement for legal costs.
For Neil Young, this legal skirmish comes at a particularly busy and high-profile moment. In 2024, Young assembled the Chrome Hearts—a band featuring organist Spooner Oldham, guitarist Micah Nelson, bassist Corey McCormick, and drummer Anthony LoGerfo—and quickly set out to make their mark. The group’s debut album, Talking to the Trees, hit the shelves in June 2025, and their “Love Earth” tour has been playing to packed houses across North America. The timing of the lawsuit, landing just as the tour nears its conclusion, has only added to the drama surrounding the band’s latest chapter.
Friday evening, September 12, 2025, saw Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts take the stage at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California, for the penultimate show of their summer tour. According to Rolling Stone, Young surprised fans by dusting off "Sail Away," a deep cut from his storied catalog, and performing it live for the first time since Willie Nelson’s 80th birthday concert in 2013. The song’s history is as winding as Young’s own career: it debuted publicly on August 1, 1977, when Young played with the Ducks—a short-lived group that included Moby Grape’s Bob Mosley—at the Steamship in Santa Cruz, California. Later that year, Young recorded "Sail Away" at Triad Recording Studios in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with additional overdubs from bassist Joe Osborn, drummer Karl Himmel, and background singer Nicolette Larson added in Nashville.
The solo version of "Sail Away" was originally intended as the opening track on Young’s 1977 album Oceanside Countryside, which, in a twist typical of Young’s unpredictable release schedule, was shelved for decades before finally seeing the light of day in 2025. The overdubbed rendition found its way onto Rust Never Sleeps in 1979, but after the Eighties, "Sail Away" became a rare treat for live audiences, surfacing only at select benefit concerts and special events.
Spooner Oldham, now a member of the Chrome Hearts, previously played "Sail Away" with Young at Farm Aid in 2009, but for guitarist Micah Nelson, bassist Corey McCormick, and drummer Anthony LoGerfo, the Shoreline performance marked their first time tackling the song on stage. The concert also featured the tour debut of "Vampire Blues," another fan favorite, and demonstrated the band’s willingness to shake up their setlist. Just days earlier in Bend, Oregon, Young and company deviated from their usual order, delivering an impromptu double shot of "Cowgirl in the Sand" straight into "Down by the River"—a move that delighted longtime followers and showcased the group’s improvisational spirit.
The Love Earth tour, which began in 2024, is set to wrap up on Monday, September 15, 2025, at the legendary Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. But there’s little rest for the weary: on Saturday, September 20, the band will appear at Farm Aid 40 in Minneapolis. The benefit concert, which almost didn’t happen due to a labor dispute, is now back on track. For Young, Farm Aid has long been a cause close to his heart, and the Chrome Hearts’ participation underscores the band’s commitment to both music and activism.
Looking beyond Farm Aid, Young’s only scheduled performance is at "Harvest Moon — A Gather" in Lake Hughes, California, on October 25, 2025. This special event, a benefit for the Painted Turtle and the Bridge School, will see Young sharing the bill with Beck—another nod to his enduring influence and collaborative ethos.
Meanwhile, the lawsuit from Chrome Hearts the brand remains unresolved, casting a shadow over the band’s recent achievements. The fashion house’s complaint is straightforward: they believe the band’s continued use of the name infringes on their "valuable intellectual property rights" and risks eroding the brand identity they’ve cultivated over nearly four decades. As reported by ABC Audio, Chrome Hearts is not only seeking to stop the band from using the name but also wants financial compensation for any alleged damages and reimbursement for their legal expenses.
For fans and observers, the dispute raises thorny questions about the intersection of art, commerce, and identity. How much weight should a brand’s legacy carry when set against an artist’s creative freedom? Is it possible for two entities—one musical, one sartorial—to coexist under the same name without sowing confusion? These are issues the court will now have to untangle, and the outcome could set a precedent for future clashes between artists and established brands.
As the Love Earth tour draws to a close and Neil Young’s Chrome Hearts face an uncertain legal future, one thing remains clear: both the band and the brand are fiercely protective of their names and what they represent. Whether on stage or in the courtroom, the battle over Chrome Hearts is a testament to the enduring power of identity—and the complex, sometimes contentious, ways it plays out in modern culture.
With the music world watching and the legal process underway, the next chapter in the story of Neil Young and Chrome Hearts promises to be as unpredictable as the man himself. For now, fans will have to wait and see whether the band’s name will remain etched on marquees—or become another footnote in the ever-evolving saga of rock and roll.
