Daryl Hannah says Neil Young documentary, Coastal, was ‘hit or miss’ for one reason

A documentary on Neil Young’s return to the stage was “hit or miss” according to director Daryl Hannah.

The actor-turned-director shared her experiences with making a documentary on the post-lockdown tour Young embarked on, Coastal. Hannah recorded both time on the road and stage for her documentary on her husband, Young, who appears to have accidentally caused headaches thanks to his playing style. The legendary rocker, who will headline Glastonbury Festival later this year, would continually move around the stage and away from the cameras set up to capture his performance. It proved difficult, according to Hannah, who shared her frustrations in a recent interview.

Because of the camera set up and Young’s frequent, on-the-fly decisions about which songs to play on what instrument, Hannah says some shows had no usable footage. Speaking to the BBC, she said: “It was really hit or miss because every day he would go out to do sound check, and he would choose one of his three pianos and play something like Expecting To Fly.

“So we’d set a camera on that piano but, when it came to show time, he wouldn’t go near it. There were quite a few shows where we literally got no footage. I was frustrated in the editing room, trust me.”

Despite this potential shortcoming, Coastal still presents a peek behind the curtain for Young’s tour of the American coastline. The documentary and film, both titled Coastal, released earlier this month and features a behind-the-scenes look at Young on the road.

A biography for the project reads: “Neil Young and Reprise Records release Coastal: The Soundtrack, featuring 11 live recordings from the tour film of the same name. Coastal is a personal, behind-the-scenes documentary on Neil Young as he cruises the coast on his 2023 solo US tour. The film gives an intimate view of the maverick musician, as he navigates a return to the stage post-Covid.

“From his everyday observations on the bus to his candid banter with his audience. Coastal is a rare peek behind the curtain of this unguarded iconoclast. The film was shot and directed by Daryl Hannah.” A tracklist for the album soundtrack saw deep cuts like Vampire Blues performed by Young in a series of intimate, outdoor shows. A tracklist for the Coastal album can be found below.

1. I’m the Ocean
2. Comes a Time
3. Love Earth
4. Prime of Life
5. Throw Your Hatred Down
6. Vampire Blues
7. When I Hold You in My Arms
8. Expecting to Fly
9. Song X
10. I Am a Child
11. Don’t Forget Love

In a four-star review of the album, Cult Following described Coastal as a “delightful live offering” which hears Young “use silence as an instrument as he pushes the older generation out of the way, moves them on to focus on the problems of here and now.”