Neil Young Plays Anti-Corporate Song at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage

Neil Young played his 1988 track "This Note's For You" for the first time in 28 years at Toronto's Budwiser Stage on August 17.

"Thank you, folks," Young said before the performance. "We come back to the Freshwater Amphitheater. It's going to be great," according to Rolling Stone.

The song takes aim at Budweiser's "This Bud's For You" ads. Its words mock big brands like Pepsi, Coke, Miller, and Budweiser. Young wrote it when stars like Clapton, Madonna, and the Stones started selling their music to ads.

Back in '88, MTV pulled the plug on the song's video. It showed stand-ins for Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson and mocked ads from Michelob, Budweiser, and Calvin Klein.

Young's manager, Elliot Roberts, criticized the move in an open letter to MTV: "MTV, you spineless twerps. You refuse to play 'This Note's for You' because you're afraid to offend your sponsors. What does the 'M' in MTV stand for: music or money? Long live rock and roll." MTV backed down. They crowned it Video of the Year at the '89 VMAs.

Chrome Hearts opened for Young in Toronto. Fans got to listen to 17 classics. "Ambulance Blues" started things off. Then came "Cinnamon Girl," "Ohio, "Harvest Moon", and  "Like A Hurricane." Young also played "Silver Eagle," fresh from his "Talkin' To The Trees" album.

His Love Earth Tour keeps rolling until September 15, with a final stop at Farm Aid on the 20th.