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An unofficial news blog for Neil Young fans from Thrasher's Wheat with concert and album updates, reviews, analysis, and other Rock & Roll ramblings. Separating the wheat from the chaff since 1996.
Neil Young will be performing tonight at Trent FM Arena, Nottingham, England.
by thrasher@PermaLink: 6/23/2009 05:28:00 PM
71 comments
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71 Comments:
Fantastic show! Neils voice seemed to be in even better shape than it was in London last year.
Its also worth noting that he performed half the show with his shirt hanging off one arm!! Strange chap!
Highlights. The whole set pretty much but especially:
-Words (I want a Gretsch. now.)
-Are you ready for the country?
-Dont let it bring you down(With a nice reference to 4 way street!)
-The two Springfield numbers
-A day in the life
Low points:
-The crowd. Up until Dont let it bring you down, everyone near me was silent and had their arms folded. People seemed to loosen up eventually...maybe im being harsh, but Im just used to people moving about bit more.
-Would have been nice to see some 'Tonights the night' or 'On the beach' songs, but really I cant complain at all about the setlist.
I've probably got the order screwed up in places...but im pretty sure the setist was something like this:
Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black) / Mansion On The Hill / Are You Ready For The Country? / Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere / Pocahontas / Words / Cinnamon Girl / Mother Earth / Don't Let It Bring You Down / Comes a time / Heart of Gold/ Old man/ On The Way Home / Burned / Down By The River / Get Behind The Wheel / Rockin' In The Free World // A Day In The Life
Im looking at getting Tickets for Hyde Park now. I cant afford it, so I'll be eating paper and cardboard for the next month to pay for it.
A great show, with Neil in fine form.
A top job done by the support band (whose name I didn't catch, unfortunately) lead up to an outstanding rendition of Hey Hey, My My to open. The crowd was a bit subdued after Mansion On The Hill until Cinnamon Girl, but that was during a period of some of his lesser known songs, and I think it was more a case of them listening intently with reverence rather than them not enjoying themselves. The second half, particularly from Down By The River, went down very well and A Day In The Life worked well as an encore.
As will always be the case, he missed out plenty of songs I'd have loved to have seen included, but that's unavoidable unless he plays a 10 hour set. And those he did play were all superbly done.
A great night overall.
He seemed really happy. Loved the waving arms thing with the crowd at the end too..
Yeah, pretty good show, and a quick run back down the motorway to Bristol.
Great to get to the second row standing dead centre - the woman I took along had never been to a concert before - I've now told her not to bother going to any others as they're bound to be a dissapointment after tonight.
It was all pretty good of course - except maybe the first Buffalo Springfield song - (and Neil said when they finished that they won't be doing it again)- the grungy Pocahontas was interesting and I enjoyed the acoustic bit more than I usually do but the two songs where I thought he absolutely hit the spot were 'Words' and 'Down By The River' - possibly the best DBTR I've heard - I closed my eyes for the duration and just let the music flow through - awesome.
Nice to hear 'Get behind the Wheel' and I like that he still does 'Mother Earth' in every show but I think 'A Day in The Life' ought to be dropped now, it was good to hear it last year but it's time for something new - or something different.
Funny how touring incessantly with Pegi, Ben, Chad, Rick, Anthony and Larry over the last few years gives Neil the freedom to do whatever the hell he wants. Shows class in each of the named above.
I'm a great admirer of Rick, just love his laid back attitude. Chad seems to give Neil the opportunity to always keep going as it was him who seemed to keep encouraging Neil to do an extra chorus of RITFW again and again.
Neil appeared to be in a great mood last night and bantered with the crowd throughout, even down to getting the crowd to wave their arms from side to side!
Music, I thought that it was a really good set. My own highlights were Pocahontas (with verses not in order), Mansion on the Hill (woke up this morning with the song still going through my head) and EKTIN.
Only disappointment was not getting my regular T-shirt fix satisfied. Somehow I missed the stall as I came in from the back of the arena.
I usually take my camera to concerts and Thrasher has used my shots for the respective concerts. However, the camera has been held together with duck tape for months due to another "It got dropped" accident and I decided not to take it as it is so tempramental. But on the positive side I woke up to find out that my wife and various members of the family had bought me a new camera for my birthday (today). So I'm a doubly happy old git!
Pete
Hey Pete !
Happy birthday to you !
We've never met, and probably never will, but now you know I'm out there as I know you are ! From fan to fan !
All the best !
:-)
Sten in Germany
Sten
Many thanks!
Off to work now and as a Driving Instructor I've got one of last nights songs "Get Behind The Wheel" buzzing around my head.
Pete
Looking good for Glastonbury......Weather forecast indicates that an extra strong dose of feedback might be required to fend off those rain clouds! Neil has 2hrs 15 so any room for slipping in Cortez and another noisy guitary one - F'in up perhaps? Neil - I love you, whatever you play anyhow!
