The three-day Desert Trip Festival, dubbed 'Oldchella', featured six legendary acts: the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Roger Waters and The Who. This is the first time they've all performed at the same event.
The Desert Trip Festival is being staged at the same Southern California desert venue where music festival Coachella is held each spring. But where Coachella is aimed at millennials, Desert Trip targets the more affluent baby boomers who grew up with the festival's featured rockers. Luxury camping, gourmet dining, and yoga classes are among the amenities being offered.
Bob Dylan and the Stones performed on Friday night. And Neil Young opened the second night and rocked the staged for nearly two hours, matching the energy of band members half his age. Wearing his trademark black hat, Young started his set alone behind the piano, opening with "After the Gold Rush". He then strapped on an acoustic guitar to perform "Heart of Gold" and "Comes a Time", before his band, Promise of the Real, joined him onstage.
The band's nonstop set included hits like "Harvest Moon", "Powderfinger" and "Welfare Mothers", which Young joked was "Donald Trump's new campaign song". A highlight was "Down By the River", which became an extended 10-minute guitar-shredding jam.
Paul McCartney topped Saturday's bill. He performed his solo hits, as well as tracks Beatles classics like "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Hard Days Night".
The festival repeats next weekend, but tickets have been long sold out.