Neil Young News: Concert Review of the Moment: Neil Young & Crazy Horse

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Wednesday, August 08, 2012

Concert Review of the Moment: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - A Weekend on The Rocks

Neil Young & Crazy Horse 08.05.12
Photo by kmartini
(Click photo to enlarge)

It would seem by all accounts that the 2 concerts by Neil Young & Crazy Horse at Red Rocks, CO this week were quite epic.

Universally, the concerts were hailed as return to form by Crazy Horse who showed little if any rust.

Which brings us to our Concert Review of the Moment, "A Weekend on The Rocks" from I Listen So You Don't Have To. Our favorite types of reviews fall into two categories: 1) from those intimately familiar with the artist and can express all the nuances of the concert and 2) those who have no clue about the artist and who come away from the experience as believers.

This review falls into Category #2...

Walking into Neil Young last night, we were just hoping for some songs we recognized. We were hoping for a ‘greatest hits’ show. Without a background on Neil Young or Crazy Horse, it was the most we could hope for.

What we got was 2+ hours of music we’d never heard before. What we got was the experience of a lifetime.

Coming from someone who doesn’t care for jambands, I could have listened to these survivors from another generation jam for hours! I didn’t realize what an incredible electric guitar player Neil Young is. And watching him onstage with Crazy Horse, all in white shirts and blues jeans, back-to-back jamming like they were put on this planet to do just that, told me all I needed to know to justify a crowd that shows up 3 hours early. Young might always have a nasty look on this face, but there was no doubt that those men on that stage were having just as much fun as the fans overflowing from the rows between the monoliths.

But to sit here and give you a rundown of songs and humorous quips (“here’s one I wrote this morning…called Cinnamon Girl”) would act as a pale shadow of what I can honestly say was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. (all factors considered)

Literally more metal than jamband, last night’s performance made me lose respect for myself. How I can be so into music and so blind to the songwriting and performing genius that is Neil Young? The fact that I’m going to work on answering that question is what made this show a life changing experience. Singing along with the set closer, “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)”, there was no doubt that while so many have died, Neil Young & Crazy Horse are here to make sure rock and roll never will.

More from I Listen So You Don't Have To.

Also, see more concert reviews of Neil Young & Crazy Horse at Red Rocks, CO.

Labels: concert, crazy horse, neil young, red rocks, review

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54 Comments:

At 8/08/2012 12:35:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I couldn't disagree more with your review of the concert. While I put Neil Young in my top three favorite artist I was extremely dissatisfied with the song selection. People that go to these concerts for classic rock gods want to hear the epic songs that made them famous and not new songs that nobody knows. We love 1970 Neil and Crazy Horse and that's what people expect to hear when they pay $60+ for a ticket to the show. Fine, I understand there is a new album out and they are trying to promote it but they need to do what other great artists do and play a couple of those songs mixed in with all their greats. In the area of Red Rocks that I was standing in people were beaming with excitement just before they started playing but as soon as the concert began the excitement turned to looks of disappointment and shear silence. The only life that was breathed into the crowd was when Neil played Cinnamon Girl and Hey Hey My My. I even saw people and cars leaving about 30 minutes into the show (which I've never seen before at Red Rocks).
Of all the times I've seen Neil Young (8 times in 20 years) I would rate this performance as by far the worse.
At 8/08/2012 12:54:00 PM, July Archives said...: Thankfully Some things never change .Neil Young does a show and some folks are dissatisfied with the experience.These people should do their home work on what you can or cannot expect at a Neil Young live show .i have seen Neil Young live in different guises ,countries over 25 times and I,m still intrigued enough to see him whenever can in the certainty that you can,t predict the unpredictable .thankfull
Regards
Jimmy
At 8/08/2012 01:02:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Anon 12:35:00 PM: Very soon you can tell everybody that you were at Red Rocks when Neil Young and Crazy performed their epic song Walk Like A Giant.
At 8/08/2012 01:05:00 PM, Sam said...: " People that go to these concerts for classic rock gods want to hear the epic songs that made them famous and not new songs that nobody knows. We love 1970 Neil and Crazy Horse and that's what people expect to hear when they pay $60+ for a ticket to the show. Fine, I understand there is a new album out and they are trying to promote it but they need to do what other great artists do and play a couple of those songs mixed in with all their greats".

