The Agony & The Ecstasy: Neil Young in Concert

Not surprisingly and right on cue, as Neil Young's 2nd tour leg gets underway, out come the believers -- and doubters. The agony & the ecstasy.

Even Archives Guy was motivated to respond to the criticisms. And so it goes. Over and over, my love.

Which brings us to our latest Neil Young concert review of the moment on the Neil Young @ Oakland, CA , July 11, 12 & 14, 2010 by Mr Henry:

Wow...really loving these comments from Brian and Archives Guy. Kind of like the James Boswell and Samuel Johnson of rock and roll. Keep up the good work guys!

'Hey folks, this is what Neil Young does'...exactly. The man is his own person, and let the world be the world. Complain about this and that if you want to...but that's just creating a lot of noise and distortion (and not in a good way).

'...like an opera to Neil....'. Yes, that's what is going on, or maybe a song cycle. Why else would the set list be so consistent? And look at the flow: now and eternity; love and war; hope and despair. As I elaborated on in an earlier comment, more than anything Twisted Road reminds me of Laurie Anderson's tour and album for Strange Angels in the late 80's (Neil = Performance Artist Extraordinaire).

'...Neil's new sound and sonic tones are mind blowing'. That's the best part...I could just listen to him tuning up, improvising and playing random music...it would still be incredible. Add in a set that's half classic songs and half new (and superb) songs and it's way, way beyond that.

Bottom Line: this tour is some totally unique and amazing shit, even for Neil. Instead of pining for the 'snows of yesteryear' and some fantasy performance of your personal favorites, take a deep breath, clear your mind and go ride the music.

One more thing. I keep seeing all these comments from 'fans' about how they somehow survived Neil's music during the 80's and (OMG!) even liked some of it. I've always loved his stuff from then as much as all his other music. To quickly synopsize, we had Hawks & Doves, Reactor, Trans, Old Ways, Landing on Water, Life, This Note's for You, and Freedom. I saw Neil four times during the 80's, twice with the Horse, and all of those shows were incredible. Oh, and also the epic Saturday Night Live when he first did RITFR. Then he came out of that decade with Ragged Glory and the Smell the Horse tour. Yeah, I'm glad that you all managed to make it through that...congratulations!

Anyway, it's late and the reviews should be coming in for the Davis show. Really looking forward to reading Brian's update on that show.

...
[In reply to Louis, who fails to see the theme in the setlist]

You really don't see a theme running through this?

"...getting a little old and a little lazy and his need for perfection has limited the songs he has at ready to play"?! "ex post rationalization"?! WTF...Neil is sounding even better, playing solo, small theaters, travelling North America in his bus, many great new songs, acoustic, electric, amplified, piano.... Wouldn't "old and a little lazy" mean bigger venues with a band playing a set of nothing but hits? Yeah, of course I'd be there also and would appreciate that as well...but that's not what he's doing right now. The sailor wants to be a farmer and the farmer wants to go to sea.

I've seen Neil a couple dozen times and (to me) there's never been lower than a B+ for any show. This tour (again, to me) is an A+. That doesn't mean it's perfect, but he is circling the area. Certain performers are like that--you can see them again and again, and every time is really good and many times are incredible. In my case, Muddy Waters, Sonic Youth, Miles Davis and Alejandro Escovedo are some examples of this (i.e. multiple shows and all were great). With other performers who I also love to listen to, some shows have been beyond belief and others really bad. But not with Neil.

Granted that I've only seen one show in the tour (Hanover Theatre) and am basing my opinions on this, along with many of the comments and reviews from other shows. I would, however, have happily seen more shows and would have been expecting to hear the same set list at those also, since that's what he is doing right now. I have seen Neil back-to-back during other tours; sometimes he played mostly the same set while other times they were completely different.

So of course I respect the opinions of all others, especially those who are true long time fans of Neil Young but who just don't really like this so much. Using the old "steaming pile of crap" cliche is a little bit much, but I'm sure I push some people's buttons with my style as well, so I'll even take that in the spirit of debate. My feeling is that Neil is in a kind of transition now and is climbing the mountain again, heading for another vantage point and providing some guide posts along the way. Again, just my opinion about what I like.

