Concert Reviews of Neil Young: Cincinnati, OH, May 3, 2011
A rather weird review from Cincinnati.com | Neil Young: Rockin' in a weird world by Chris Varias. It appears that Varias was caught off guard by Young's off beat setlist. Odd? Apparently just another lazy music critic that didn't do his homework.
Here's a comment in response to Chris Varias' weird review from GeoCorneliussen:
A long time ago, Neil Young announced to the world and his fans that he was not here to be a human jukebox. Young has held one constant throughout his entire career ( a career that started in the 1960's) . He has always said upfront that the music comes first and if there's any success to be had from it, that will have to come second. Only hardcore Neil Young fans know that he quit the band Buffalo Springfield on the verge of their greatest success because he thought the band had compromised it's musical goals.
Neil Young fans are never surprised when Young does something unexpected, on the contrary, they would be disappointed if he didn't.
From Neil Young Sings About ‘Love And War,’ In The Shadow Of Bin Laden Killing » MTV Newsroom by Gil Kaufman:
I know better than to expect Neil Young to respond to the day's news with self-important stage patter. As long as he keeps singing about love and war, though, that's enough for me.
Neil Young will be performing tonight at Aronoff Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. Special guest Bert Jansch will open concert.
Got a report? Drop a comment below.
Check Sugar Mountain for setlist updates and Chronological Grid, Recording Summary, Statistics and Extras.
Also, see Neil Young's "Twisted Road" Concert Tour Reviews and the right, middle sidebar for continuous real time RSS feed updates.
by thrasher@PermaLink: 5/03/2011 10:46:00 PM
48 comments
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I feel the rumblin' in her ground.
I feel the rumblin'. I feel the rumblin' in her ground. I feel the rumblin'. When Will I learn how to listen? When will I learn how to feel? When will I learn how to give back? When will I learn how to give back? When will I learn how to heal? I can feel the weather changing. I can see it all around. Can't you feel that new wind blowing? Don't you recognize that sound that sound? And the earth is slowly spinning, spinning slowly, slowly changing.
When we go for a little walk,
Out on the land,
When we're just walkin' and holdin' hands,
You can take it as a sign of love,
When the winds of fate,
Keep blowin' and we both understand,
Sign of love
It's a sign of love
Sign of love
Sign of love
When we both have silver hair,
And a little less time,
But there still are roses on the vine,
You can take it as a sign of love,
When I look at you,
When I'm lookin' at you for a long, long time
It's a sign of love,
A sign of love,
Sign of love,
Sign of love
When I first saw you,
You were just a girl,
And I was a man,
While the music played,
I watched you dance,
Sign of love
It was a sign of love
Sign of love
Sign of love
Sign of love
Everyone in Cincytown is too drunk to write so I guess I'll write something about the concert tonight.
It was a Sign of Love that Neil showed up and I also felt the Rumblin' from underneath.
Neil had to crank up the volume to tune out the drunks in the audience. They wouldn't even let him speak for chrissakes -- they kept interrupting him.
He did add some lyrics to "Hitchhiker" asking for forgiveness for cheating on his wife. (I hope she forgave him because he really poured out his heart in that one...)
And this is for Neil:
That one chick who kept yelling "I love you, Neil" while you were singing is the same chick who cawed during Nash & Crosby's show at Belterra so don't feel special.
Was the shit so bad you had to put your boots on?
Wow....great show and performance. Seeing Neil playing solo is my first preference. Second preference would be to see him with Crazy Horse. I was about four rows in front of the lady who kept yelling "Thanks Neil". in between a resting pause during each song (annoying and disrespectful to Neil and those who were intent on listening). Fortunately the set list got louder and louder and she was eventually drowned out with Ol' Black and the White Falcon with luscious reverb and roaring feedack. Then the police escorted someone out two rows behind us for who knows what. Strange behavior from Orchestra Pit Right. Not exactly what I expected at the Aranoff.
Despite all of this, it was an incredible performance. All songs really stood out. Three songs in particular sent the chills down my spine. Love and War, I Believe in You, and Cortez the Killer. Each song was delivered with passion and perfection. On his encore, Walk with Me, the reverb was a bit much, but nonetheless a perfect song to end the show with. Now I will sign off by echoing the lady 4 rows behind me by saying, "Thank you Neil", for a memorable evening.
There was a new song about halfway through the show about Ben. "You're in heaven...I'm at work"? Was that a song written for Ben Keith who passed last year?
