Boston: Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Reviews - 11/26/12
Neil Young & Crazy Horse will be performing tonight at TD Garden, Boston, MA.
Doors at 6:30, Everest at 7:30, Patti Smith at 8:05 and Neil Young at 9pm.
Got a report? Drop a comment below.
Check Sugar Mountain for setlist updates and Chronological Grid, Recording Summary, Statistics and Extras.
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Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Don't Be Denied!
Labels: boston, concert, crazy horse, neil young, review, tour
by thrasher@PermaLink: 11/26/2012 09:12:00 PM
32 comments
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32 Comments:
Just got back from the Boston show. It was spectacular. Highlights for me were Ramada Inn (as previous show-goers have commented), F!#$in Up with an extended call and response of "I'm a fuck up" and the complete surprise ending of an extended version of Farmer John.
All in all, my expectations based on other commenters' experiences were more than exceeded. My ears and voice will be shot tomorrow but this was an experience I'll take with me the rest of my life.
Thanks for the review, thegabeman! I'll be seeing I'll be seeing the guys on Thursday in Philly.....something tells me that it should be a good one!!!!!
Outstanding show. I've never seen them in such high spirits. It was like the Neil Young and Crazy Horse comedy tour. Good crowd, lots of chatter from Neil. He went on about the "Doubters, the f#@kin' doubters." with a grin. Doing a pick scrape on Old Black was the sound of the "analog time machine, going back.." through a listing of various songs, (""Everybody's Rockin,'" what the fuck was that?") until he landed on "Cinnamon Girl." When he went farther back for "Mr Soul" Poncho said "You're so far back I've disappeared". The extended "F@#kin' Up" improv was especially wild and hilarious. Was that when NY ended up on his back playing? I can't remember, it was all such a phenomenal night.
A truly great show. I've seen Neil live 15-16 times or so and can't remember any show quite like this one. Zuma Band was right that it was like the Crazy Horse comedy tour--everybody loose and happy, lots of joking around. Neil forgot to sing the 3rd verse of "Powderfinger" and cracked after it was over that the song "seemed a little short." "Walk Like a Giant" has become a monster live, with a long drawn-out atonal ending. NY dedicated "Cinnamon Girl" to the "believers" and said there'd be a song after it for the "doubters" (which turned out to be "F*!#in' Up"). Epic set-closing "Hey Hey My My," followed by a surprising encore of "Farmer John" (introduced by NY as "here's a country song for ya"). Both Billy and Poncho took turns singing lead on the verse as it was repeated over and over, and the "oh-oh-oh" refrains got more and more suggestive as the song went on, ending up with a call-and-response from the crowd. Super high energy and passionate playing throughout. Patti Smith was great too. I hope NY keeps riding the Horse for a while; gotta say I don't think he's played this well in years!
Just got in, I completely agree with the posters above. I've seen going to Neil shows since around 1972, this one might be the best one I've seen. Neil and the band were in a great mood, it's the most I've ever heard Neil joke around during a show. Set list was no surprise, I've been keeping up with it on Sugar Mountain. The introduction was outstanding, left me with my heart pounding, something that has never happend at any show I've been to. Highlight for me was the changing lead singers and crowd interaction during Fuckin' Up. Poncho called the crowd a bunch of Boston fuck ups. Great stuff! Neils "way back to analog" pick on the frets was perfect. My money was well spent, I brought my son along and we walked around town for a couple of hours before the show and ate at a place called The Oyster House. Great time.
oneofeleventhousandthousand
Show just received a rave review from the Herald.
http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/entertainment/guestlisted/?srvc=edge&position=recent
Sorry doubters. Sorry complainers. You lose. we win. How does it feel to finish a distant second...
complaints at this stage of the tour are almost meaningless cause the mountain of joy and passion has simply grown too high....can't see the doubters from the top of this mountain...I just see MSG, a little Sydney and Perth, and then another NY&CH album in 2013... OK OK got greedy.