Actually, this is exactly what Neil and Crazy Horse are all about, pleasing the muse, not the audience.

I just finished watching a great BBC documentary (available on YouTube) in which Neil is prominently featured. It is about The L.A. Music Scene form the time of the Byrds to the time of The Eagles.

One of Neil's business managers, Ron Stone, recounted with delight the "Tonight's The Night" tour in 1975. Neil was writing songs about the pain and emotional malaise that resulted from the deaths of Bruce Barry and Danny Whitten.

Stone said that Neil came out on that tour and would announce to the audience (paraphrased) "If you can stick with us through this set of songs, we will play some others later on the set that you may be more familiar with".

Young then played the entire "Tonight" album from start to finish, and when that was done started the same set of songs all over again.

This of course, alienated many of his fans who expected a seamless set of hits.

Neil has never done it your (or our) way, he does it his way, and always will.

Ya want a 60 dollar set of 70s "hits" then perhaps Ted Nugent,Styx and R.E.O, might better fit the bill.
At 8/08/2012 01:09:00 PM, The Zuma Band said...: 1970 was 42 years ago. So it sounds like you have heard the three records he put out through that year. He's put out at least 30 albums since then. If you haven't kept up, that's your problem. 7 out of the 15 (or 14) songs were new, while the rest were at least 20+ years old. When you claim having seen Neil Young "8 times in 20 years" what are you talking about? Are you including CSN&Y? If so, yes, they only seem to do the moldy oldies. Buffalo Springfield? Yes, they toured last year and did only did old material, as they broke up in 1968. But they're NOT Neil Young & Crazy Horse. NY is noted for rolling out new material and lots of it.

Caveat Emptor.
At 8/08/2012 01:15:00 PM, Brent said...: To me the Ragged Glory stuff is classic Neil. Everyone's mileage will vary. Interesting that in the RS interview Ponch talked about how much he loved Ragged Glory. I could be mistaken but I think in the same interview he stated how he was shocked people weren't tired of all the standard Horse epics like Hurricane. Seems like Ponch was a big influence on the set list.
At 8/08/2012 01:16:00 PM, Scott said...: Incredible show. They did several from Ragged Glory! They rocked HARD. This is about seeing Neil and Crazy Horse and that means rocking. Not replaying the juke box of greatest hits. Don't go next time Anonymous 12:35. Let someone else that wants to see freedom of expression get that ticket...
At 8/08/2012 01:18:00 PM, Joey Buhrer said...: Sam I agree with your comment 1,000%. I was at the first night's show at RR...and I was completely blown away, it was probably the best show I've ever seen. Like you said, if you just want a happy greatest hits glossover of the 70's, so see Journey or one of the other zombified walking dead nostalgia acts.

Which is really the ironic thing...I'm 28 years old. I didn't get to live through the 60's and 70's. But the show I saw on Sunday was the only thing I've ever seen that gave me a glimpse of what it actually would have been like to be there. Now I know what it would have felt like to be in the audience of, say, the Rust Never Sleeps or Time Fades Away recordings, hearing new, uncompromising Horse music for the first time in person. Isn't that what the glory days were really all about, anyway? Isn't that what made the "greatest hits" so great? I am grateful to Neil and the Horse that they have the artistic integrity, courage and ability to do what basically no one else can do: put on a show in 2012 that is just as magical as what they did 30+ years ago, just as fresh, just as new. It shows a respect for the art form and for the audience that really isn't found anywhere else.
At 8/08/2012 01:24:00 PM, Thrasher Wheat said...: @Anon 12:35:00 PM - sigh. Funny, the very first comment on the ABQ show was similarly negative? How odd.

We suspected that comment as bogus and based on the pushback, many agreed and also called foul.

