Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Lake Tahoe, NV, August 9, 2012
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Neil Young & Crazy Horse will be performing tonight at Lake Tahoe, NV - Harveys Outdoor Arena.
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Labels: 2012, concert, crazy horse, neil young, review, tahoe
by thrasher@PermaLink: 8/09/2012 11:24:00 PM
38 comments
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38 Comments:
Wow - what a powerful show. Neil and the Horse sounded great and were having a blast. The set list was a mix n' match from the previous 3 shows but a little shorter than the others:
1. Love And Only Love
2. Powderfinger
3. Born In Ontario
4. Walk Like A Giant
5. The Needle And The Damage Done
6. Twisted Road
7. For The Love Of Man
8. Ramada Inn
9. Cinnamon Girl
10. F*!#in' Up
11. Psychedelic Pill
12. Jesus' Chariot (great lead-in dialog by Neil)
13. Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)
---
14. Over and Over (only one encore)
WLAG is the new Hurricane . . . a mammoth jam that they ride like a huge wave. Just like the extended storm sounds they play in LAH, the end of WLAG has several minutes of thunderous footsteps that fade to quiet before Needle - a perfect segue. I was already hooked on WLAG from the previous shows but live it's even better. The whistling is a great touch.
Neil 1) never touched a keyboard (Poncho played some KB background in Love of Man) and 2) never touched a harp throughout the entire show.
I think Neil was having trouble keeping guitars in tune (not even close enough for him) because he was repeatedly swapping Old Black for the Goldtop. He's never been gentle with Old Black but he was really hammering it more than I've ever seen.
I was near the middle of the front section directly in front of the PA (maybe 75 feet back) and it was louder than anything I've ever heard (and I've seen VH from the stage edge several times and The Who from not much farther and this completely blew those two away in terms of raw volume). My Hearos are still fused to my ear canals.
Great show - thanks to Neil & the Horse for a memorable evening. I'm sure I don't need to say this here, but do not miss this tour. I hope they have the same energy level for the other shows as the tours wears on. For a bunch of old farts, most people a third their age would be hard pressed to have kept up with them.
Well said about the WLAG - Needle transition. Went and listened to the Red Rocks recording again and it is quite jarring, as there isn't much time between when the distortion/feedback ends and Needle begins. But it works for that reason.
Does anyone know if Larry Craig is the guitar tech for this tour? Was a young kid on Twisted Road tour. Can't wait till Nov. 30 for Washington DC stop.
No sign of Larry at either Red Rocks show.
I think Larry Cragg is Santanas guitar tech and he is touring right now.
Anonymous said, "I think Neil was having trouble keeping guitars in tune (not even close enough for him) because he was repeatedly swapping Old Black for the Goldtop."
From the videos he's using the Goldtop with p90s for the three drop D numbers- Cinnamon Girl, F#*kin Up, and Psychedelic Pill, which are played one after the other for that reason. This would also be the same guitar he used for the Greendale shows. Then there's Old Black, but there's also another Goldtop, which was outfitted with a mini humbucker and the chrome pickguard and pickup covers to be like Old Black; aside from those differences, the Goldtops appear the same.
I noticed that younger tech handing him the guitars. Larry Cragg certainly has long experience with those guitars, so it could be the new guy doesn't quite have the touch yet.
Loved both shows at Red Rocks, wish we could have kept the trip rollin' on to Tahoe but mustn't complain with both Farm Aid & BSB/IRF on the horizon.
As to Larry Cragg; he's still doing his thing with Vintage Instrument Rental ( http://www.vintageinstrumentrental.com/ ) and is playing pedal steel with Buck Nickels & Loose Change ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54HgSrvFcsE&feature=relmfu ).
Peace & love.
I am REALLY surprised that Larry is not along with the concerts - if he's not, it's because he had a serious previous commitment that he couldn't break. I don't think he is Santana's road tech, though.
Zuma Band is very likey dead-on with the swapping. Remember that Neil recorded most of the original Ragged Glory songs with the Gold Top fitted with teh firebird in the bridge position and the metal pickguard. The gold top with the two p-90's is actually Larry's (he "rents" that out to Neil). Cinnamon Girl is certainly "D-Modal" (as Neil likes to call the double drop D tuning). Love and Only Love, Powderfinger, and HHMM certainly are not.