I loved the show I saw on this tour as well, but why do there have to be winners and losers? Why can't you just enjoy the experience without feeling threatened by those who might disagree with you? The combination of arrogance and insecurity displayed by some of those who post here is truly sad, during what is such a joyous time for the Horse.
Yeah no need to be arrogant or rude to others. We're all here for the same joy.
Glad to hear about such enjoyable experiences - I'm living vicariously through everyone on this tour.
The review in the Herald is perfect. The show was beyond perfect. Great comments from everyone so far: gabeman, Zuma Band, Unknown and epecially oneofeleventhousand. Dinner with your son at The Union Oyster House before the show was a superb choice, one of my favorite restaurants anywhere. Did you know it was JFK's favorite place to eat or that Daniel Webster was a regular!?
I'll be back....
Ticketbastard has released premium seats for the Fairfax, VA show Friday night. Even though I shouldn't have done so, I upgraded my seat and am now 100% ready!
To think how pissed I was back in June after the pre-sale disaster on-line!
I will be right there above the floor - not that the Patriot Center has any bad seats really...
My first Neil Young show, don't know where I've been all my life, gonna turn 50 next week. I just about lost my mind last night, never could have imagined what i experienced. You guys have the details already laid out here, I just needed to say there is nothing higher than Neil jamming like he did last night, unbefuckinlievable baby!
Going to theMSG show tonight. Does anyone know approx what time Neil and CH come on? Also, how crowded is the gen admin section, wondering if I can show up during / after the warm up band and still find a decent spot even if its not in the first few rows. Any thoughts much appreciated!
Find a comfy spot at the back. Not a chance, sorry. GA is packed with Patti from the get go - its freaking NYC!
Being further back has two big advantages: better sound, and a better view of the big screens. I watched about half the show on the screens. Trust me. Neil has some really good folks running the video side.
stay back. move around if needed. enjoy. and see Patti's set - seriously.
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Hi, (Sorry everyone for posting logistical questions)
Thanks for much for the info. Does Neil come on around 9pm?
Thanks,
Dan
Going to the MSG show tonight that has the same lineup as last night.
Trying to work out ride/train arrangements... can you tell me how long the Boston show went?
Thanks! Can't wait for tonite!
Agreed - Great show! -
- Everest 7:15 (!)-7:45;
- Patti (also GREAT!) 7:55 -8:40;
- NEIL & The Horse @ 9 or so, but you NEED to see the stage being set up from 8:40 or so on (No spoilers here) ...Actually, you NEED to see Patti as well, the best I've seen her in years!
Will post review soon ...
Oh God I Fell For You
Everything that you've been reading is true, and yet it still doesn't begin to describe what's going on right now with Neil Young and Crazy Horse. There's never been music like this before and there will never be music like this again. I've been telling people for almost thirty years now that "Neil Young is the King of Rock and Roll"; most of the time I believed it; now I'm absolutely sure of it. This is the most intense, in-the-moment music that I've ever heard. Rock and Roll has never had music like this before...if you haven't been to a show during this tour and there's any chance that you can get to one, then do everything you can to be there. It's like Miles and his Agharta era band somehow combined Hendrix and Link Wray into a delicious music stew that played everything from King Oliver to Sun Ra, forgot everything they thought they knew and then remembered everything else. But that doesn't describe it either, not really.
It starts right away. Love and Only Love has never sounded like this before, never felt like this before. The familiar is no longer so; flows shift and groove as Neil brings his message right away: Love and Only Love Will Endure. He really, truly, totally means it and he makes it true and direct and constant. With the greatest music, you never want it to end once it starts; actually you don't think about it ending because in some ways it never does. All great music lives inside of you.
Powderfinger is always great, even when it's a short one. This flowed perfectly from Love and Only Love, then perfectly again into Born In Ontario, giving Neil and the Horse a chance to cruise a bit after the all out speed skating of the first two numbers. Walk Like A Giant was everything that I'd hoped for and more. When it seemed like the song was ending, I turned to my son and said "They might want to hold off on the clapping; this is gonna go on for awhile". I loved the extended ending--it's a whole lot more than just "Neil sounding like a giant's footsteps". It's a love letter to the beauty and the majesty of pure sound, what it can do, how it can make us feel.