So it looks like it's time for us to all play again How To Spot A Bogus Concert Review in 3 Easy Steps.

Step 1 - check
Step 2 - check
Step 3 - check

Just look at all of the comments here and on our Facebook page ThrashersWheatNeverSleeps.

Joe R. said: "the only thing better would have been ALL new songs!"

Just look at the photo at top with the Horse huddled back to back?! Do you know what that means to so many of us to see them leaning on each other in total love and the joy of music?

IOW, they're doing this for themselves and not the audience (i.e you). And that's what makes it so great. Lots of bands play for their audience and don't challenge them.

so busted. nice try.

Thanks for playing.
At 8/08/2012 01:33:00 PM, Anonymous said...: The best concert I've been to in the last 10 years was "Greendale". At the end of the "play", I hear a guy behind me say "Thank God that's over. Now we get to see the REAL Neil Young". I just laughed and shook my head. Wow. Kind of sad really but just wow.

I can't wait to see Crazy Horse again. It's a rush to see Neil and the boys having so much fun. It almost seems to me like a release of sorts for Neil after all of his recent losses. How else to explain the sh*t eating grin on his face?! I can't remember ever seeing him express so much joy.

October can't come soon enough. Sounds like a few of you around here should probably just sit this one out! You're whining is humorous but gets annoying after awhile. See you on the rail Thrasher!

Steven James
At 8/08/2012 01:38:00 PM, Dee said...: Whoa Anonymous 12:35. You want to hear all Neil oldies? Go put on a CD! The concerts at the Red Rocks were nothing but solid, pure, delicious Neil Young and Crazy Horse. What we experienced at Red Rocks is exactly why people like me pay over $185 a ticket!!! Personally when I'm at a Neil show and he breaks out oldies like 'Rockin' in the Free World', I groan in disappointment. I have been CRAVING Neil and the Horse and the blinding, blazing rock they create for a long time and they delivered tenfold.
At 8/08/2012 02:07:00 PM, Anonymous said...: @Brent: in the RS interview Poncho said Powderfinger instead of Hurricane. Powderfinger is on the setlist.
At 8/08/2012 02:11:00 PM, Anonymous said...: @Thrasher: "Just look at the photo at top with the Horse huddled back to back?! Do you know what that means to so many of us to see them leaning on each other in total love and the joy of music?" Sorry Thrasher, that doesn't mean anything. Neil is only protecting himself so Poncho can't kick his ass. ; )
At 8/08/2012 02:30:00 PM, Shadow said...: 2749DNeil is never a oldies show . That why he is still relavent today . He still moving forward . You need that he still making records still attracting new fans. Especially as you get older you got to keep moving . I know being 60 myself . I bought my first BS album back in summer of 67 i got ATGR for my 18th birthday.I had just few months earlier gotten CSNY Deju Vu .I still get the music from those to my Ragged Glory , Harvest Moon , are you passionate cd etc. All are great true artist are not Jukeboxes . Go to see what new listen to your records or cd for all you love of the past. Neil always gives a classic or two. Great job Thrasher as always.

The Searcher
in Michigan
At 8/08/2012 02:31:00 PM, paul from ontario said...: We came from Windsor ONTARIO for the Albuquerque and first Red Rock show. I first saw Neil Young 35 years ago and over a 120 shows and counting in every possible form he has played. The greatest hits fans will always be disappointed because he almost always throws in a bunch of new stuff. As he has said many times he is not a jukebox and for every old song he plays that's one less new one to play. Being from Ontario and hearing Born in Ontario for the first time was great. I walked to the top of Red Rocks for Walk Like A Giant and it was one of my greatest moments at a Neil Young concert. And of all the configurations I've seen there is nothing greater than seeing Neil play with Crazy Horse. It ain't the destination, it's the journey
At 8/08/2012 02:38:00 PM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: This comment has been removed by the author.
At 8/08/2012 02:48:00 PM, Fickle Hill Billie said...: Neil Young = expect the unexpected. Loved the shows, loved the new songs, loved the fact that some left early so it thinned out a little bit.And if you dont know the album 'Ragged Glory' and the incredible songs on it, you REALLY dont know the band.
At 8/08/2012 02:59:00 PM, Anonymous said...: The thing which morons fail to realise is that without new songs, then this tour/reunion would not even be happening.

