Neil Young News: New Orleans Jazz Festival Neil Young Concert Reviews: 5/3/09

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Sunday, May 03, 2009

New Orleans Jazz Festival Neil Young Concert Reviews: 5/3/09

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Photo galleries by David Grunfeld and Keith Marszalek. Review at Neil Young rocked in the free world at Jazz Fest - NOLA.com by Keith Spera, Music writer, The Times-Picayune.

Thanks HarryO!

From New Orleans Jazz Fest recap: the best of the best - Collegenews.:

"The 40th Annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is in the books and it will go down as one of the best in history. The two weekends were packed with legends of rock, jazz, blues and funk and up and coming stars in a tapestry of music unmatched in any festival around the world. In celebration, College News counts down the top 25 performances from the fest.

Here they, ranked Pitchfork-style, are from top to bottom:

1. Neil Young - 10: The absolute perfect show. A dream set-list* played with precision from the man whose career defines Rock. It will never die."

From Festival Crashers » Blog Archive » Neil Young’s Perfect 10 @ Jazz Fest Posted by teibs :

"A perfect 10. I honestly wasn’t sure I’d ever see one. A perfect 10 requires everything to be just right on stage and just right from where you stand.*

On stage you need: a tight band with a immense stable of songs to pull from. A front man who knows when to keep it tight, when to sprinkle in banter and when to solo. A well-paced set filled with crowd favorites, but not a best-of catalog, building to a dynamic finish and epic encore."

New Orleans Jazz Festival 2009 Poster by
All Amzie All The Time

Neil Young will be performing today at the New Orleans Jazz Festival in Louisiana.

Got a report? Drop a comment below. No registration required.

Check Sugar Mountain for setlist updates and statistics. Also, see Grid Chart on Rust Radio.

Also, see Neil Young 2009 Canada & U.S. Concert Tour & Reviews and the right, middle sidebar for continuous real time RSS feed updates.

Thanks Under The Hood!

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23 Comments:

At 5/03/2009 12:44:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Cool poster! Love to get one of those.

What's in store for today?

ADITL? More Fork songs?

NW of NO
At 5/03/2009 07:47:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Any News? Set list?
At 5/03/2009 08:59:00 PM, Anonymous said...: saw neil at jazz fest off center stage, I have only seen him acoustic before. This is one of the best performances I have ever seen. He rocked and his back up rocked too. Set list seemed close to previous shows with a couple of ommissions because of the fest 2 hour time limitation, encore was day in the life, completely blew it out, all the strings came off of his guitar durin the encore. I was close to the front and am still pulsating to cowgirl in the sand jam. I may have to fly to europe to see him again.
At 5/04/2009 12:23:00 AM, HarryO said...: Good review here:
http://www.nola.com/jazzfest/index.ssf/2009/05/neil_young_rocked_in_the_free.html
At 5/04/2009 04:25:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Love and only Love/ Hey hey My My/ are you ready for the Country?/ Everybody knows this is nowhere/ pocahontas/ change your mind/ cinnamon girl/ mother earth/needle and the damage done/light a candle/heart of gold/ old man/speakin out!/ down by the river/ get behind the wheel/ rockin in the free world/ a day in the life from narcissy!
At 5/04/2009 05:52:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Greetings from Kansas City, I've been to 15 MardiGras there, I consider the Royal Sonesta in NOLA my 2nd home. I am sad I missed this JazzFest show, but we saw Mr Young Thursday (4/30/09) night in KC, and he was awesome, we had a blast. I am glad he did the same for you.

here is a link for the KCstar review. Cheers

http://backtorockville.typepad.com/back_to_rockville/2009/05/review-neil-young.html?cid=6a00d8341c73cc53ef01156f757d38970c#comment-6a00d8341c73cc53ef01156f757d38970c

Neil Young is an amazing living legend.

"Jed in Greendale"
(really G in Kansas City;)
At 5/04/2009 10:14:00 AM, Andrew said...: Short review: Best musical experience ever. And I've seen all the so-called "greats" (Dylan, Springsteen, McCartney, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, the Rolling Stones, etc). I see bands play all the time. This was the best.