My wife is gutted - she had hoped he'd play Old Man in Dublin...
GREAT GIG.
Neil took his time warming 'Old Black' up - but when he got into the groove - THE MAN was awesome... some real NY classics…WORDS being up amongst them.
He’s lost some weight of late… no surprise considering his schedule over last couple of years… he also appeared not to be as ‘cranky’… had some good banter with the crowd… his ‘come on scare me’ …what was all that about?
Was right down there near the front… me and a good smattering of ‘old wrinklies’ shaking-the-dandruff (them that had hair that is) and getting down into Neil’s groove…FANTASTIC… only slight hiccup in proceedings was during RITFW when a few younger (MORE EXUBERANT) members of the crowd upset a few of the ‘wrinklies’ by ‘po-go-in’ into them… BUT, HEY COME ON YOU WRINKLIES… NY gigs are for rocking (and remembering you were once young)… the odd elbow comes with the territory of the ‘MOSH PIT’.
Here’s to Hyde Park…KEEP ON ROCKING!!
Best thing about last night was that Neil really seems to be enjoying himself.
I hadn't realised until last night what a great song WORDS is, absolutley stunning. And he also played my two favourite songs back to back - Old Man and Down by the River. Loved the ending to Cinnamon Girl too.
Basically a fantastic concert and one of my top five ever.
One of the best Neil Concerts I have been to! Very relaxed and grungy. The crowd responded well. I have posted most of the songs on You Tube
Neil was in a nutshell excellent. In good humour and good form. The drumming of Chad Cromwell bought an added dimension. Raw with feeling but precise if you know what I mean. Possibly the best DBTR I have seen and I have seen a few, only NEC 1987 would hold up to this. Loved the Buffalo stuf and the 12 string on Burned b y Anthony Crawford. Was at the front near the piano and when Peggy pretended to play it during Comes a Time I couldn't help notice what a nice pair of legs she has got and decided "I probably would after a few pints". Gesting apart she really nailed the harmony and again I am in receipyt of another spectacular night thanks to Neil.
Love from Mr Fudge.
Outstanding gig last night, enjoyed it all. Superb Words, DBTR, and magnificent RITFW. Loved the slow grungy HHMM and Pocahontas.
Come back next year Neil!
Highlights for me were a grungy Hey Hey My My, Pocohontas with a stomping drum intro from Chad Cromwell and extended versions of Down By The River and Keep on Rockin' in The Free World.
Certainly seemed as though the electric tracks went down better with the audience although what can only be described as a swing version of On The Road Home was excellent.
Neil seemed more relaxed than I can ever remember and almost got the crowd involved in some audience participation.
As manic as ever when he snapped the strings on old black during the encore - A Day in The Life.
Lets hope the Beeb give him some decent coverage at Glstonbury.
Keep on Rockin'
Last night Neil played my town and he was remarkable. My 6th time of seeing the great man(7th coming up at Hyde Park)Great show. over the years he seems to be more chatty now and he really appears to be enjoying himself. As he said at Hammersmith last year the older he gets the better he feels. The only slight disappointment was that I thought " Pocahontas" sounded a little distorted. Apart from that the highlights were RITFW, Down By the River(how long)and was the ending to "Cinnamon Girl" longer than the song? The wait for you to play my town was a lot longer than Winterlong but my was it worth it.
Hi Simon the fireman here Just back from nottingham and i would like to make a request. I know lots of people request a specific song but mine is direct from the heart all of the crowd last night DONT STOP TOURING NEIL WE NEED MORE FIXES OF THE TYPE WE GOT LAST NIGHT. perhaps i over simplify but my highlight of the show was just that the whole thing.Took 30 years to succesfully see him now twice in twelve months I thought edinburgh would not be surrpassed being my first but this was a whole other ball game .This rhythm section is the best i have heard with Neil and they seem to drive him on wringing notes out of old black and the white falcon to my delight. Two more things please Neil tour the UK next year but come to Newcastle show all of my Geordie friends what a real winner is oh and to echo a comment from another poster we fans would not object to a 10 hour set although you might ,and thank you for your humanity in hounoring the requests of Liza and Gavin.There is only one thing that will top last night for me and that is the birth of my first grandchild so keep touring long enough for me to bring him and add another fan to the list of your admirers
Thanks Neil and team for an amazing time in Nottingham last night - it was a real Glastonbury warm up show packed full of favourites and performed at a cracking pace - well over 2 hours without any let up - i was warn out just watching.
I agree with the comments about DBTR I never thought any musician could make a song they've been playing for 40 years sound so fresh and inventive. Loved Burned to and the Harvest songs never sounded so good and Rockin In The Free World/Day in the Life was a great finish.