Neil got back together with the Horse to write and play new music. And that's what I was happy to hear, even if I didn't really rate a couple of the new songs.

I would love to hear Like A Hurricane or Cowgirl In The Sand ... but at the same time I wasn't the least bit disappointed they weren't played. The two longer new jams were epic and I wouldn't replace them with anything. I've listened to Walk Like A Giant about 5 times all the way through this today.

And you can see with how much fun Neil is having, that this reincarnation of the Horse is something he is really happy with.

It would be a much worse concert if they went through the motions with no enjoyment and banged out a set entirely of classics on stage like they were cardboard cutouts.
At 8/08/2012 02:59:00 PM, Jim said...: I've been reading that "Psychedelic Pill" is the music of "Sign Of Love" with new lyrics...but I just came across "Party Girl" from Red Rocks 8/6 and it's "Sign of Love" with new lyrics...

Maybe Neil is rotating 'Psychedelic Pill' and 'Party Girl' with the same Sign of Love melody?

Here's the video I found of 'Party Girl' from Red Rocks 6/8:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dkgNkFjE2Q
At 8/08/2012 03:13:00 PM, Anonymous said...: neil's voice is definitely showing it's age, but other than that the band sounds incredible. can't wait for the new record.

and to the anon comment at the top...next time stay home and play "decade". you'll be much happier and you'll save yourself some bucks.
At 8/08/2012 04:08:00 PM, Thrasher Wheat said...: @2:11 - ha. thanks for setting us straight on that. It really is kinda funny in a jaw dropping sort of way to see Poncho kicking Neil while they jam. It ranks up there on the all time great memories list.

@everyone else - great comments from the "96%'rs" who get Neil. :)

"Slammin' down a late night shot
the hero and the artist compared
goals and visions and afterthoughts
for the 21st century

But mostly came up with nothin'
so the truth was never learned
and the human race just kept rollin' on

A little love and affection
in everything you do"
NY
At 8/08/2012 04:20:00 PM, Anonymous said...: @Jim: "Psychedelic Pill" is the correct title for the song some people have been calling "Party Girl" (which also appears in the lyrics).
At 8/08/2012 04:57:00 PM, Anonymous said...: It's funny that some people are raving on this blog about the great guitar playing and jamming at the concert. Either the acoustics were different where I was standing or these people have tripped too much acid in their day. All I heard was a wretched blurring of chords and an almost Larry Lee-ing of what should've been an awesome jam. These people should take a listen to anything that SRV plays and come back to reality.
At 8/08/2012 05:25:00 PM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: This comment has been removed by the author.
At 8/08/2012 05:51:00 PM, Luke said...: To quote Neil Young himself (ARchives Vol. I) :

"Fuck the Audience".

And he's absolutely right. An artist is entitled to do what he wants. In this case : play the music he wants to play.Period.
If any listener to a concert should only want to pay for the songs he want to hear...concerts wil never take place, or take days and days...having musicians playing a song for thousand people, another one for ten, and new songs...to themselves...
So, Neil is right : fuck the audience...
Keep on walking like a giant, Neil, and Like a hurricane, keep on rocking in the free world...
At 8/08/2012 06:00:00 PM, Greg Mantho said...: Have to agree with the comment that the only way a Neil concert could be better would be if all the songs were brand new. If I were forced to bitch about a Neil concert, and I never have, it would be that I could have done without the 270th recitation of a song taking the place of one I've never heard before. That and a concert maybe being too short, maybe.

I'll never forget how grateful I was when Neil played Inca Queen during the Life tour at Cobo Arena in Detroit. I knew immediately that I had never heard it before, and totally immersed myself in trying to glean every possible nuance from it. I can still see and hear it right now, it was that magnificent. Far more enjoyable than the concert starting with Cinnamon Girl.