'True mind is watching mind'
Suzuki Roshi

Thanks Mr Henry! Great overview.

More on Neil Young @ Oakland, CA , July 11, 12 & 14, 2010 and Neil Young's "Twisted Road" Concert Tour Reviews.

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Neil Young Concert Reviews - Davis, CA , July 15, 2010

Neil Young at Mondavi Center
Photo Gallery by Kyle Grantham | kgrantham@sacbee.com

From Sacramento Bee: Concert review: Neil Young captivates, and barely acknowledges, Davis audience by Carla Meyer:

Neil Young's harmonica on his opening number "My My, Hey Hey" sounded so rich and so perfectly suited to the Mondavi Center's acoustics that it brought tears to one's eyes.

Young matched this transportive moment on two other occasions during a solo show Thursday night: When he played organ and harmonica on "After the Gold Rush" and when he performed "Cortez the Killer," which is basically one long, gorgeous guitar solo.

Three once-in-a-lifetime moments during a 100-minute set helped compensate for Young's lack of acknowledgment of the audience.

...

Young did not hit every note during his performance of "Cinnamon Girl" Thursday night. But he didn't hit every note when he recorded the song.

What he captured, on both occasions, was an intensity of feeling. Young's ability to impart raw emotion has only improved with the years. The world-weariness of his voice now seems haunting rather than prescient.

NEIL YOUNG "MY MY, HEY HEY (OUT OF THE BLUE)" 7.15.10

Thanks BecauseSoundMatters!

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Neil Young will be performing tonight at the Mondavi Center, Davis, California. Special guest Bert Jansch will open concert.

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

Check Sugar Mountain for setlist updates. Also, see Song Grid Chart.

Also, see Neil Young's "Twisted Road" Concert Tour Reviews and the right, middle sidebar for continuous real time RSS feed updates.

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Concert Review of the Moment: Neil Young @ Oakland, CA , July 11, 12 & 14, 2010

"Wow, didn't realize how effected I'd be by seeing Neil Young solo last night ... It was truly epic, and I don't even like that word!"
Twitter / Emilie G.

Well, the 2nd leg of Neil Young's "Twisted Road" Concert Tour has commenced and -- usual -- fans are... well... passionate.

The Neil Young Concert Review of the Moment is actual some choice posting from the thread Oakland, CA , July 11, 12 & 14, 2010. From Archives Guy -- reacting to the reaction:

reading these comments, I have to pick out a few key elements.

"This tour is much focalized on the new songs. "
* Hey folks, this is what Neil Young does and has been doing for years. When there are new songs, they get recorded and then played in concert. They are what is current and fresh. If you want to get an "oldies/ greatest hits" act go hear the freakin' Eagles or some other act that won't play anything new....'cause THAT never works.

"Exactly. Neil ain't the Grateful Dead playing before the same audience night after night."
* well put and a bulls eye observation.

"The Twisted Road Tour is like an opera to Neil."
* another superb evaluation. As it has been said, 'it's all one song'. This is a song cycle that fits together and not just a random grouping of songs.

A note from me- the name TRT that folks are giving to the tour in our business stands for Total Running Time. Kinda funny considering some of the comments.

I also think that Neil's new sound and sonic tones are mind blowing.

Enjoy the music and listen to some vinyl today.
-Archives Guy

To which Brian responded:

God bless Archives Guy.

After scrolling through and reading most of the comments posted here, I was a bit thrown off. AG's voice is about the only one ringing true because he does actually know the man. And that man, Neil Young playing SOLO, is passing through my town, Davis CA, tomorrow. That in and of itself is a minor miracle. We get some world class acts here, of course, with the Mondavi Center acting as a magnet. And we used to have the Palms Playhouse in an old barn (long live the Barn!) south of town before development forced it to Winters, CA. Those who know of it, know the priceless artists who graced it during its ragged glory years.