Enjoyed that and the new song Leia...Hopefully someone uploaded that to Youtube.
Not that memorable of a night. Way, way too much of Neil's good stuff left untouched, while he devoted way, way too much time to the new wall-of-sound material. Not a single song from *Harvest* or *Harvest Moon*! For the only encore to consist of the rather forgettable "Walk with Me" was a particular downer. And is it just coincidence that Neil didn't play a single song found on his "Heart of Gold" DVD? I expected much more.
Dear Anonymous,
"You Never Call" came out soon after "LA" Larry Johnson passed away in January, 2010. The "Ben" in that song is Neil's 32 year old son who palled around with Larry.
Neil tried dedicating "Leia" to all the little people, "the really little, little people," but all the drunks kept interrupting him. That was really embarrassing.
It was like a wall of inebriation rising up from the audience crashing -- reverberating --onto the stage during the most innappropriate times competing with Neil's music.
But Neil had his final say, didn't he? Either he derives great pleasure in that sea of inebriation or he is damn good at fake'n' it because I did see him crack a huge smile a few times.
It was like the chesire cat smile but it was Neil -- redeemed, transformed, delivered, and heading out for his next show.
Thanks Mother Nature for the reports.
Sorry Cincinnati had so many folks who didn't realize it was a solo acoustic show.
We feel real lucky to have seen the Baltimore shows where there was a lot of respect for the craftsmanship from the audience.
I do want to respond to the comment: "Way, way too much of Neil's good stuff left untouched, while he devoted way, way too much time to the new wall-of-sound material."
I've learned a lot from Thrasher's Wheat and the thoughtful people who take the time to share their real love, respect, appreciation, devotion to Neil's sound of music.
Just yesterday, an anonymous wrote that "every old song was a new song at some point." Is our perspective of time so messed up that we can't appreciate what Neil is doing today?
Just an afterthought here: I was amused by the one Tobias-like character from "Arrested Development" in the front row who rushed the stage jumping up and down (probably peeing in his "nevernude" cutoffs from excitement) after recognizing the intro to Cinnamon Girl. It was unfortunate he waited so long to hear this song live. I don't think he was drunk, either.
T- he said solo, you said acoustic. Doh!
These recent reviews echo very similarly to last years reviews on the other legs of the tour. The uninformed are dissapointed because it is not Neil Young and the Greatest Hits Band(GHB).
Any non-GHB performs songs off their most recent output, so this in not different. Neil Young's an IS NOW, not a HAS BEEN.
And always will be.
Mother Nature on the Run (responding to my earlier remarks) wrote, "Is our perspective of time so messed up that we can't appreciate what Neil is doing today?"
This misses the nub of the problem. I don't object to the new stuff because it's new, or because it's different, but because it's not very good. I genuinely tried to like it, but I just couldn't. To me, it's just (le) noise.
SONY,
You're missing the problem, at least as it sets with me. I don't care whether Neil's set reflects his greatest hits. I only care whether it reflects good material.
I'd have been the most appreciative one there if he'd played "A Man Needs a Maid", "Mellow My Mind", "Ambulance Blues", "Pocahontas", "Powderfinger", "Horseshoe Man", etc. If he'd done some of that sort of stuff, I could easily overlook the absence of the radio fare. He can be an "IS NOW", as you say, but I have the right to complain if I pay to hear an "IS NOW" who doesn't compare to the "HAS BEEN".
LOL, Thrasher! I think Bert jinxed the audience with a very nice compliment before he finished his set with "Poison." He didn't do "Angie" but I was just so happy to hear him play -- and I think the people in the audience were quite smitten with him. The lady next to me, a big Neil Young fan, didn't know who he was so I gave her the Wikiversion after the show. She was enthralled. Ran out to get his CD.
Honestly, I knew I was heading into foul weather when at 7:55 the lobby was jam packed with people unaware of the maestro waiting in the wings. But those thunderheads never scare me, Thrasher, because there is a silver lining in every Neil song.
My mother took me to my first Neil show at the Gardens in 91' and Blowin' In The Wind put a tear in my eye. Last night I think I saw a tear in my 10 yr. old son's eye during Cortez The Killer. After the show, he called his Grandma and told her it was the best day of his life. She laughed and said that was the same thing your dad said in 91'.