Even more gutted I cant go to Glastonbury (always said I'd be there the year Neil plays). If NY plays anything like that on Friday night the whole field will go mental. I really hope he's on the BBC TV as I think the footage will convert many more hundreds of thousands to NY's music and his fantastic live show here in the UK. Cant wait - I'm staying in on Friday night and keeping my fingers crossed.
Much love to all, dont be denied Mark in Lincolnshire.
Well i thought the whole show was amazing
The waiting between the support act and Neil Young was too lenghty and that boring blues music that kept playing was too much !
But it was worth it in the end, my Mum loved it ! She didn't think she would ever get to see him live
Im 16 and i think i was the youngest person there haha, was a real good gig, and my first big one , loved it , thats what proper artists should be like , enjoying themselves and not worrying about what they look like
Rock on
Sian x
Superb concert after the relative disappointment of the gig at Hammersmith Apollo last year.
This, though, was on a different level. Neil was absolutely rocking. Once he'd warmed up and decided he was going to have some fun, he really engaged with the crowd (albeit on his own limited level :)).
Words was fantastic, Powderfinger rocked, Heart of Gold classic, Rockin in the Free World rockin, Down By The River unbelievable.
Great night and a great venue.
Am delighted as I'd read the continental european gigs were disappointing.
This was fantastic though. That is one cool, rocking dude.
did he really play powderfinger? Or do you mean the grunge version of Pocahontas. I want both. I need both.
SORRY !!! My mistake. I meant 'Pocahantas' not 'Powderfinger'. After last night they sound kind of the same (never thought I'd say that) :)...
Strangely enough, Powderfinger was the highlight of the Hammersmith gig last year for me.
Apologies again
J.
Wow you felt "relative disappointment" from one of the last years London shows, now that is surprising...
It was by far the best NY show I've ever seen. Musically it was full of highs with DBTR being the highlight for me as I've never seen it played live before! The Springfield section was great fun too and Neil was really having fun.
The only downsides were the two morons in the crowd who barged through to the front and started chicken dancing during RITF. I think they thought they had wandered into an Oasis gig. It's the first time I've ever felt the urge to chin a fan at a NY show!
The second one was Trent FM's security staff refusing to allow fans to keep their ticket stubs. This may seem a bit anal but a Neil Young show is something you want to keep a souvenir of. It took a lot of hassle by angry fans after the show to insist that a sack of stubs was brought out and distributed to the fans outside.
I'm looking forward to Saturday now because I also get to see Fleet Foxes again and they will certainly give Neil the inspiration to play a set as awesome as last night!
10/10 for the show!
Yeah, it was my first time of seeing NY in concert and we were towards the back of the Apollo in the circle (so not the best seats) I didn't feel much connection and felt he lacked the warmth and full on commitment of last night.
My first time seeing Neil Young, that alone made it a remarkable, unforgettable experience. It did take a while for the crowd to get going, but when they did the rest of the night was immense.
My personal highlight of the night was Words. I've always felt that song was underrated, and the performance of it last night did the song justice. The ending of Cinnamon Girl was ridiculous, everyone I could see was clapping or waving from side to side. The somewhat neverending Rockin' In The Free World was insane, my arms are buggered from the amount of clapping. It's also nice to see I'm not the only one who takes so much from Don't Let It Bring You Down.
Being that this was my first Neil Young concert, it was brilliant to see so many Neil Young fans all in unity. There were fans 40 years older than me there, I think that says enough about the appeal of Neil's music.
Loved it.
/Matt
My ears are still recovering from last night!
From the moment the band struck up I could tell we were in for some night. Starting with a slow, grungy Hey, Hey, My, My, Neil looked mean and Old Black sounded mean. The dirtiest of riffs at the best of times, last night the volume & power oozed out of the speakers like sludge. The following Mansion On The Hill is a proper rock song, but sounded like a gentle respite after its predecessor.
Neil soon cheered up though, and a groovin Ready For The Country, a thumping Pocahontas, an endless crowd rousing end to Cinnamon Girl and a Motown-esque On The Way Home were all further highlights.
By now Neil really seemed to be enjoying himself, throwing out cheesy quips (after Mother Earth: “there’s a song that’ll depress ya, but Don’t Let It Bring Ya Down” before launching into that very song. On the annoying between song random shouts and song requests: “we record these shows, ya know. I’ll listen to it later to see if I can figure out what you’re all saying. But not right now”).
And man, was it loud. I’ve seen NY live a few times, including with the Horse, but last night was head splitting, ear destroying loud. The sound hit you like a natural disaster, the Arena’s PA system struggling to keep up with Old Black. I’m not complaining, though. I loved it! Even the quieter songs like Old Man & EKTIN seemed loud & intense. Maybe my ears a finally giving up
The highlight for me personally was Down By The River. A heavy, intense version with solo’s varying from fast & loud to slow & subtle, and Neil lost in time, repeating phrases from the song and at one stage singing a slightly scary “ssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhot a dear’ into the mic. The song went on and on, but I was mesmerised throughout, drawn into it and lost in the moment.