I just can't imagine anyone other than Larry being allowed to handle those guitars.
I spoke with Eric Johnson last year at the Richmond, VA solo show & asked if Larry Cragg was touring with Neil. He said no he was back in California renting out instruments & doing his thing...but yea the guitar techs looked really young to me on that tour from 2010-2011
At the Spartinburg show Neil went from HOG to Old Man & the dude looked like a deer in headlights trying to figure which guitar to get next! I felt for him as Neil went off script of the ussual show.
Zuma Band wrote: "From the videos he's using the Goldtop with p90s for the three drop D numbers- Cinnamon Girl, F#*kin Up, and Psychedelic Pill, which are played one after the other for that reason. This would also be the same guitar he used for the Greendale shows. "
Correct - I think all the Goltops (including Ponchos) were double P-90s. There were at least two occasions when Neil was given a guitar, strapped it on, and then changed it before the song started. There was also a verbal exchange with the tech at the same time as though Neil was asking/telling him something.
He has also gone back to a wired hookup instead of he strap-mounted wireless systems we've seen in the past. A few mid-song cord disentanglements were required.
Larry Cragg's shoes would certainly be hard to fill. He's been a valuable asset to Neil forever. Most of the 'old timers' in Neils crew are accustomed to his demands for perfection and that 'glare' that could burn a hole through you if you mess up. I can imagine the intimidation factor a rookie would have to endure. But it seems to me to have tremendous rewards and once you're in, you're'IN'for life.
His guitar tech is a young cat from SF. We met him last night. Neil likes him. He also plays the tambourine and whistles, both parts that were overdubbed into the live mix. I can't remember his name. Nice guy.
But why on earth would he stop working with Larry??
The next NY & CH album will be anchored by WLAG and Ramada Inn, two rising epics that will evoke comparisons with Zuma's DB & CTK as well as EKTN's Cowgirl & DBTR. Both new songs represent the classic Crazy Horse sound
Thrasher,
Some of the new concerts are being played on Rust Radio this weekend.
The Searcher in Michigan
Possibly Larry just doesnt want the rigors of tour travel. Wants to stay close to home. I'm sure financialy he doesnt need it, so it may not be worth it to sacrafice his happiness.
Yeah, it was loud. I was up on the Tahoe Rim Trail north of Kingsbury about 4PM and could hear the soundcheck...
Steve in Tahoe
Electrocrusier2010 said...
"The next NY & CH album will be anchored by WLAG and Ramada Inn, two rising epics that will evoke comparisons with Zuma's DB & CTK . . ."
Which DB do you mean? Drive Back or Danger Bird? :)
steve said...
"Yeah, it was loud. I was up on the Tahoe Rim Trail north of Kingsbury about 4PM and could hear the soundcheck..."
Everest, the opening act, asked the people in the bleachers if they could hear OK. I think he meant "is t loud enough?" and not "is it so loud that you are experiencing permanent hearing damage?" They probably heard them in Cleveland. This was really "threshold of pain" territory. At least the staff was passing out ear protectors to people who didn't bring their own.
You could yell directly into someone's ear and still not be heard above the PA. When you have to wear plugs, it's too loud IMO and beyond sanity.
Public nuisance is 55 decibels? I forget. One of my jobs a million years ago was investigating and documenting noise complaibts for public health and safety. Now people can down load an app on their phones to find out the output to make a case.
I watched most of the setup/soundcheck at Red Rocks Sunday 8/5/2012. The guitar tech was working through all of Neil's guitars, amps and wedge settings.
At one point the guy on the soundboard out in the stands called out to him as Jeff and he responded that he was done.
My tourbooks for the Le Noise tour (Twisted Road) say that Ian Galloway was Neil's tech on that one. Rocky Roberts covered the Chrome Dreams tour (Continental Tour). Larry Cragg did the CSNY Freedom of Speech tour for Neil. So it doesn't look like this current tech would be the same young guy that people have seen previously.