Overall, I don't think the crowd was that bad, but I wasn't sitting directly next to any yellers. Most of the yells and hollers came at appropriate times. In fact there were many songs where you could hear a pin drop, especially during I Believe in You. However, the "Thank you, Neil" lady was pretty annoying, and the interruptions during the intro to Leia made me mad. Just let him talk. Could the crowd have been better? Yeah. But it could have been A LOT worse. I was surprised when Bert J. made the comment about how quiet the audience was because I kind of thought they were a bit chatty. So it makes me think they have encountered worse on this tour.
Anon -
I went to the 2nd show last year prior to the album coming out. Never heard any of it before. It was new, but,it was good. Even if unfamiliar. It was delivered. It shook me and everybody in the place as I figure it did last night too. Peacefull Valley Blvd was an acid trip in and of itself with the spanish guitar riffs, Love and War cut clean thru. OHIO (r.i.p. 41 yrs later) was the best I'd ever heard it.
The new album has been out for quite some time. An artistic accomplishment itself too with the videos of the actual recordings and the free Utube presentation.
You definatley have every right to air your complaint that it wasn't what you would have preferred or hoped or thought it would be. But was it that he wasn't as good as before? the songs are not good material?or was it that it was not yet familiar and part of your Neil experience that made it fall short?
Anyhow, I hope you had fun.
I drove three hours to the show. It was my sixth-- I've seen him with the MG's, the Horse, the Harvest Moon tour, CSNY. I enjoyed this show more than the Harvest Moon show. Heavier. The directions he's been going with the solo electric lately have been fun. Took my five year old son and he loved it from the tenth row. I just wish everyone would have shut up. When Neil was introducing the song to the "little people" he said something like "their momma wouldn't let them come tonight because she knew there would be too many loud, scary people there." Cracked me up, and hit the nail on the head. But the main offenders didn't get the joke, of course. Whenever "Thank you NEIL!" lady would shout, he would bow his head down and shake it side to side. People can be so clueless.
@Anonymous 9:22,
There's an ocean of difference flowing from the music that Neil created in LaNoise than the studio manufactured Spector's "Wall of Sound."
Neil's sound in LaNoise flows from his guitar like an uninterrupted stream of musical consciousness -- the pickup, output, the reverb. Haven't you noticed he's been experimenting with Cortez over the years and finally perfected it with the songs in LaNoise?
Spector's "Wall of Sound" was manufactured by a room full of musicians playing at volumes that were louder than what people were use to for the time.
While I can empathize a "loss" not hearing your favorite songs, I can't understand how anyone sitting in the Aronoff last night was not totally swept off their feet by this new electric syncopation of sound, emotion, and melody. The acoustics in that hall are perfect. There is no bad seat.
I was stunned. I was in awe the entire night listening and hoping it would never stop. Didn't you hear the perfectly executed melody in "Sign of Love?" Didn't you feel it again in "Rumblin?"
Watching him perform the songs from LaNoise on the stage last night brought it all home for me. It was like hearing that "crack" right before we know it's a homerun. The "smack" of the hockey stick to the puck.
The only difference is that Neil strings "the noise" together in LaNoise in the most beautiful, haunting melodies a guitar can make -- with the sounds richoting through the speakers throughout the auditorium. Weren't you listening?
They should make an IMAX film of this concert. I would go everynight for the rest of my life.
(Actually, after listening to Neil doing LaNoise, I am longing for Pete Townsend's music now.)
My wife and I had waited a long time to finally get a chance to see Neil live and he did not dissapoint. He sounds better than ever and we enjoyed every note. Unfortunately we were seated directly in front of the lady who continually screamed "I love you Neil". She also decided it was a good idea to drukenly sing along to almost all of the first half of the show and did so loud enough to drown him out to anyone in a three row radius. I'm all for people having a good time and I understand the excitement of a super fan, but I was amazed how many people at the show thought that their loud, druken and overbearing version of a good time gave them the right to ruin the night of everyone else around them. All through the back of the Orchestra Right section were people drukenly shouting out at the most inappropriate moments. It took numerous complaints and finally the threat of expulsion by venue security to finally quiet the idiot behind us but even then my wife and I had insults hurled at us between every song for being the first to ask them to be quiet (my actual words were "can you please keep it down, I paid to listen to him not you"). So what I really want to get across to anyone heading out to see Neil on this tour is that IT IS A SOLO (and partly)ACOUSTIC show. Crazy Horse is not their to drown out your screams and conversation so please respect Neil and your fellow audience members and keep the noise to a reasonable level. The sad thing is this show would have ranked as one of, if not the, best concerts I have ever been to if not for the handful of inconsiderate idiots seated around us. Hope everyone else has better luck at the other shows.