As the show drew to a close Neil continued to enjoy himself with the multiple reprise of Rockin In The Free World and even leading the crowd in arm waving! Then after another guitar destroying rendition of A Day In The Life it was all over and I spilled out onto the street, ears ringing, slightly shell shocked. The Hop Farm last year was a good gig, but this was better: Loud, grungy, fun, intense, grooving, swinging, full of feedback & distortion, showing acts two thirds his age how it’s done.
Now, how do you get from Nottingham to Glastonbury...?
Saw Neil in Nottingham last night. This is the first time I have seen him live.........it was simply fantastic. He jumps around that stage like a teenager. Neil is the same age as my husband I wish he could jump around like that lolol.
Wendy,Tamworth.
I also saw Mr Young for the first time last night, I have been to a lot of great gigs but I can say without doubt that last night was the greatest gig I have ever been to! It was simply astounding, that man truly is god!!!
Hmmmmm. Neil's voice was at it's best for some years (probably early-mid 90s shows). He seemed full of energy. I want some of what he's on! Great to hear some of the more esoteric numbers - 'burned' - wow, I'd never have guessed that one. The acoustic set is where this band is best though, and mid tempo numbers like 'Words' and 'AYRFTC'.
But....DBTR best people have seen or heard?? Please.....Ben Keith is no foil to Neil like Poncho. The Horse get a groove that make the heavy numbers all theirs. Neil turned up way too much to 'beef-up' the sound. that said the drummer was amazing. Very versatile and with a great sound.
Excellent gig though, what a voice....
Neil was on incredible form last night. How does he keep getting fitter, stronger, hungrier.
His energy levels were phenomenol and the band was so tight. I must admit I love the version of 'On the Way Home' at the piano. The arrnegment is so uplifting and Pegi's vocals on it really add weight. I also like the Pocahontos arrangement too.
G McC
The highlight for me was RITFW, I was in sticthes everytime he went back into it. I loved the aspects of humour in the set. He really does look like he is enjoying it lately.
I took my parents last night. They have never really been into rock n roll my mam has only ever seen Barry Manilow live. They loved it, they left as complete fans and members of the Rustie community. Its not just young people getting into Neil. I was turned onto Neil through 'Sleeps with Angels' now I have turned my parents onto him, which feels odd.
4th time on this tour , twice at hammersmith and the hop farm show last year but this for me was the best last night , ready for the country - yes shakey I am , cant wait for saturday and Hyde park .
I know he will blow away glasto just hope bbc show most of his set .
The greatest living performer imo , long may he run
Thought last nights gig was near GREAT but not quite. Maybe it was the venue/crowd that took some of the edge off it for me. It was a bit flat atmosphere wise I thought
But when Neil hit the mark he hit it WELL. Down By The River was spellbinding, Pocahontas was amazing, Old Man tremedous and Don't Let It Bring You Down was gorgeous too
Agree with whoever said A Day In The Life had has its day now though. Would much rather have had Cortez or something similar in its place personally
Roll on Saturday!
Andy
opening song Hey hey my my Total awesomeness from Mr Young
bloody great gig
I think Nigel is letting nostalgia get the better of him. I have seen Neil Young play with virtually all the bands and I think the current band is the best. The rhythm section is incredible and Ben just provides the space and structure for neil to work with. I think it is as true to the Crazy Horse sound of 1970 as Crazy Horse themselves could do now. I saw Crazy Horse with Neil in 2001 and they struggled to keep up, at times it was painful to watch as it was during some of the year of the horse gigs in 1997. Also from what I heard from America they struggled on the old numbers during the Greendale tour.
Nigel: Come on mate are you glorifying the past here? I love crazy horse but you have to be realistic. Neil has had to
reproduce the crazy horse sound and feel without crazy horse. Neil is playing the best music of his life he needs players who can keep up the pace. Chad, Rick, Keith, Pegi, Anthony - long may you run!
On another note whatever happened to Poncho? Neil played with him constantly for years in various set ups but not any more. Can someone tell me why?
GMcC
I think the reason is, that he works with Kevin Eubanks, he is the bandleader for Jay Leno's Tonight Show, now Conan O' Brien Show.
Working every night in such a show is probably a job security.
Great gig last night...though it could never compare with the Manchester gigs last year. With some really special moments.
Neil looks lean, fit and so "up for it". He just seems to be in such a good place , laughing and joking with the crowd..
As for the set list, a real mix of gems from his vast catalogue, from Springfield to Fork in the Road, the highlight a stunning "Words".
