Neil Young Concert Reviews - Seattle, Washington, July 20, 2010
Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Washington
Photo by Renee McMahon
From Neil Young Stares Old Age In the Face, Last Night at The Paramount - Seattle Music - Reverb by Brian J Barr:
But for me, 'Hitchhiker' was the moment I kept returning to. There is a bone-chilling element in that song that I can't quite put my finger on, one that was ever-present throughout his entire performance. The song burned with that raging defiance present in all of his best work. But since the song (on its surface) is little more than a look back on his life, well, why all the rage? 'Hitchhiker', like the rest of the show seemed to be about staring old age in the face. Gone is the comfortable middle-aged nostalgia of Harvest Moon and Silver & Gold. Fuck that. These days, friends and relatives are dead or dying off, grandchildren are being born, Neil will be 65 this November. And after all these years, humans are still capable of such waste and beauty. Life is weird, even weirder with age, and Neil--thank God--is still here to sing about it.
Neil Young will be performing tonight at the Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Washington, USA. Special guest Bert Jansch will open concert.
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by thrasher@PermaLink: 7/20/2010 11:49:00 PM
38 comments
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38 Comments:
Neil Young's voice in the fifth decade of his remarkable career is better than ever. His singing on "Tell Me Why" the second song of his Seattle concert was as affecting as anything he has ever done. The virtuosity of his voice was equalled by the stunning sonic power of his electric treatments of "Down By The River" and "Cortez the Killer." It was a special night by one of rock music's greatest artists.
What an exceptional concert. What an extraordinary man. Thank you, Neil. Please be well.
great concert but the crowd was pretty lame. lots of shouting in the middle of songs, seemed to throw neil off a couple of times. he almost stopped "you never call" after all the people laughed at his lyrics. i'm surprised that we got an extra encore song.
saw eddie vedder eating at the dragonfish cafe before the show, then spotted him in the second row of the pit, way off to the left. he gave neil a standing o for "rumblin'".
Jonathon Demme was also in attendence.Yes, Eddie Vedder dancing to Cinnamon Girl was worth admission.Fleet Foxes in attendance.Crowd was rude but eventually settled down a bit.Neil of course sets a new standard each night he plays.
Awesome Awesome show!! I don't believe the "crowd" was very lame, but there were a few that were obnoxious and some were escorted out. However, it is hard to sit and not want to scream your head off at the legend who can play like no other!! Ohio gave me chills, the new songs were awesome .... I could go on and on. Please come back soon, Neil!
I agree with the previous poster. As soon as I saw Eddie Vedder stand up to Cinnamon Girl ... that was my cue that it was finally okay to get up and rock out!!
Curious, is Neil using a backing track on some of the songs? Reason I ask is there's a whole lotta sound coming out of those amps...
Anonymous said...
great concert but the crowd was pretty lame. lots of shouting in the middle of songs, seemed to throw neil off a couple of times. he almost stopped "you never call" after all the people laughed at his lyrics. i'm surprised that we got an extra encore song.
I have a few recordings of NY gigs in Seattle, the crowd is always like this it seems, not good during acoustic songs, it's disrespectful of both artist and other attendees.
Cyril
yeah i was commenting to my wife on the way out about how seattle folks think they're so goddamn cool, but portland crowds are SO much better. a lot of seattle folks are just so fucking full of themselves.
at least i was in the second row so most of the noise was behind me. still sucked though.
went to the concert in Seattle last night.. sorry but it was a snoozer...his songs were short and he did not play the more famous songs, (might not have the rights) very slow concert.. had a hard time staying awake.. and his opening act all the songs sounded the same. Where as he plays a mean guitar, it was stil boring.... we walked out disapointed. He still has the voice, but as he waled.. the concert was just as slow.. not worth the 86.00.. where can I get a refund???
There is so much ignorance with the Anonymous posting at 1:15 that I'll just move on here. "Might not have the rights"? I'll send you the $86 to never go see Neil again and to never visit this website again.
Jonathan, I'll see your bid and raise it another $14. That makes it an even $100.... In fact, I think we could get a great fundraiser going here, with all monies going to The Bridge School.
Great idea Mr. Henry!! Now how would we verify that the conditions of his refund are being met?? :)
Sorry, meant to add that all monies after the ticket price refund and associated costs would then be donated. Kind of like Mark Twain's story about the bag of flour that keeps getting repurchased at ever higher auction prices, with all $$ going to Civil War veterans.
All kidding aside, the poster does have the right to not enjoy the show...but I'm sure there are a lot of us out there who would have been thrilled to trade places! And everyone should donate to The Bridge School if they can do so and are so inclined.
Hey anon 1:15, You can come to my place for the 86.00. It will also come with 86 kicks in the ass.
mr. henry'jonathan you guys rock`````g
Portland was raw physical, but Seattle was sublime sound. Neil seemed to be fighting a cold both nights. It affected his voice for the first few songs last night and he had a couple of bobs where he stifled a cough or something. I don't know how he made it through, actually. But by the end of Helpless, he was cruising. Sweet, sweet sound throughout after that, both from his instruments and his voice.