Long review: I love Neil Young and have seen him three times (1994 Farm Aid with Crazy Horse, 1999(?) solo acoustic tour, and the Greendale tour). I was super-psyched to hear that he was going to play less than 5 miles from my house at Jazzfest. My wife and I got to the fairgrounds at 10:30 (Neil's set time was 2:55). I was shocked that there were barely a few dozen people staking out their spots. We got a great spot up front and waited.

Here are some highlights:
- Pochahontas was the heaviest thing I ever heard, and I've seen Eyehategod, and tons of other sludge-metal bands, and this topped it all. The band was tight as fuck! When Neil sang, "They masscred the buffalo", the drums and the guitars had this pounding, heavy noise that completely blew me away. I was in awe.
- I loved how he did a 10 minute "Change Your Mind". It sounded amazing and the harmonies were spot on. I love how Neil did not omit this from the set list. Should he play ten-minute long deep cut from an album that was released in 1993 in front of 40,000 people who want to hear the hits? Of course, he's Neil fucking Young!
- This band was extremely versatile. One minute they sound like Crazy Horse, and the next minute they pull off Old Man and Heart of Gold. The pedal steel was loud and crisp. Very impressive.
-Down By the River and Everybody Knows this is Nowhere killed me.
- Some girl got on her boyfriend's shoulders right next to me and removed her shirt during Cinnamon Girl. Deserved a mention.
- Keep on Rockin in the Free World!!! Holy sweet jesus! I'm a 33 year old guy who had my formative years in the 90s, a cynical decade steeped in irony. I rocked the fuck out during this song with my fist in the air. No irony, I was rocking in the free world. He even threw in a false ending and bashed into the chorus one final time.
-A Day in the Life. Spectacular. I've seen Sonic Youth 5-6 times and his guitar freak-out was on the level with anything they could do (I know, I know, Neil pre-dates Sonic Youth by a zillion years, but Sonic Youth specialize in this kinda noise). It was beautiful to hear the whole crowd sing the "Ah-Ahh-Ahh's" after the "I had a smoke and I went into a dream" bit.

I'm still completely blown away by this. I saw Neil on the solo acoustic tour in 99(?), and thought that would never be topped. This was more amazing by a mile. Neil was happy and in amazing form. He seemed really touched by the response of the crowd (even though at times he turned his back to us all and jammed with his rhythm section).
At 5/04/2009 11:36:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Neil and friends definitely rocked N.O. I took my son and a friend of his, we were about five back from the fellow who posted above. His assessment was dead on. One cool thing that happened was while Neil was playing EKTIN, when he got to the line, "everytime I think about back home, it's cool and breezy", a huge gust of wind blew in....perfect timing. Jazzfest is one of the finest music festivals in the US. Amazing variety of styles and artists. Thanks, drmiles
At 5/04/2009 11:44:00 AM, set list thief said...: Wow, Andrew, great review. Wish I coulda been there, too.

I've rediscoverd "Change Your Mind" after many years. Brilliant, brilliant song-to my mind and ears, a masterpiece on a par with Cowgirl, Cortez and Hurricane. I'm keeping my fingers crossed he tours the East coast after Europe and I'll get to see CYM performed live for the first time.

I'm hoping the tapers were out "en force" and we see the NO show up on Dime soon.
At 5/04/2009 02:55:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Nice shades, Neil! Reminds me of his Trans-phase.
At 5/04/2009 04:23:00 PM, Alex M. said...: Neil Young’s Jazzfest performance was nothing less than monstrous — in the best way possible.

Because he has long sung in falsetto, his voice has largely survived intact — clear, sometimes shrill, but always full of deep emotion — and his bare-knuckled lead guitar (he doesn’t use a pick) was almost transcendent: you could literally close your eyes and imagine you were back at Woodstock.

His set list choices were both forward-looking and respectful of those of us who pine to hear the old chestnuts, and his encore — a rendition of the Beatles “A Day in the Life” — was a gift that keeps on giving.