The Man just keeps doing it and so does the band.....however I have to say this was the second time I’ve seen this line-up and Chad is not the right drummer for Neil’s band. On a couple occasions, especially in RITFW, his over complicated fills and just generally being too flash lost the drive and tempo, resulting in Neil actually moving his hand up and down like a conductor getting him back into time...Ralph Molina's drumming is so understated but always right on it..
Oh well still a great night , roll on Hyde Park !
I saw Crazy Horse with Neil in 2003, and they were super tight.
I suppose everyone has off nights. I like this lineup a lot, there are a lot of great musicians... but I do have a soft-spot for Crazy Horse...
lookin' forward to the 'Toast' tour!
Looks like it all gets down to venues doesn't it!
A great show to a superb show all gets down to connecting to your audience and not knowing either arena in either Dublin or Nottingham I can't appreciate from down in Oz just how good you guys had it.
Sounds like the "Sheriff" of Nottingham had his axe in full swing last night.. again!
...I think I'll "burn" down Sydney Ent Cent so Neil can't possibly play there..its about as intimate as an island or celibates!
Yep,its all about venue! and the Ent Cent sucks for the Neil Deal I'm afraid!
Very Jealous Dip
first time i saw neil was at the show last night and it was great! me and me pal came down from newcastle for it. down by the river was fantastic and the version of pocahontas was great. the end of free word was well funny :-)top night! just to advise that i was well chuffed when it turned out laura marlin was support as i've been loving her album from a couple of years back. that was a real bonus to get her on, i advise to get her album if you enjoyed what you heard at the show. now, do i go to hyde park and try and get a ticket or get loads of cans in for friday for bbc glasto and hope they show loads of neil!?
David Lowe has posted some excellent footage from last night. Thanks David!
From Words onwards the sound was incredible. Best I have heard in a venue for ages.
Mr Fudge.
Hey, I saw Neil for the first time in Nottingham last night and I thought he was awesome. The guy is a genius and a legend. I thought the venue was great. The crowd maybe looked a bit flat at first but I think they were just in awe of the great man, I know I certainly was! The longer the show went on the more everyone loosened up. Neil looked like he had a great time and the band were class. My highlight was RITFW. It was immense and I was buzzin' all night afterwards. I don't know how much longer he can go on for because I can't wait to see him again but his energy levels looked pretty good last night so I hope he'll be back. I hope he's on TV this weekend and I can soak it all up again. Thanks for a great show Neil. Steve from Bishop Auckland
I'm gutted that I didnt get tickets for this gig now. Can't wait to see neil live on the BBC on Friday though!
AB (Manchester UK)
Here's a link to my review on my blog. Hope you like it.
http://www.rustneversleeps.org/?p=1279
Maybe I'm letting the nostalgia take over. Great show. Off to see CSN next Weds and Springsteen on Sunday. Too old for all this stuff. Old man....
Really great gig. My first NY live experience - well worth the drive from Manchester. There was a guy at the back of the stage with an artist's easel painting all the way through. Does anyone know what that was all about?
Loved the guitar string destruction at the end of 'Day in the Life'. I got a photo of the battered Black without strings on the big screen. This is my first post - is there a way to post photos here?
PK
the artist was there on his last tour in the UK too... am sure there's a reason for it but struck me during the last tour as an idioscyncratic NY thing.
Jevon
Great concert yet again - third time seen and will go again. i think we were all waiting for some-one else to start the dancing. One question though - who were the support band - someone must know.
It was Laura Marling supporting, someone mentioned it a bit further up. I hadn't heard of her before, but I'll definitely have to give her album a try.
hi i have to say sian
you werent the youngest!
i am 11 and a huge neil young fan!!
that was my second time seeing him live! i have been to a few gigs but neil definately does the best gigs ever.
except the audience could have been a bit more active.
and my first neil young concert he got a standing ovation for just walking on stage! it gave me goosepimples!!
but i have to say neils rendition of rocking in the free world was amazing and i have to say anybody who has never ever heard neil play live has never lived!
but i have to say my favourites are get behind the wheel, singing a song wont change the world, old man, rockin in the free world, man needs a maid and ordainary people!!
rock on neil!!
sian (aged 11)
"There's a woman in the night"
With a baby in her hand
He's probably already.....
A NEIL YOUNG FAN!!
She just couldn't get a ticket!
She couldn't get her hit
She's missin her chance
to be in Neil's mosh pit
Neil's gunna get a crache
at the front of the stage
so the 3 year olds
Can here his RAGE !
Keep on rockin' in the pram world
Keep on rockin' in the teen world
keep on rockin' in the gran world
Yep there's no age barrier to enjoy Neil's buzz!!
From the moment Neil shambled onto the stage and hooked on Big Black, to the last dying cries of pain from the tortured remains of the same instrument, propped theatrically against his amps several hours later, we witnessed a “real treat” of a performance from a man on top of his form.