Maybe just as rewarding was Neil shouting back at a drunk shouting out for Neil to play one of the "hits", in the middle of the Greendale concert. Neil just stopped playing and shouted back, "Fuck you! Shut up!"

I just don't get the complaint that someone didn't hear what they can play at home anytime they want, but that's just me, I guess. To each their own. I just wish the tour was stopping in Detroit, and that I could grab some tickets for it. Oh well, can't wait until October.

A Friend Of Yours
At 8/08/2012 06:33:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Just a thought wouldn't it be a great intro to the song 'walk like a giant' if the ending was the beginning. I never heard such a great ending to a song. Sounds like two T-Rex's mating(at least in my imagination)
At 8/08/2012 07:42:00 PM, Justin Wells said...: Just watched some videos on youtube from these shows. I have seen Neil in concert twice now and I can honestly say that I have never seen him this happy. I've been waiting years for him to go back to The Horse, and after the shows with Buffalo Springfield, I thought that might never happen. After seeing these videos, I believe that the layoff for Crazy Horse has not hurt them a bit. I think Neil and the Horse belong together. Poncho and Neil are having so much fun it's almost criminal. It moved me to tears watching them play. I can hardly wait to see them live in Toronto in Novemeber.

@JustinWells11
At 8/08/2012 07:53:00 PM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: This comment has been removed by the author.
At 8/08/2012 07:53:00 PM, Street Talkin' Cheetah said...: Ha ha, long time reader first time posting. I had too. I love this conversation, so can someone name a tour Neil did in the last 40 years where he did an all hits show ... thought so. Neil's an artist, constantly moving forward. I loved being a part of every single second of every new song. That's what real touring is about, promoting your new art. It's what has made Neil valid after all these years. Going to an art show and seeing the same painting someone did last year, just doesn't cut it.
At 8/08/2012 07:56:00 PM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: Greg -- that venue in Cleveland isn't that far from Detroit.
At 8/08/2012 08:02:00 PM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: Can you imagine being at a racetrack in 1974 listening to Ambulance Blues for the very first time? That album wasn't even in most record shops. But it made a believer out of me...
At 8/08/2012 09:27:00 PM, asg said...: I like what Sam said...Neil does what NEIL wants...If it coincides with what any of us wants, great...it may be a risk we take (he didn't play [fill in the blank] dammit), but that's what Art is...
At 8/08/2012 09:46:00 PM, Anonymous said...: anom 12:35 is a troll.....let it go.....

that said, I can still vividly remember seeing the greendale tour at camden (DC) in 03. I would guess about a quarter of folks at any large venue Neil show that I have ever attended are greatest hits only folks. And there were many many stunned and frustrated folks at that greendale show - no major adoption of youtube then, so nobody knew what was coming (except myself and some rusties of course). but that was so so different than red rocks, which for me must have been one of the single greatest NYCH show for any seasoned fan - good new stuff, Over and over for the first time, some very long jams....for me, that defines the perfect show. I don't care what songs, just a nice mix (or all new, as long as it is good).

if we could just rid all the airwaves around the globe of all classic rock formats, the casual fan might actually hear something from an album other than harvest or live rust.

don't hate on the casual fan - that ain't good - and Neil eats the casual fan for lunch - we know that - but a troll is a troll and 12:35 anom is a troll
At 8/08/2012 09:55:00 PM, SD said...: I'm reminded of this comment published in Rolling Stone:

"Nobody expected Time Fades Away and I'm not sorry I put it out," Young told Rolling Stone's Cameron Crowe in 1975. "I didn't need the money, I didn't need the fame. You gotta keep changing. Shirts, old ladies, whatever. I'd rather keep changing and lose a lot of people along the way. If that's the price, I'll pay it. I don't give a shit if my audience is 100 or 100 million. It doesn't make any difference to me. I'm convinced that what sells and what I do are two completely different things. If they meet, it's coincidence."
At 8/08/2012 10:08:00 PM, Anonymous said...: "Will make the world a better place, with or without you"

Thanks Thrasher!