I felt lucky to be there.
At 5/04/2009 05:56:00 PM, dr dip said...: You've got to be kidding Thrash.
You didn't even give them a chance!
They weren't even offensive..lighten up,,Have you got an automatic Dip deleter these days?
Like I've always said, I love Neil as much as any optimal fan here..he has got a sense cof humour
At 5/04/2009 06:02:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I was there, fifty feet away from Neil Young. It was a spiritual experience — in addition to being an amazing guitarist, the emotion that he brings to every single bar of the music keeps you in thrall constantly. He loves his songs, still. Not like those other aging rockers who go through their hit lists like they’re checking the clock. He’s still feeling it, and he makes the audience feel the full range of their own feelings. It was my very favorite set of the entire weekend. Blew my mind.

Stefanie
At 5/05/2009 12:18:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Stef, That was a wonderful way to state it, and put how I felt too:)

""He loves his songs, still. Not like those other aging rockers who go through their hit lists like they’re checking the clock. He’s still feeling it, and he makes the audience feel the full range of their own feelings. It was my very favorite set of the entire weekend. Blew my mind.

Stefanie
5/04/2009 06:02:00 PM""

Wow,
that was well put, and
you can say that again,
THX Steph:) I love you too,
and I dont even know you.
At 5/05/2009 01:53:00 AM, Anonymous said...: i knew the song, but I only just heard the words, and it is true:)

Love and only love
will endure
Hate is everything
you think it is
Love and only love
will break it down

Love and only love,
will break it down

I LOVE YOU
At 5/05/2009 04:30:00 AM, Dr TryHard said...: "Nice shades, Neil! Reminds me of his Trans-phase"

You've got to be kidding! They look ridiculous. But it's Neil, so everything he does or wears has got to be cool, right? Wrong.
At 5/05/2009 10:32:00 AM, Matthew Lintzenich said...: I think the shades look freakin' awesome. I love how the crowd reflects in them, and his sneer! Yes! That's a great photo.

Y'know Dr. Tryhard, liking the shades doesn't make you automatically blindly worshipful.
At 5/05/2009 12:05:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Jazz Fest highlights were definitely Down By The River. Wow!
Are You Ready For The Country.
Then with no rain for 2 days, seconds after Neil left the stage, a huge down pour rolled in and soaked all of his gear!

DFan
At 5/05/2009 03:13:00 PM, mark said...: I was about 20 yards from the stage and just to the right of center. The show was UN-FUCKING-REAL!!! Unbelievably great!! I just caught Robert Randolph in Mobile Thursday night, now I've seen two of the best shows of my life inside of one week! Saying Neil Young rocks is like saying the Grand Canyon is "big"! No more words since words just can't describe....
At 5/06/2009 06:07:00 PM, Dr TryHard said...: "Y'know Dr. Tryhard, liking the shades doesn't make you automatically blindly worshipful"

It's a symptom of it though!

"I think the shades look freakin' awesome. I love how the crowd reflects in them, and his sneer! Yes! That's a great photo."

Methinks the crowd would have reflected just as well in a decent looking pair of shades. LOL!
At 5/06/2009 07:55:00 PM, Rose K. said...: Love Dave Matthews Band VERY MUCH. DMB played the first weekend of Jazz Fest, Neil the second. I could only afford to go to ONE weekend. Made a decision that Dave himself would approve and chose to see NEIL! It proved to be a wise choice. His show burned hotter than any Cajun treat offered in the food area and was twice as delicious. Neil was in a great mood (didn't throw his beer at Larry). He didn't speak much, but smiled often and during one song, blazed from one end of the stage to the other and back again so all could soak up his energy. Storm clouds gathered but politely waited to let loose until 40 seconds after Neil's last song. Even Nature waits on Neil! Pegi looked more beautiful than the last time I saw her back in Philly. Must be the magic of the music. Thank You Neil Young, Family & Friends! I needed the lift that only fine music can bring.
At 5/08/2009 01:01:00 AM, weenie said...: I've seen Neil many times and he's always engaged - to varying degrees - with his audience. But I have to say I have never seen him have such a good time. He seemed genuinely tickled with the venue, the crowd and the love he was getting. He laughed a lot, was totally loose and relaxed and gave it all. This vibe made it, perhaps, the best NY concert I've seen, including first row at the Tower Theatre.
At 5/08/2009 04:18:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Just to let folks know...I heard this show being broadcast on Rust Radio today! Sounds great. Hope you get a chance to enjoy the show. drmiles