A deep groan emerged from the sound system as Neil led off with “Hey Hey, My My” everything cranked up to make sure the audience was fully alert to what was coming – he had apparently been on great form a few days earlier and now it was our turn to get a full dose of medicine from Mr Young. You will have read elsewhere about Neil shaking the guitar to death and stomping around the stage, and there was plenty of that, but tonight it seemed more agitated and more urgent than usual. Things may not have been as angry as first impressions may have suggested though as the many close ups of Young's now jowly face caught several knowing smiles between the trademark scowls and grimaces, this will be one they'll remember he may have been thinking.
If he was then he would be right- the set list reading like the track listing from the “Archives” with nothing from the recent few albums at all was certainly going to please and a near neighbour in the crowd raised his palms out and up in praise when Neil played “Words” on his great white Gretsch – who could have predicted that – many other old favourites were given an airing - “Are you ready for the country?”, “Burned” - a romp though this marvelous Buffalo Springfield classic which is having it's first live airing since 1966!
A few of the “regulars” were dished out on acoustic guitar, but there was none of that sitting in a circle of instruments and wandering around picking one up and lilting a song, this was all full on stuff. “Pocahontas” was much more electric and forceful than previously and “Rocking in the Free World” was even more of a stadium pleaser than ever with some 4 or 5 false endings and a great deal of playing to the crowd - “Cinnamon Girl” too featured a deliberate bout of showboating – Neil repeating the last chords sequences couple of times, waving triumphantly to each section of the crowd who naturally responded with vigour. I felt at the time that these were uncharacteristic actions for Young, not usually given to such gestures – and with such a powerful performance I wonder if we have witnessed something of milestone in touring terms? Was Neil bidding us farewell? Let's hope not.
A thumping version of “Down by The River” made it into something of a “Everybody Knows This is Nowhere” tour – nearly all my favourite album getting an airing. Impressed? I most certainly was – even the sound was good enough, better than expected perhaps for a concrete stadium. Highlights? So many musical ones, but Pegi Young sipping on a mug of tea while Neil launched into one of his grunge-laden thrashes in “Hey Hey” was a treasure. Banjo toting Larry Cragg on “Old Man” was another.
We're not going to Hyde Park or Glastonbury so that's it for us this tour, but as Gilly rightly put it – we saw Neil Young – Unleashed in Nottingham.
"Folking About".. you are obviously a music reviewer..you definitely have a beautiful, descriptive way with words..enjoyed your post..better then any of the crap I've ever written!!
Amatuer Dip
Great threads above - I am inspired to contribute for the first time due to (1) quality of the gig, and (2) quality of the posts. My contribution is the name of the artist - Eric Johnson "interprets" Neil's work in acrylics on canvas, whilst also working as roadie and part-time dancer. The highlight for me was DBTR - hair standing on end tingling :-) steve from cirencester
To the loner - if you think that was loud you should have been at san sebastian earlier this year!- WHAT?
Still a great show though - but i think neil was even more `up for it` at nottingham!
It’s easy to forget that Neil Young is, literally, on the verge of becoming the proverbial “Old Man” – but, bizarrely, as he strode out on to the stage looking leaner and fitter than he has in years – no doubt the result of incessant touring – I felt like I was watching the Neil Young of the early 90’s in his jeans, faded t-shirt and dishevelled hair. As the opening riff of “Hey, hey…” sound blasted the entire arena it quickly became clear that tonight was gonna be LOUD!
The current Electric Band are, in my opinion, the perfect foil for Neil at this stage of his career. Chad Cromwell’s drumming is miles away from Ralph Molina’s and it is clear that Neil trusts him in a way he probably couldn’t trust his old Crazy Horse companion. Rick Rosas holds court at the back of the stage leaving Neil free to go on any musical journey he wants while Ben Keith, the versatile and often under-rated Anthony Crawford and Pegi Young fill in all the gaps.
Neil was having fun tonight and it came through in his playing. Mansion On The Hill, a stomping Are You Ready For The Country? and Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere set the scene for a real journey through the past. It was clear that Neil was having a good time when he reacted to random shouts and song requests with “We record these shows, ya know? I’ll listen to it later to see if I can figure out what you’re all saying… but not right now” with a cheesy grin across his face.