Steven James
At 8/09/2012 09:03:00 AM, Matthew L. said...: Great review. It reminds me of the one time I saw Neil Young and Crazy Horse. It was 2003, and I had never been to a Neil Young show. I'd been to some amazing concerts - Monster Magnet, for instance, put on this incredible live show (they still do!). I'd seen them like 5 times, and it was always a transcendent experience. I'd seen a lot of Neil Young inspired indie rock bands, like Built to Spill, Pavement, Dinosaur Jr. All these 90's indie rock giants that had culled a great deal of inspiration from Neil and Crazy Horse.

I'd recently purchased Greendale out of curiosity, having been intrigued by hearing a lot about the performance art that came along with it. I'd known Neil Young was a great, influential artist, but hadn't heard much outside of Harvest and the standard fare. I'd spun Greendale a few times before a friend called up and said he had an extra ticket to see Neil Young and Crazy Horse at the PNC Arts Center in New Jersey, so I accepted his invitation, still relatively unaware of what what in store for me.

Having heard Greendale and read about the shows, I was prepared for the stage play and all the new material. I really dug the Greendale set. It was a magnificent stage play, a great story, and a wonderful excursion from the average concert. I loved the set, the pantomime, the acting and the incredibly sincere presence of Neil Young, and was truly moved by the experience.

Then, the second set came along, and blew my mind completely. I'd never seen a band rock so incredibly hard. I'd never seen such incredible, blistering guitar work live, and I'd seen some great guitar bands, but none of them truly measured up to what I witnessed that night. As the sun set over PNC, I was enraptured by everything about NY&CH. I thought it was the best show I'd ever seen, and it changed my life in terms of musical tastes, and my own direction as a musician.

It also made me a huge Neil Young fan, and I proceeded to start building a collection of his albums after that, all of which I loved for one reason or another. Such diversity, honesty, intent, artistry.

So, I can identify with the reviewer here. I also wondered to myself at the time why I had never seen these guys before, and how I could have gone on for so long blissfully unaware that such transcendent onslaughts of rock were being created by these guys for decades.

So now I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Neil Head. I can't stop listening to him. I watch the Rust Never Sleeps concert video once every few months and am completely obliterated by it each time.

Long live NY&CH!!!
At 8/09/2012 12:35:00 PM, Anonymous said...: ANYONE who goes to ANY Neil show expecting "greatest hits" is a fool who will be disappointed.

All I ever hope for is that Neil shows up and picks up a guitar. Never been disappointed yet. Neil never gives less than 100%.
At 8/09/2012 01:39:00 PM, BIGCHIEF said...: Shame on you Anon 12:35. You obviously didn't do your homework before you plunked down your hard earned cash expecting to see a greatest hits show from Neil Young. Promoting a new record? Really? Except for the one 'Jesus Chariot' at the Albuquerque show, he didn't play not one song promoting Americana. New tunes from the upcoming unreleased album maybe. Greg Mantho, I can totally relate to your comment. I was at the same show at Cobo and had the same feeling during 'Like An Inca' just as I had when Neil played with the Bluenotes 'Ordinary People' in Detroit which I recorded on a portable cassette recorder and knew how special it was from the first time I heard it live until I was finally able to download it years later. It's still amusing to me how someone like 'Anon 12:35' can claim to be a fan and still 'not get it'. Some of the most memorable moments in the 30+ Neil Young shows I've attended were the new songs. I still remember hearing 'Hey Hey, My My' for the first time on the radio after previously hearing it live at the R.N.S's show and even though I had only heard it performed twice live ( attended both nights at PineKnob ) when I heard it for the first time on the radio it was as it had already been burnt into my head. Not many bands or artists can mesmerise an audience while playing a new unreleased song like Neil can. For those that do 'get it' that is what has allowed him to maintain his artistic integrity for as long as he has without becoming a 'nostalgia act' as most of his peers have become.
At 8/09/2012 01:50:00 PM, Dan1 said...: I agree, I once saw Neil and CH at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz in '97 and like half the show was new tunes, some of which he's never played since ... perhaps because that Hippie Dream tour was canceled when he cut his hand making a ham sandwich... Anyhow, it was THE BEST show I've ever seen Neil play going back to the 80s ... so much of it was brand new and very obscure stuff I'd never heard before or stuff he's almost never played live and that was the highlight much more so then the few old classics he played that night .. when Neil and CH are on its so truly one song there's nothing to talk about ... in fact the new stuff with Neil is often so fresh and the passion so strong .... I'm tempted to avoid hearing the new songs just to experience them for the first time live ...
At 8/09/2012 02:25:00 PM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: The only songs I've heard on the radio belonging to Neil are "Mr. Soul" "Heart of Gold" "Long May You Run" "Ohio" "Comes a Time" "Love is Rose" by Linda and "Lotta Love" by Nicolette "Southern Man" "Rocken in the Free World" and "Cinnamon Girl."