Seeing Neil solo there back in the day would have been like dying and going to hog heaven. It was in a BARN for chrissakes and you could see just feet away the musicians working up a lather while the wooden walls vibrated and the roof almost got blown off. It would have been perfect for Neil with or without Crazy Horse circa Fillmore East. I'm sure he would have gladly signed his name on the backstage walls along with the likes of Junior Wells, Richard Thompson, and Alejandro Escovedo just to drop a few names.

But I digress... Neil and his muse circa 2010 is coming here tomorrow night. And I don't really give a rat's ass about his setlist (I'm sorry I even read about it), ticket prices, or if he's suddenly decided to play all Beach Boy covers. Whatever drives him and his muse, I'll witness it and be thankful. He could play one song (it IS all one song after all) on Old Black and it would be a blessing. Like every fan, I have my biases and preferences. I cut my teeth on Time Fades Away as a teenage kid and lived and breathed every Crazy Horse release. I even found something to like in the 80s, a tough decade to like much of anything. That killer crunch buried in that Sample and Hold riff helped me keep the faith even as the rest was washed in vocorder (Sylvia!) and sweet longing to communicate with his son. "So many things still left to do / But we haven't made it yet." (Transformer Man)

My loving rant is about over. I know that I've just added to the endless stream of words that will be vapor trails in the Thrasher's Wheat blog background once Neil picks up Old Black and crunches away at the walls of the state-of-the-art Mondavi Center. It ain't the old Barn, and I won't hear Crazy Horse clomping away, but it'll be Neil in the present. That, my Rustie friends and acquaintances, is a gift unlike any other. I can't wait...Peace and love. Brian from Davis, CA.

p.s. I'm putting on my vinyl copy of Time Fades Away and turning it up to 10 to prime the pump before the show. I might even report back with a setlist. LMAO....

To which Archives Guy replied:

While blog discussion, banter and point-counterpoint is entertaining and interactive, I must say that you "get it" in regard to this current tour.

I attended my first show last night and was very impressed...and that takes a lot for that kind of reaction from me.

Have a fantastic time tonight at the show.
The Mondavi Center will be rumblin' for sure.

-Archives Guy

ps: maybe don't be one of those guys who keeps yelling out " I Love you Neil!!".
Davis is just far enough away from San Francisco to make that pronouncement a bit awkward. :-)

Thanks Brian & AG! Enjoy the show & let us know what you thought!
Fox Theatre, Oakland, CA | TweetPhoto

More on Neil Young's "Twisted Road" Concert Tour Reviews.

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Joni Mitchell, The Band and Neil Young Tribute in Long Beach This Saturday

Tribute to the Music of the Canyons

Tribute to the Music of the Canyons is a Joni Mitchell, The Band and Neil Young Tribute in Long Beach, CA This Saturday.

From Orange County Music:

At Summer And Music (SAM) 2010's collaborative showcase, Church of Rock & Roll, Long Beach musicians will pay tribute to California sound of the Los Angeles canyons from the 1970s by playing the music of Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, The Band, Jackson Browne and The Byrds.

SAM co-founder Rand Foster (the owner of Fingerprints Records) says the whole idea was inspired by a moment from last year's street performer event, BuskerFest. That was when the Pawnshop Kings--who only had a 20-minute set--asked other musicians to share the stage for a rendition of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released." "It was so generous," Rand says, "and we wanted that to be part of this year's event."
Foster added that the music of the LA canyons in the 1970s had a sense of community that's mirrored in Long Beach today. "I can see its spirit in the music that's made by a lot of the artists working in Long Beach today. It seemed that it would be an easy songbook to pick songs they love [from]. We kicked around a couple of ideas for next year--we joked about a glam set, seems like a more forced fit. But if you have Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell songs, that's really easy--many artists tap into the music from that place and time."