Sony,
I swear I could actually see the "Em G Em G" reverb bounce off the stage from "Peaceful Valley Boulevard." No acid. Just trip'n' through life.
Much love,
MNOTR
ohio is such a crap state
Wow, great show, So much to say, I echo the feelings about the drunks and loud ones. I applaud the NY team's efforts as they try to find the ticket formula to corral that behavior elsewhere in the venue and leave the up close experience for those who know the big picture.
I was fortunate to be down on the "double E" just left of center (stage right)thanks to the fan pre-sale. surprised to see pit tickets on scalper sites, maybe others bought extra and were just tryin to make some to help pay for their seats, seemed most in that area were part of the gang.
Maybe if the performance does not get rave reviews those wanting the greatest hits will stay home. The rest of us will pay more, but, I'm just sayin.
For me the performance was great, but I would go to see him even if he just wanted to talk, and if he felt like singing a couple that'd be great to.
A pin drop in "Believe In You?" Are you kidding? For about 8 seconds maybe. The audience started clapping before he finished. He did an entire verse and chorus AFTER the audience figured out it wasn't the end of the song.
I was touched watching as Neil finished each song. He seemed to connect with each instrument and touch it as if an old friend, Maybe remembering the good times shared along the way, not knowing what lies ahead, each time could be the last,
Mother Nature on the Run questions my use of the term "wall-of-sound", apparently assuming that I intended a reference to Phil Specter. I did not intend such a reference. I wrote "wall-of-sound" because that is the best description of the "Le Noise" sound.
In fact, the "Le Noise" sound is more deserving of the title "wall of sound" than the Phil Specter sound. At least Specter's sound allowed for rests between notes, so as not to strangle the melody. (Specter's sound would then be more like a "multi-layered chain-link-fence-of-sound".)
Needless to say, I don't get it. I see nothing really musical about it. The lack of rests between notes, or of any switching from one sound to another, gives me the sensation of drowning (uncomfortably) in sound. (What kind of drugs do you guys recommend I take in order to get it?)
Maybe I can offer to anon my thoughts, what you are hearing may go beyond music and notes as you know them, maybe Neil is trying to share what the inside of his head sounds like created by the recent events in his life,
i'm just sayin
just woody,
You're probably right. At least that sounds right.
I don't mean to be a downer. I'm glad everybody else enjoyed the show, and I don't want y'all to think I didn't also enjoy many parts of it.
I will say that Neil's voice has lost little to nothing since he started out in music. The opening number was so exactly like the original sound that it gave me chills.
Anon, glad you were there, I think everyone comes away with some enjoyment and something to think about,
You are right about his voice, amazing. he keeps it in such fine shape and tuned for the particular songs chosen for the setlist.
Glad you came back, Anonymous 1:18!
I think it's because our ears are trained to hear only what we've been taught to hear. Like when we're listening to an orchestra piece, we're "conditioned" to hear (and expect) all the different sections join together to play music.
To understand Neil's LaNoise, you have to throw out everything you've come to understand about "music theory" and trust your ear to hear the "sections" that Neil created with his guitar.
With Neil's LaNoise, I think some of us hear different "sections" in the pieces from the sounds he creates in his guitar. We recognize the the different qualities of the "reverb" (for lacking of a better word to describe it...)creating the melody.
Does that makes sense?
I think it's ingenious what he created in LaNoise. I think it's a natural progression from Dead Man, Cortez, No Hidden Path, Spirit World -- Unfortunately, listening to LaNoise over desk set computer speakers isn't going to cut it.
I heard this incredible moving sound coming from the music he was creating last night. As moving for me as Spem In Alium & Tallis Fantasia or Scheherazade.
I'm sorry you didn't hear it.
Well, if we're not getting new setlists, at least there are new lyrics. Anyone get the new lyrics for Hitchhiker? Mother Nature?