That said, even if 80% of the audience never got behind the musicians work beyond what was played on the radio, I would think that most of what's shared at a concert would be like discovering a gold mine. I have never been to bad concert and that includes Hanson, too!

I love to make recommendations at concerts for the people who only remember Harvest or Come's A Time. My only disappointment is that we don't smoke pot at concerts anymore! Nobody ever threw up on me from smoking too much pot. They did, on the other hand, from drinking too many martinis.

How'd we ever get away with lighting up back in the old concert hall days?
At 8/09/2012 03:25:00 PM, BIGCHIEF said...: M.N.O.T.R., Obviously you must have 'fired up' at that Hanson concert, LOL. I remember back in the day when getting high at a concert was a mandatory ritual, any band sounded awesome and it was like a religious experience especially with 'theatrical' bands such as Alice Cooper. I can't recall having a bad concert experience until after I started attending them straight. And I really do believe the same theory applied to my being blown away by Neil's music was being blown away when I listened to it. I used to maintain that, especially his earlier recordings were made by a stoner for stoners who had to be stoned to really appreciate it.
At 8/09/2012 04:14:00 PM, BIGCHIEF said...: I'm sure that most Neil Young fans weren't introduced to his music via radio. In my case, other then hearing Buffalo Springfield on the radio, was my older sister bringing E.K.T.I.N. into our home. Other then the early days of FM radio in its glory when they could actually play 'album rock' and take actual 'requests' instead of having an intern take surveys, I would hear Down By The River and Cowgirl In The Sand And of course, Cinnamon Girl. Some of the songs from After The Goldrush got frequent airplay as well as the early C.S.N.Y. recordings. Then came Harvest with Old Man, Heart Of Gold, and then Alabama getting heavy rotation. Neil was pretty popular in the Detroit area back in the early seventies. They even played The War Song when it was released. After that, interest in anything Neil pretty much died until Rust Never Sleeps while we know he never went anywhere was considered his 'comeback' album and tour. In fact, the R.N.S.'s tour was the first time ever that Crazy Horse even appeared in Michigan. While everybody knows about Rockin In The Free World not only from the heavy airplay it received but as an anthem at Hockey games. Aside from the occasional Old Man or Heart of Gold, radio has pretty much forgotten Neil up here in good old Detroit if it weren't for a lovely woman DJ we have on a local Classic Rock station, WCSX 94.7, named Pam Rossi and 'Sunday Morning Over Easy'. I would listen to her show every Sunday from 7-12 AM just to see what obscure Neil Young song she would inevitably play in the course of her show. Even though I have every N.Y. song in my personal collection, there's still something special about hearing Neil on the radio just knowing that at least for that moment he has a captive audience of potential thousands if not more with the advent of Internet Radio. Not only that but every single time that I called her show for a request she would promptly answer the phone herself and take down my request and actually chat for a minute and not make me feel as if I accidentally reached some kind of pollster or something. 9 times out of 10 she would even get around to playing my request as well which really meant something to me. So I recommend to all you Neil fans out their who listen to Internet radio to give Pam a listen to. One of the last remaining 'old school' DJ's left that will deviate from a 'top 40' play list.
At 8/09/2012 04:25:00 PM, Seth Walker said...: My friend uploaded his video of "Ramada Inn". Drove from Austin, TX to Albuquerque and both Red Rocks show. Amazing road trip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_A_3GRCpTE
At 8/09/2012 05:16:00 PM, Matthew L. said...: M.N.O.T.R. -

They play Powderfinger all the time on Radio Woodstock (Hudson Valley, NY), and they even played Oh Susannah a couple weeks ago!