Middle portion of the show was connected with three songs. Needle and the Damage Done was raw, beautiful and immediate. I was thinking of the performance on Johnny Cash's show over forty years ago, and thinking how Neil makes this song mean so much on so many different levels. Twisted Road marries the past and present in a way that's so simple, smart and seamless that you can hardly believe it. Then Singer Without A Song, which gave me chills and maybe was my favorite moment in a performance that was all favorite moments. But the next was even better.
I can't say enough about Ramada Inn and what this song becomes when it's played live. The crowd was hear-a-pin-drop focused as the beauty came ringing through. The Herald review says that Neil's solo was perhaps his best ever, and he could be right. I began to meditate without even realizing that's what I was doing, sitting in the heaven of sound that was the back balcony. Maybe this is about Neil, maybe it's about everyone who lives in a world of joy and sorrow, finding love and life, doing what you have to and doing what you need to.
Great intro to Cinnamon Girl, with Neil talking about "the believers" and "the fucking doubters". Crowd was singing along with the chorus, amazing guitar, everyone happy. Then an extended Fuckin' Up to throw a curve into the mix. Last time I'd heard this was also in Boston, during an hour long encore after a Greendale performance. That one had everyone singing along to the chorus, especially interesting since it was outdoors and could be heard by the passing Ferry boats and waterfront diners. This one had folks pinned to their seats.
Mr. Soul went back further in the time machine; seemed like many in the audience weren't even familiar with this song, or maybe they were just stunned and/or blissfully happy at that point. The set ended with an Out of the Black that was transcendent and raw at the same time. It is my son's favorite Neil song, and hearing it at his favorite Neil concert made it even better. Farmer John was a great closer, taking garage rock to places that it's never been before. The band looked totally happy, exhausted after leaving it all on the ice. Speaking of that, during the show Neil said it was great to be back in Boston "where you have everything...except Hockey"! Actually there's still lots of great hockey going on here, just not the NHL. So if you have some free time Neil, let me know and I'd love to bring you to a Beanpot or Super 8 for a truly unique sports experience.
The older that I get, the more that I love Patti Smith. If you haven't seen her perform before, the opening set was the perfect introduction. If like me you've seen her many times before, this was Patti in a new yet familiar way. I'd never seen her play to such a large crowd and was a bit concerned that it wouldn't be the same; glad to say that it wasn't, it was even better. In less than forty minutes, she played eight songs which included three from her new album Banga along with five others that stand at the top of the American Punk Songbook. She opened with Dancing Barefoot and it was majestic, drawing in the crowd almost immediately. I saw Patti a number of times when she started her comeback, and the first time was in a small church in Lowell during the Kerouac Festival. Just her and Lenny then, at least until Thurston Moore showed up on stage. At that show, she started out with Piss Factory (the original Punk record) and then took off her boots and did Dancing Barefoot. There's a video out from last year with First Aid Kit performing this song while Patti sits listening in the front row. Check that out sometime and see Patti as the emotion and joy takes over; it's like she lives her life for these moments.
April Fool was my favorite of the new songs, but all were excellent. She has the same fearlessness that Neil brings to each performance, and she is a true peer and kindred spirit. Before her fourth song, she talked about how much she admires Neil, how she's "listened to him since the 60's". She inspired the crowd and then launched into People Have The Power, a great performance that was followed by Southern Cross, which is from Gone Again, her comeback album from back in '95. I believe this was a very thoughtful choice for Patti: People Have The Power started when her husband Fred gave her the title and then said "go write a song, the world needs it"; Southern Cross is about carrying on after he's gone.
Because The Night followed and was a joy, then another song from Banga (I urge Neil fans to get a copy and listen to this great record). Finally the opening piano with its signal that Gloria was coming. Wonderful version from Patti and her band. I've seen many great performers open for Neil; Patti was the best and this was the best Neil Young concert that I've even been to.