I was at a different concert from several of the other posters. Jansch was most, most excellent. I guess his songs might sound the same the way people from a given ethnic group can all look the same to someone undiscerning. I actually thought the Portland people were more full of themselves. Seattle got the better show. It was more controlled. Helpless was sublime. Peaceful Valley was transportive. Love and War was great.
Cortez was nearly unrecognizable but for the words. He was creating onstage and it was very cool to hear. Came up with a very cool new rhythm by the end of the song.
He was encouraging people to laugh in You Never Call. He just seemed to have a senior moment, but recovered nicely. From where I was in the center hall, the crowd was fine. A couple drunken outbursts, but no big deal.
Neil's voice warmed up was sweet as honey. I Believe in You was exquisite. Sign of Love was just fantastic. Heck he even persuaded me to like Leia.
Most, most excellent concert. Seattle got lucky. I'll have to think about whether it surpassed the 99 Seattle solo show. Distant Camera, Slowpoke, Looking Forward, Without Rings, Red Sun, Out of Control, Good to See You were all so superb to hear new. He's earlier in the process on this album, so not so many new ones yet. But judging from last night I think he's coming to a rolling boil. You could feel creation emanating from him, like you do in the forest.
Sure hope 1:15 didn't get the Tickets I finally had to give up due to the Pre-Sale Debacle. Having to get things done before I could finally get Tickets, I lost out on the Show...sadly!! Here's to that Twisted Road taking a twist my way before years end as I've heard from a "very" reliable source. LIVE RUST
Is it true that johnathan is doc in disguise?
Great great show,neils performance and voice was amazing.I actually thoght the crowd was good and into it respectful with very few song requests.I like how he took us on a twisted road of life weaving from slow soft n thoughtful to fast and ragged intermixing the songs perfectly such an emotional ride that only Neil can take us on.I never want it to end.Thank you Neil for the ride troughout my life long may you run!!
what am *I* missing that people are chuckling thru YOU NEVER CALL? But IMHO the line "he brain to brained me" is hard to listen to...emotionally as real as it gets, poetically clumsy...what's this talk about "backing tracks" ?
asg
Uh...no I'm not doc Toolbag. I actually try to comment with a purposeful thought behind my words.
Thanks, Zuma!!
You Never Call isn't that hard to understand. It simply contains more than one emotion, as does Neil, as do we all. He wants us to chuckle at the Red Wings, In and Out Burgers and back pain lines, but by the end of the song, he's very poignant. It's okay to laugh and be very sad in the same song, like a good Irish wake.
"You like to party with the lights on,
Come on, I like the dark.
You always want to hear the same old songs,
Come on, play the new song!"
--Sleater Kinney
You're No Rock and Roll Fun
Muchos Gracias, Senor Zuma!!
thank jon'henry cool neil fans
backing tracks . . . hyeah as if . . . no offense . . . ain't all that sound just grand . . . sound does matter
old sound man
@ anon 5:29 excellent analogy of the irish wake to that song ..something sad in our lives happen but yet the best thing to do is laugh..all the things L.A loved in and out fries,sharks hockey,his children and ben young..great seeing eddie vedder dancing to cinnamon girl
pardon the off topic note.... just thought this was cool.... Neil and Bob.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3enGDIYapkw
Hey just a question for all those that went to the show: what time did Neil hit the stage? I will be late for the show in Calgary and I need to know when I MUST be there. Thanks!
I'd want to be in my seat by 9pm absolute latest for an 8pm start time
Bert came on exactly at 8 pm not sure what time neil hit the stage
neil hit the stage around 9:15 and played until 11:00. i'd definitely be in my seat at 9 just to be sure...
yeah i guess maybe i'm too harsh on the crowd but i expect a lot from people. i expect them to let neil sing the damn song and stfu already! but last night was sublime and something i'll never forget. cortez was just unbelievable...so weird and so good.
Sounds good. Thanks again
I hope he plays Old Man in Milwaukee too. Dad is taking me to my first Neil Young concert. I wish Mom could go to but shes been sick since I was two. I start fourth grade in August. I can't wait for next Friday. Zach
The Seattle concert was wonderful. We sat close to the stage and loved watching Neil move from instrument to instrument. I like watching him just silently walk about, almost as much as watching him rip on the guitar!
You Never Call almost had me in tears, thinking of LA Johnson of course. The bottom line on Neil Young is he's brilliant, feels deeply, lives deeply. He is his own man, and what a privilege to see such a free soul on stage.
Thank you, Neil. Please come back through Seattle again. God Bless.
I read so many comments about what a particular song, or verse, is about. It is supposed to be sad, it is supposed to be funny, it's about this Ben, it's about that Ben, etc.
Why the need to label or put in a category and make it completely understandable? That makes it so one dimensional, so decided. Besides, how do any of us KNOW what he meant??
I really don't think any one person is right or that any one person is wrong. It's just not a winable argument.
It is the complexity that keeps us interested. it is his music that challenges us to feel and open our minds.
I love this site and I love Neil!
Sandy Horne
OK Mr. Young, Tuesday in Seattle makes it three trips now of my coming down from Alaska to see you. That's killing my fun budget. It's your turn to come north for a change.
G Tirebiter
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