I have posted a few pics of Jeff from my photo series from that day here:
http://i.imgur.com/ZsIUr.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/q9Q6o.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/US3WK.jpg
On another note, did anyone see a tourbook for this tour on the merch table yet? I was so excited looking at everything, I forgot to look for and get a tourbook. If anyone would be willing to pick one up for me, please get with me and we can arrange to cover your costs.
I'm sitting at home hearing the entire Crazy Horse set loud and clear from the park across the street RIGHT NOW. Wow.
So after watching some of the videos closer, the guy who setup the guitars and such before the show is different than the guy who hands them to Neil during the show so who knows...
People: why has no one commented on just how tight the sets were? I can remember the WELD tour like it was yesterday and I have to say that Neil and The Horse brought those memories back. I saw him solo in Louisville and wondered if we would ever see him with the Horse again. Well, I was stoked for this show and left with the belief that rock and roll will never die! It was great to see the playful interactions between Neil and Poncho again. They were in peak form and the crowd was really into it. Can't wait for the new album.
Electrocruiser 2010 said : The next NY & CH album will be anchored by WLAG and Ramada Inn, two rising epics that will evoke comparisons with Zuma's DB & CTK as well as EKTN's Cowgirl & DBTR. Both new songs represent the classic Crazy Horse sound.
That's exactly my feeling after hearing this short tour.
Twisted Road will be the new Zuma.
Classic Crazy Horse? That's two different bands if you're referring to the musicians who introduced that sound and the musicians who carried on without the guy who provided the resonating vocal and weaving guitar licks. There's C'mon Baby Let's Go Downtown and score and then there's Dangerbird let's kick back. This stuff Crazy Horse and Neil are doing is BDB or burning the barn down.
The Tahoe show was freakin extraordinary. Wish you all could've been there. Then again, no I don't. It was perfect. Walk Like a Giant!
hard to complain but another song for encore would have been nice. I was looking forward to a possible Roll Another Number. I was stage left bleacher, row 3 and didnt find it too loud. Very tight, maybe the most tight Ive seen them through 4 previous tours (Garage, Weld, Rock in Rio ((warm Up)), HORDE). also a Bridge School one time. Cow Palace, now that was too loud, Christ. The new songs are all ok to good. would have liked a few Americanas swapped in. 32nd time for me seeing him.
1st timer, but I grew up with "After the GR". I could have listened to a few more oldies, WLAG and Jesus' Chariot were epic.
Quite a few of us are missing the Americana tunes. If I don't hear the splendid High Flyin Bird this fall, I'll be a clipped chicken.
He's playing stuff the unreleased album. He's got a little bit of love to go around for ALL his fans...
YEAH! probly the best concert i've ever seen- & that includes the who, hendrix, dead, etc, etc. and for those i heard complianin about not enough acoustic/soft stuff-well,ITS CRAZY HORSE! i got what i came for. don't miss it!
TSpADE
High Flyin Bird is the stand out track on Americana for me also. Its the only one that sounds like a CH original and not a reworked old folk song(most of which I like). Yes, Mother Nature, we know about the unreleased songs, we are fans of the man and band. Oh I saw Greendale also to add to that list of CH shows. Ive seen CH shows stacked with classics and enjoyed this show more. I will probably see the Fall Classic, Bridge, which will no doubt be his current band but wooden music just wont be the same. I was thrilled to hear him mention my home town of San Jose in a new song.
the more I listen to the new songs the more I think the new album will be kind of a ZUMA II. aint' it that cool considering the age of our musicians? Neil was absolutely right when saying that age is a status of mind. long live Neil and CH.
My point was that he's doing a little bit of everything which is very considerate on his part. So I don't understand it when people are saying he's not playing to the crowd. How do you play to Neil's crowd? Well you play old stuff new stuff and anything in between.
Larry has been farmed out to Neil Young's Wife and the Survivors. What a waste.
Only seen Neil a couple times before. I would have appreciated more familiar hits. The crowd went zonkers for Cinnamon Girl, Needle, Hey Hey. Down by the River, Southern Man, After the Goldrush tunes would have been wonderful. It was loud, but clean. His guitar work and vocals were spot on, could not have asked for more. The band was tight. I know, he has more material than he can play. And he could have truncated some of those absurdly long endings. Just sayin...
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