22 August 2025 – The Triffid, Brisbane – words by Tarynne Ambrosi – pictures by Bec Harbour
The Triffid was wall-to-wall with silver hair and wine glasses on Friday night — an older, expectant crowd ready to belt out the classics they’ve clearly lived their lives by. The anticipation was thick for the hits from Harvest to Harvest Moon and beyond. Everyone seemed hungry to relive their rock ’n’ roll youth.
The band hit the stage just after 8:15. Richie Lewis opened with ‘Hey Hey, My My’, a song Neil once wrote for Lynyrd Skynyrd but never recorded. Early mix issues buried his vocals beneath the guitars, but when Richie let rip on a couple of belter notes, the show really took off.
Harvest to Harvest Moon – The Triffid – photos by Bec Harbour
From there, the night settled into something almost tender. Couples hugged, swayed, and hopped around the floor, clearly reliving decades of memories, first kisses, heartbreaks, wedding dances, all with Neil Young as the soundtrack. It was moving to watch how deeply the music is woven into people’s lives.
Quick kudos to The Triffid staff too, especially the security guard who went out of her way to fetch earplugs for a punter. Small kindness, big impact.
The rotating cast of singers gave each set its own flavour. Shane Nicholson delivered a solid run, grimly tackling one number about killing a woman before lifting the room again with ‘Comes a Time’, harmonica wheezing through like an old train. Stephanie from Victoria was an unexpected highlight, her version of ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’ was goosebump-inducing. Jeff Martin kept things stark with ‘The Needle and the Damage Done’, dedicating it “to all the needle users not here tonight.” Heavy, but it landed.
Harvest to Harvest Moon – The Triffid – photos by Bec Harbour
After a short intermission, the second half hit full stride. ‘Old Man’ arrived early and was sung like a hymn by the entire room. Richie’s gravelly ‘F**in’ Up’ gave the set its grit, while newlyweds Kim and Eddie, who’d married that very day, got a heartfelt shout-out from the stage. ‘Tonight’s the Night’ and ‘Cortez the Killer’ pulled things into darker territory before ‘Like a Hurricane’ lifted the room back up with soaring harmonies.
Harvest to Harvest Moon – The Triffid – photos by Bec Harbour
Martin returned for ‘Heart of Gold’, battling some tech gremlins, while Stephanie once again stole the spotlight with a beautifully haunting ‘Pocahontas’. Things closed with ‘Cinnamon Girl’ and an all-hands encore of ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ that shook the room like it was 1979.
It wasn’t perfect, nor was it polished — but it was sweaty, heartfelt, and messy in all the right ways. A room full of lifers still clutching the songs that shaped them. For Neil Young fans, this was one to remember.
Harvest to Harvest Moon – The Triffid – photos by Bec Harbour