Before you purchase your tickets, read the reviews and study the set lists! Neil has been on the road with the 'Twisted Road Tour' since last year and rarely deviates from his set list. he doesn't cator to his audience and the fact that your there isn't going to change that. He has played the songs you mentioned in countless other tours, but this isn't the one. A true fan knows to put this tour in its context along with all of the others that, at the time, seemed to be what people didn't want to hear at the time but are now relevant to where Neil was at that point in his career. I've heard fans say "Boy, I sure wish I could have been to the 'Tonights The Night' show, or I wish I saw the 'Rust Never Sleeps' tour.Well, I guarantee you that the day will come where someone will no doubt say "I sure wish I could have seen the 'Twisted Road' tour! Neil's career is unique in that it continues to unfold even after 40+ years and more chapters are being written with each tour and record release. With acts such as the Eagles or The Stones, while they may tour now and then, their careers as contributing anything new as artists ended thirty years ago, while Neil continues to grow and evolve with each new project. There was a time for 'Time Fades Away' and now is the time for 'LeNoise'. I just hope that the drunks stay home tonight because they don't serve alcohol at the Fox by request of the artist. After reading the reviews from Cincinnati its no wonder! The Fox Theater in Detroit is a beautiful venue and a dream come true to be able to see Neil in such an intimate setting.
MNOTR-
thanks for the chords, I'll try 'em and see If I can make it happen too. Last year I was reading a Neil interview and he was speaking about the simplistic Am E to Love and War. I dropped the article and went downstairs for about 5 minutes, put it together, turned on the tape and wallah, it's all there now. It's a simple trip, but a trip just the same.
"THE ARTISTS RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT YOU REFRAIN FROM WHISTLING OR YELLING OUT DURING THE PERFORMANCE...." (isn't this sign still up at the shows?)
WTF..It should be a prerequisit that people can READ before attending these shows. Ignorance is not bliss for those around the fools and the drunks. I remember I was in front of a few in Buffalo.
Oh hey, Anon, sorry man! I was just screwing around last night. Just wondering if anyone was paying attention. You were! He was singing about "Love and War" of course:
The saddest thing in the whole wide world is to break the heart of your lover I made a mistake and I did it again and we struggled to recover. Then I sang in anger, hit another bad chord but I still try to sing about love and war.
Big Chief, I agree the Fox Detroit is a great venue. Saw Neil there for Chrome Dreams? tour. Aside from the happy b'day call outs, it was kinda quiet almost subdued, the staff there were helpful, but they run a very tight ship, once you are in that's it, get up during performance you wait till a break to get back in. Cinci staff last night professional but a lot more relaxed,no screen security, Was kinda surprised given the recent world events and the heightened threat level.
Hew Woody! I remember that, too. The Motor City treated Neil with a lot of respect. I think Bob Seeger was in the audience. He was the guy yelling, "Hey Neil, do werewolf in London." I met Ben Young there. That young kid with the CSN&Y tatoo was there, too.
Where was Ben last night? I had a Cyclones ball cap for him. Bummer.
Hey Mother,
I remember hearing that about Bob Seger being there, I did see Ben there also, and Carl out for a quick stroll, didn't see Ben or family last night though, even at the bus afterward, not like it was in the alley at the Ryman, which was the last time I saw Carl, no new travelin companion yet? "a man needs a dog", or somethin like that
Ooops! It's Seger with one "e."
Well he apparently "keeps" that one dog breeder up in Detroit who was telling everyone between AA-EE that she was secretly engaged to him. It wasn't clear if she knew who the opening act was at the time and I certainly wasn't going to break the news to her.
I thought it was a fantastic show. he Le Noise songs sounded better live than the CD, especially Love and War. I wasn't any where near the "Thanks Neil" girl but she was obnoxious. The people around me were great. I figured Neil was talking about the loud "little" people during the intro to Leia. It was right after the one guy was thrown out. I have seen Neil 11 times on 10 different tours, including Rust Never Sleeps. I have come away from each show satisfied and knowing I got my money's worth. This show was no different. I knew what was going to be played and because of tapers, I heard a few of the shows (already got my recording from this show). I will see Neil every opportunity I get. He is the best.
Saw Neil at the Louisville Palace in Ky last year. I waited a long time to see him and finally got the opportunity. "They Said Solo, I Said Acoustic", where was the Acoustic? He only played two Acoustic songs, The rest were Electric and so distorted it gave me a headache. And none of the old songs were played. I still love Neil, i am chalking it up as a bad night for him? Wheres the Acoustic's???