Hudson Valley, Representin'!
At 8/09/2012 06:01:00 PM, alabam said...: Is the city of Denver so bereft of media that not one paper even covered either of these shows? Pretty pathetic. As much as I appreciate fan reviews, they typically don't even cover set lists.
At 8/09/2012 06:11:00 PM, DefeatFarRightWIngNuts2012 said...: Whatever Neil plays is fine by me...I've gotten to listen to him for four freakin decades.it just doesn't get better than that! When I was a kid , "Clapton Is God "was written on buildings in NYC.the truth is Neil Is God.
At 8/09/2012 06:40:00 PM, Greg Mantho said...: Right back at you BIG CHIEF. I thought about another moment at Cobo Hall back in 1973, my first Neil concert, and the first time I ever heard Don't Be Denied. Everybody was bitching about not enough Harvest material, and I was gloriously lost in the new stuff I had never heard before. On The Way Home was the acoustic opener to the show, and another one I had never heard up to that point. New songs, far more etched into my memory than the ones I had already heard countless times. I also remember Ordinary People at the Palace, by far the highlight of the show, even though no one had ever heard it before. Can't not mention This Note's For You at that show either, which I'm sure you remember. People literally jumped out of their seats and into the isle ways pumping their fists in the air for that one.

So many great memories of the new songs in concert, and too many memories of people bitching about not hearing what they already knew. Don't get me wrong, I loved whatever I heard, but always appreciated the new stuff far more. Jeez, now I'm remembering the first time I heard Grey Riders and God's Perfect Plan, at Meadowbrook- the only two I remember from that show. Better stop now.

I also hear you on lame Detroit radio, when it comes to Neil. Outside of the odd public radio play of Neil's stuff, we've had to settle for Cinnamon Girl, Southern Man, etc., and scant little else over the years. Will definitely check out Pam Rossi. Thanks.

A Friend Of Yours
At 8/09/2012 07:14:00 PM, BIGCHIEF said...: Ditto on the 'Grey Riders', G.M. I recall he also did a pretty good version of Down By The River with the Harvesters. I often wondered why he never returned to Meadowbrook except for 84 & 85 with the International Harvesters ? And I'm also curious why no dates yet at D.T.E. for this tour? He's never passed Detroit by yet. I still haven't got a passport but will have to if I gotta resort to the Windsor show .....
At 8/09/2012 08:34:00 PM, SD said...: alabam, on the heyreverb.com site they commented that they would have reviewed both shows but weren't given credentials or something like that to do so. It sounded like something from Neil's camp that prevented them from doing so.
At 8/09/2012 09:13:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Hearing "Try" for the first time in DC in 2007 is one of the highlights of my concert-attending career (yes, I used the word "career.") Screw the greatest hits, unless their really fun for the artist to play.
At 8/09/2012 10:46:00 PM, Anonymous said...: @SD - reviewers can buy a ticket like anyone else, that's how we typically did it at the paper where I worked to avoid any appearance-of-conflict issues with taking freebies.
At 8/09/2012 11:14:00 PM, SD said...: @Anon: This is what they posted on the heyreverb.com site that had pictures but no review:

"Hey, Paul. The tour didn't issue any review tickets for either of the Red Rocks shows, but they did allow us a photo pass for each night. We wish we could have been there to write a review, alas."
At 8/10/2012 08:19:00 AM, Matthew L. said...: I don't think it's legally possible for Neil or his camp to not allow someone to review their show. Perhaps if heyreverb.com had bought a ticket, then they'd be able to produce a review. Not that tickets are cheap or anything.