The first major highlight for me was when Chad Cromwell kicked in with a heavy tom-tom intro that I must confess led me to think that we were gonna be treated to Fuckin’ Up but no, instead we got an awesome grunge version of my favourite song from Rust Never Sleeps – Pocahontas – complete with reversed verses. It was awesome and proved that when you write a great song it can be played in any style and sound great. So how do you top that? Simple. An amazing Words followed by a shit kicking Cinnamon Girl where the guitar outro lasted longer than the song itself with Neil patrolling the stage from right to left before eventually letting our eardrums rest. Mother Earth was sung beautifully. In fact for the entire show I was amazed at what good shape Neil’s voice is in. This was confirmed when Don’t Let It Bring You Down blew me away. Neil hit every note and if I’d closed my eyes I would have sworn I was listening to the 1971 BBC version. It was fantastic and was my second major high of the show. A rather pedestrian Comes A Time led into the next highlight. It was Buffalo Springfield Again as a Motownesque On The Way Home followed by Burned really hit the spot, although a few people standing near me were clearly a bit bemused, especially two teenagers, one of whom asked me if they were cover versions!
Heart Of Gold and Old Man were followed by a truly gargantuan Down By The River. I am in no position to compare this version to Crazy Horse as I had never seen the song performed live before but I, and thousands of others, were spellbound as Neil and the band weaved their magic and gave me a musical memory I will never forget. It probably wasn’t wise to follow such a showstopper with Get Behind The Wheel, the only track from 2009’s Fork In The Road but at least it allowed everyone to catch their breath before the final sonic attack. The crowd, for the first real time, went berzerk as Rockin’ In The Free World kicked in and when it eventually ended… it started again! Chad wouldn’t let the song end and it must have been on the fourth attempt that the speakers were allowed to fade to silence.
As the crowd’s demand for more reached ever more deafening levels I wondered if Neil had any surprises for us but not really. We all knew A Day In The Life was coming and although I think this song has probably reached the end of it’s shelf life it was still great to watch the ritual destruction of Old Black’s strings!
All in all a terrific show and luckily for me I get to watch it all again on Saturday in Hyde Park.
Best Neil gig for me since '93?
A bit of a late report but I only got back from Aberdeen late yesterday.
Some great posts above but I'm not sure people who weren't at the show will appreciate how good Nottingham was.
I saw the Antwerp & Rotterdam shows and because they were similar set lists (& slightly similar to last summer) Rotterdam felt a little disappointing (& this for a gig with Lost in Space in and Hurricane!).
I actually thought this may be a tour too far for Neil (or a tour too far for me maybe). However, typically the next show at Erfurt and following shows had different setlists and there were some great reviews of the Oslo & Sweden shows (thanks Karen!).
This got me more up for Nottingham but even I was surprised.
It probably did get off to a slowish start but Pocohontas killed me - wasn't too keen on the new arrangement before but man it just rocks. Words came up next and this is probably my favourite tune so I was in heaven. This version went to different places from before though and the pedal steel on this and Pocohontas were something else. Take a bow Mr Keith!
Burned was just great - the fact he even played this was good enough for me but the version he played was fantastic.
The highlights were flying in now. After the two BS tunes I even didn't mind him giving us Heart of Gold.
Really pleased we got Down by The River but again he just took this somewhere else - I've seen the song a fair few times before but this was the best version I've seen.
I expected RITFW and to a certain extent Day In The Life and these capped off a fantastic show. I'm always after another encore but after those two songs I didn't need one - how could you follow that!
At the end I wondered if my two mates thought the same as they were just a bit in front of me - was it really a great show or was it just me? They turned round though and had the same expression as me - What the F'#k was that!!
If you think about it - he played some classic tunes, a few rare ones to keep the diehards happy, gave every song a brilliant performance and he sensed and appreciated the response he was getting from the crowd. In short he was on fire. At the age he is you could forgive him if he went through the motions a bit and treated it like a warm up to possibly the two biggest shows of his career in Europe.
But I don't think Glastonbury will get it that good because I'm not sure if he can get any better.
Mind you Aberdeen came close!!
Thank you Neil for restoring the faith.
I forgot to say - the lengthy gushing above was from me.
One last point - great crowd and great venue. Not a fan of arenas but this one was quite compact (if that makes sense) and the seats didn't seem to be too far away.
Its hard to judge a neil crowd these days - because most of us are a bit older once we get down the front we plan to stay there. At other gigs maybe people move around a bit and space gets made her and there and a bit of pushing is usually normal (remember the Queens Hall in Leeds in the early '80's?) but when you're getting on a bit you get past that.
I hardly go moshing but I do like to move a bit when he's playing - how can you not when he breaks into Hey Hey or Cinnaman Girl. Even this upsets some people so you can't win. If people are that bothered they should sit really.
The thing is, it's a dilema. I think Neil wants us to go more cazy during the louder songs but most of us are used to giving him some respect in the quieter parts (you don't get as many song requests from people anymore as they don't want to annoy Neil - they want to keep him sweet so he plays all night"!!).
In view of all this I thought the crowd were great and them and Neil fed off each other.
Got to say the Aberdeen crowd were great too - some young lads were a bit rowdy near me and raised a few eyebrows from the older people around but they were in their early twenties going mad for Neil songs written before they were born - good for them!
Des.