Artists performing include Brett Bixby, Marika Dahlin, Pete Marchica, Scott & Joel Owen (Pawnshop Kings), Micah Panzich (of Paper Planes), Keith Slettedahl (of The 88) and more. Mitchell Townsend, the guitarist for the Church of Rock & Roll's house band (and also Matt Costa, The 88 and The Watson Twins' guitarist), said that when Foster called him and asked him to put a backing band for the set together, he couldn't say no.

"Tons of the music from that period was a huge influence on me," he says. "So many of those people were writing such incredible music in that period...You had Crosby Stills Nash and Young doing shit like the Deja Vu album, the first three Jackson Browne records...all of the Neil Young and Joni Mitchell stuff."

It doesn't hurt that Foster is responsible for the event. "Rand is also just a good guy and Fingerprints is a great store," he adds."It's a local guy who loves music, trying to put together a fun evening of music for the people who live in his town... I don't live in Long Beach personally, but I have eaten about 439 Potholder breakfast burritos in my day if that counts for anything," he says.

The Church of Rock & Roll will be held on Saturday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., on a solar-powered stage in the East Village Arts District near the intersection of 1st & Elm. It's free and all ages.

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Neil Young Concert Reviews - Oakland, CA , July 11, 12 & 14, 2010

Neil Young - July 14, 2010, @The Fox Theater
Photo gallery by Gretchen Robinette

And the rave tweets continue to flood into TW....


"Wow, didn't realize how effected I'd be by seeing Neil Young solo last night ... It was truly epic, and I don't even like that word!"
Twitter / Emilie G.


Neil Young "Cinnamon Girl" - Live from Fox Theater at Fox Theater, Oakland CA on 7/11/2010

Setlist:

1. My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue) (acoustic guitar)
2. Tell Me Why (acoustic guitar)
3. Helpless (acoustic guitar)
4. You Never Call (acoustic guitar w/ pickup)
5. Peaceful Valley (acoustic guitar w/ pickup)
6. Love And War (acoustic guitar w/ pickup)
7. Down By The River (electric guitar - Old Black)
8. Hitchhiker (electric guitar - Old Black)
9. Ohio (electric guitar - white falcon)
10. Sign Of Love (electric guitar - white falcon)
11. Leia (piano)
12. After The Gold Rush (pump organ)
13. I Believe In You (piano)
14. Rumblin' (electric guitar – white falcon)
15. Cortez The Killer (electric guitar - Old Black)
16. Cinnamon Girl (electric guitar - Old Black)
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17. Walk With Me (electric guitar - white falcon)

Thanks Sugar Mountain for the setlist!

More YouTube videos on
http://purplewordsonagreybackground.blogspot.com/.

From San Jose Mercury News: "Review: Neil Young performs short, but sweet set at Fox" By Jim Harrington:

There might not be another rocker in the game that can deliver a more thrilling solo show than Neil Young.

He can just sit on a stool with an acoustic guitar in his hands and unleash one mesmerizing song after another. Then he'll move over to the piano or the organ—or, perhaps, grab an electric guitar—and the whole process repeats. His lyrics, so thoughtfully poetic and imaginatively accessible, tug at the heart and stimulate the brain with equal force.

Some of his selections, of course, are more effective than others, but nothing in his song book is without some kind of merit.

Indeed, there were moments of pure brilliance during his concert on Sunday—the first of three nights at the Fox Theater in Oakland. (Young will also perform Monday and Wednesday at the Fox, as well as Thursday at UC Davis.) That said, however, the capacity crowd was a bit shortchanged by the 64-year-old rocker.

Fox Theatre, Oakland, CA | TweetPhoto

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The 2nd Leg of Neil Young's Twisted Road Tour Opens Tonight!

Neil Young will be performing tonight at the Fox Theater, Oakland, CA. Special guest Bert Jansch will open concert.

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

Check Sugar Mountain for setlist updates. Also, see Song Grid Chart.

Also, see Neil Young's "Twisted Road" Concert Tour Reviews and the right, middle sidebar for continuous real time RSS feed updates.

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