Photos and Reviews of Neil Young Down Under

Neil Young @ Big Day Out, Melbourne, Australia - 1-26-09
Photo Gallery by Robert

Here are a couple of recent Neil Young concert reviews.

On the 01-21-2009, Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from ArtSmelter: Show case Review: Neil Young:

"Went to the Neil Young Concert in Brisbane last week and had a great time. From the very first sounds distorting from his guitar to the final experimental deconstruction of music in the last song, Neil played with energy and passion while the crowd sat as if mesmerised by some sort of arty music happening.

He gets some amazing primordial sounds from his old black guitar and gigantic Magnavox amp. - his guitar work is very trippy and Hendrix like but also like some ancient monster rising from the deep nether realms of Neil's subconscious.

His art teeters from hokey simplicity to insightful sophistication and finally reaching all the way up to total deconstruction - Neil is a very interesting artist who defies mediocrity but embraces normality, love and common sense."

From Neil Young, My Morning Jacket @ Myer Music Bowl (28/01/2009) on FasterLouder.com.au by Rajith:

At around 9pm, Neil Young and his picaresque band shuffled onto the stage, greeted by a huge cheer from the throng. This entrance was refreshingly laid-back as the pretention of being escorted out to rousing fanfare blasted across the PA system was absent. Neil Young was decked out in three-quarter length cargo shorts and light open collared shirt. His shaggy grey locks were blown about by a massive industrial strength fan sitting next to a wood carving of a red-Indian on the left of the stage.

I’ve always stood by the fact that performers who dress really flash (Nick Cave aside), sport foppish haircuts and generally seem to worry more about complementary colors than chord progressions are, more often than not, talentless hacks and do not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as any genuine musician. Scruffy Ol’ Neil stomping along like a kid crushing bugs while willing a litany of distorted chords from the guitar thrust against his tumid belly, added weight to my argument that when it comes to music the external superficialities are irrelevant.

As tiring as the day was due to the extreme heat, Neil Young managed to not only hold the attention but also raise the roof and propel chills into collective consciousness of this assembly. Delivering plenty of passion and craftsmanship with his catchy tunes and crazed freakouts Young proved he is still a consummate performer and a vital progenitor of contemporary music, one that remains relevant fifty-years from the time he started performing as a solo artist. If one person can beat the heat and rock out in a pair of cargo-shorts, that person would be Neil Young.

On the 01-28-2009, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia from Tatersmama's take on things: The Concert:

"He still 'looks' the same, although it's been decades and he has aged a bit. But not in a bad way at all. He seems to have a 'patina' now that he didn't have 3+ decades ago, and if his classmates didn't know that he was a legendary musician, he would be instantly identifiable at his high school reunion - because he's mellowed a bit, maturity-wise and looks-wise, but he hasn't changed at all. The man is, and will always be 'the man'.

He was dignified, relevant and honest, just like he's always been... but wow, he threw in some doozies and arse-kickers on Wednesday night, that just took my breath away.

I've never in my life seen, or heard, him do any song less than exquisitely, and the concert the other night was no exception. I just love how he can slightly 'change' the delivery of a song, but the meaning and impact is always the same.

Neil Young, to me, is just one of those rare, enduring, musicians for whom the term “ music legend” is more of an under-statement, than it is an over-statement ...and I still love him to pieces."

More on Neil Young Tour of Australia, New Zealand - 2009 Concert Reviews.

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