It's cold this morning and some snowflakes are drifting down, swirling around the bare November trees. By now Neil and the Horse, Patti and her Band, and all the tour members are probably up and getting ready to head for NYC. I would love to be there tonight and I will be there in spirit. Can't wait to read Comments from those who attend. It really is a unique and wonderful thing that goes on here at Thrashers Wheat; nothing else quite like it. Go ride the music....
"What goes on inside is just too fast and huge and all interconnected for words to do more than barely sketch the outlines of at most one tiny little part of it at any given instant."
--David Foster Wallace
We'll tramp through the mire
When our souls feel dead
With laughter we'll inspire
Then back to life again
--Patti Smith
This review is dedicated to the memory of Randy Zapakin and to his loving wife and children. Randy was a Neil fan of the highest order. He was struck by a car earlier this month while taking his dog Mya for an evening walk. She was not injured in the accident, and he may have been protecting her when this tragedy occurred. Unfortunately I never met Randy but he was a really great guy, generous and kind in spirit and in action. My daughter is a friend of the family and enjoyed their hospitality on a number of occasions. When I first started posting on Thrashers Wheat, she would share my Comments with Randy's son and I'd hear back how much they enjoyed reading TW and what a great Neil fan his dad was. I thought of Randy often during last night's show; I'm sure he would have loved it and would be at tonight's MSG concert if he could.
Life can pass by in an instant. When we share music, joy and laughter with those around us we create moments that remain forever. Love and only love will endure!
Sat on the edge of my seat all night. Neil has never been better. We were not sure we would be able to go to this show, but at the last minute it all worked out. Now I really want to go see him in Bridgeport!!
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In one word, the Boston concert was Trancendent.
MIght have an extra GA West ticket (section right in front of the stage) for tonight to sell to a fellow rustie at face. Will try to reach out to the first person who responds with their email address or phone number. If you see a few people have already responded first assume its already been taken and we wont gum up the site here. Thanks!
Anyone else want to see Trunk Show? Go to this website and there's about three email addresses in there. Tell them what you think over there at Warner/Reprise. Maybe Thrasher should start a petition! Nice review Mr Henry! Real nice!! They better not hold back when the Alchemy movie comes out. I wonder how many of the same t-shirts do the boys have? Will make splicing them together seamless. Nice!
http://www.enr-corp.com/press_fs.asp?id=242912
Sitting on a bus line at the Lincon Tunnel. Neil and Patti are my dream show. Fucking TRAFFIC! Soooooo excited!
6:35...almost in the tunnel!
1Ummmm.....FLOORED! A Spiritual Experience for sure. Brought my Wife and 1ST Born....woke up to hugs all around! Eric
Saw Neil Young last night at the Garden and I can say that it was undoubtedly the most incredible live music performance I've ever experienced. Neil's stature and power were absolutely incredible. He ruled from an acoustic purr to the fiercest atonal feedback I've ever heard. The guitar sounds were HUMONGOUS. He is 67 years old and rocking SO HARD (he writhed on the floor during one solo)-- he
just blows everyone away, no contest. He's been a hero of mine for years now and last night was simply unforgettable. I left shaking. Long time Neil fans are reporting today that this was one of the best Neil shows ever.
My review, with my video of BORN IN ONTARIO: http://exm.nr/QoZGID
Exceptional review Harold, one of the best I've read after a Neil Young show! Love the comments from Ralph especially. At one point in the show, they zoomed in on Ralph and the guy sitting next to me said "That Yankees hat really blows, but the guy is a great drummer"!
Haven't watched the video but I will later on today. And I'm looking forward to reading your review of Patti's performance, especially from someone who saw her back in the day. Any shows at CBGB's? One of my best friends spent many nights there in the very beginning and has a whole book full of great stories about the shows he saw there and the things that revolved around them.
Saw show in Philly 11/29. Band sounded great and Neil prowled the stage. Feedback for 10 minutes while trash blew by was strange to say the least. All songs had extendo finishes which shortened the play list. Neil was at his fuzzy guitar best and voice was solid. It was primal Crazy Horse and they were rocking. Patti Smith also solid and sounded great
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