Reporting from Nottingham & Aberdeen and burned (out) with both feet on the ground!
Des ,Steve ,Anonymous(please sign) and Folking about...very comprehensive and positive reviews
Neil's obviously enjoying this leg of his tour..as Folking about said I HOPE this is not an omen to a climax for his last real bash at tourin!...
Neil, please tell me it isn't so!.....PLEASE.
Dip down under
Best Ever - could only be made better by sitting in the sunshine at the Bridge School - if you've been you will understand - check out the website.
I have seen Neil several times over the years but this was the best yet. He seemed to be really enjoying himself & I know the crowd standing close to the back around me were.I had purposely avoided looking at set lists so was thrilled by all the songs and was looking forward to something special as the encore. I might be in minority of one but the choice of song was a HUGE let down.
Having said that the rest of the night was superb and made up for it Keep on Rockin !!!!
Moontears :x
First time I've seen Neil Young live....... but then I haven't seen a lot of live gigs.
I went to the Bath festival (at Shepton Mallet) in 1970 where I saw possibly the first Led Zeppelin gig. My favourite band, the Byrds, entranced me with an acoustic set after driving rain forced Jefferson Airplane offstage for fear of electrocution. There were loads of famous names there.
But I didn't keep it up, and overwhelmingly know my favourite recording artists through vinyl and CD. Tuesday felt odd - I was vaguely worried that NY might not like Nottingham or vice versa. There was a long wait before he got on stage, and I wasn't sure if he was angry about something as he didn't say hi but just played the first two songs really loud.
Glad to see that other people picked out Words as a highlight. I've always liked the couplet
Living in castles, a bit at a time
The king started laughing and talking in rhymes
but it's not a song I was waiting to hear. On Tuesday I could feel my hair (what's left of it!) standing on end as everything came together during that number. Maybe that's the yardstick - it's the moment when you let go of all the stuff in your head that's worrying about the past or the future, and really relax into the present, appreciate the music. This was easier to do in my youth when I was more drunk or stoned, but I was fairly sober this week. As Cinnamon Girl followed and Neil ended it by eliciting applause from all sections of the crowd, I knew everything was all right.
Had I not been such a fan, I might have got annoyed by the number of extended endings (crowd starts to applaud, Neil turns his back on them and riffs with band for a minute or two), but maybe this was all part of the plan. The phrase that came to me during the concert was 'force of nature', and a presenter of tonight's meagre Glastonbury coverage also used that phrase along with the word 'shamanic'. Certainly by the end of the Nottingham concert, he had the crowd in the palm of his hand and got them swaying left and right while enduring/enjoying loads of fake endings and extra choruses of Rockin' in the free world.
Since I'd not seen him perform Day in the life before, I found it a perfectly acceptable encore. Was there a message in the strings peeling off the guitar? Like "I'd love to turn you on, and I've done all I can. I can't sing for you forever"? I wouldn't have minded another hour or two of someone even older than me leaping about on stage (where does he get that energy from?), and I'm sure he had another hundred songs or so good enough to offer us, but even a force of nature can only do so much. I was well pleased.
Enjoy! Thanks to the original recorder from Dimeadozen.
http://rapidshare.com/files/249215680/Neil_Young_-_Nottingham_23-06-09.rar.html
I keep looking all over for the name of the support at Nottingham and I come up with nothing; Can anybody help me with their name?
Thanks a lot!
Shavit
Just simply fantastic! 3rd Neil show in 12th months and in my home town ... got home within 20 mins of end, but could not sleep for hours ... RITFW was worth the admission on it's own ... I'm seriously thinking that that's it for me and live music now, because nothing will match this ...
Shavit - it was Laura Marling in the support slot - she is a fantastic song writer and deserves a good listen. She was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize for her debut album last year and it is brilliant. We've seen her play 4 times this last year - always great. Her songs are so - I'm looking for a word here - deep and intricate, mature beyond her years....
See for yourself:
http://lauramarling.com/
Enjoy
John
I got a good set of photos from the Nottingham gig.
See: http://www.flickr.com/photos/padmakara/sets/72157620597007916/
Excellent in Nottingham. Hey Hey and Pochantos were heavy heavy, Cinnamon girl breezy, RITFW was the crowd stopper - though he saved his barack "yes we can" till Glastonbury I notice, Old Man was perhaps the best of the accoustic numbers. Stuck in the car park afterwards some one opened their car door and blasted out love and only love ( by the way was this line borrowed from a dylan song?) from Weld. This man is rock music full stop! Macca was right to genefluct in appreciation!
Dear John ,
T h a n k s !!!!!
Shavit
Dear John ,
Wanted to thank again for Laura Marling - got her discyesterday!
Thanks !!
Shavit - just uploading one vid of Laura Marling at Nottingham to YouTube for you...
John
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