In response to the drunken interruptions. Was at show last year in Louisville at Palace Theater. Don't know if it was their policy or the artist, but there was a ban on drinking in the seating areas. Having said that, I connect with the idea of getting a buzz going while listening. However, with this tour we have to be mindful of the intent of the artist and be focused on the art. Now when he tours with the Horse, well that's a different story. That intent is to slush the brain a bit and give up the inhibitions. At least for me.
Buzz your brain out, drench it in alcohol if that's your thing, but show some respect, man.
Extra-Terrestrial Lands at the Aronoff Bringing Message of Love
Did you see him?
I was there, I saw the whole thing. A silver space ship landed on the side of the Aronoff Theater in Cincinnati on May 3rd and left a trail of sunshine behind. We've had blue skies now for 2 days!
There was some aggression directed toward the message the alien was bringing but the louder the waves of the inebriation crashed onto the stage, the stronger the alien became. In fact, his message ricocheted around the concert peeling off colors from light spectrum so fluidly that it entered into the bloodstream of every human there making hearts pound harder and harder. We felt the building shake, too. It knocked my camera right off the ledge shattering on a spotlight and evaporating into thin air!
We felt pain, heartbreak, and hardship. We felt death, loss, and sorrow. We experienced forgiveness. We found love and war. Then we heard a "Rumblin'" in the theater so loud it knocked my glasses clear off my face!
Not everyone understood the message the alien was bringing to the young, the old, and the restless that night but there were at least a thousand who walked away feeling a connection to each other once again. A connect to life and a connection to our personal responsibility to embrace each day with love and respect for each other -- for the planet.
The message from the alien was, "Walk With Me. Walk with my this journey of empathy, love, compassion, kindness, and hope.
"Walk with me."
So I am.
Thanks MNOTR. We're walking.
"I'll never let you down no matter what we do
If you just walk with me and let me walk with you."
~~ Neil Young
I was ashamed of the Cincinnati audience. I don't understand the serving of alcohol into a drunken stupor. Bert Jansch was superb!-yet neglected by many. NY was disturbed by the rumblin' of the pussies, yet they were oblivious.
Robin, is that really you????
I'm so glad you showed up here. Did you read Chris Varias's review?
Rockin' in the Weird World?
WTF? My 13 year-old can write a better review than that!
Is everyone in Cincinnati that numb to what's going on the world? What they don't know out of pure ignorance is "weird."
From the comments in Chris's review, I pick up this gem:
"I think a more appropriate heading for this "article" would be "Neil Young: Rockin'in a Real World of Love and War." A better lead into the review would be "The stage setup gave an indication of the musical genius of Neil Young that would soon fill the concert hall at Tuesday night's concert at the Aronoff Center’s Procter and Gamble Hall."
Neil was in perfect form re-creating his beautiful musical journey of loss, redemption, and deliverance. What's weird is that many of the people in Cincinnati including Chris Varias are only hearing about Neil Young "LeNoise" as a "new" release when it's been out for some time. One of the songs won a Grammy ward. "LeNoise" has been written up in major newspapers in major cities, it's all over the internet, and show's set list hasn't changed in almost a year.
What's weird is that neither Chris nor many of the audience members had no idea who Bert Jansch was or his significance as one of the greatest acoustic guitarist of all time -- the guy who Jimmy Page found as an inspiration."
I brought the setlist with me and shared it with everyone. This is so no one would be surprised that Neil didn't play the song they wanted. None of them had heard the Le Noise album. I felt like I was the only Rustie in my section.
I enjoyed Jansch as a guitar player but he sounded like he was mumbling while singing.
BTW They stopped serving alcohol as soon as Neil took the stage. I think most of the drunks either were already blitzed or they brought stuff with them. I was there early and couldn't drink enough to get a buzz before they stopped serving.
There has been a steady and mighty maturation of this tour. Last years leg was pretty straight out-of-the-box. Yet it was so surprising because of the daring concept; solo electric. Neil was like a youngster riding a two-wheeler for the first time; once in a while taking his hands off the handle bars to see where it would go. Now he is riding with confident abandon hitting chords and jumping higher and longer ramps. His expansion of the dream he had for this music has soared and will keep soaring. Though I saw this last year it was like seeing it for the first time.
This concert attender took his 16 year old daughter along. I think she went just to appease me. Today, 1 week after, she can't get enough Neil. Of course she has heard him over the years but last Tuesday she had her first listening adventure. It was absolutely exciting to watch her response to everything Neil and Bert did.
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