Neil Young News: New York City: Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Reviews

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Tuesday, November 27, 2012

New York City: Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Reviews - 11/27/12

Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Photo Gallery by brooklynvegan.com
From review on brooklynvegan.com:

It's not very unusual for artists who have been at it as long as Neil Young to keep their new material to a minimum at shows and focus on the old hits, but with four of his thirteen songs being off Psychedelic Pill and two of those passing the fifteen-minute mark, Neil did nothing of the sort. And those Psychedelic Pill cuts not only hold up, but were highlights of the show. The most inspiring moment for me came from the massive "Walk Like a Giant," which pieces together short verses with extended fuzz-drenched guitar solos and ended with about five straight minutes of psychedelic noise. Of course the show wasn't without the old Crazy Horse favorites too though. They ended the set with three of the best and most characteristic moments of their career, "Cinnamon Girl, a stretched-out "Fuckin' Up," and "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)." During that stretch of classic Crazy Horse, they also took things further back, squeezing in a cut from Neil's time with Buffalo Springfield, "Mr. Soul." They had a bit going on production wise too, with colossal mock Fender amps and a microphone, set up like a giant would be using them, a 50's-style TV screen that projected footage of the band on stage, and a road crew dressed as mad scientists and construction men. But overall, the show just felt like four guys rocking out together, and getting that from Neil Young in 2012 is a great experience to be part of.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse will be performing tonight at New York, NY – Madison Square Garden.

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.

Also, see Neil Young & Crazy Horse 2012 Concert Tour Reviews and the right, middle sidebar for continuous real time RSS feed updates.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Don't Be Denied!

Labels: concert, crazy horse, neil young, new york city, review, tour

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49 Comments:

At 11/28/2012 01:33:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Like nothing I have ever seen or heard before.
At 11/28/2012 07:58:00 AM, Anonymous said...: good morning NYC.

time to get up and talk about the show. hello....

rise and shine....
At 11/28/2012 08:22:00 AM, Anonymous said...: A little slow this morning. Tremendous performance.
At 11/28/2012 09:01:00 AM, Tim Hurley said...: I was kind of bummed about the general admission thing, but then security told us we were in the front GA section. Never saw Neil that CLOSE! Total polite Rust crowd with comfort and no pushing and shoving. Patti was also exceptional! What a night. Never saw the Garden that blown away by a show before (even other Neil shows)! Just a pure exceptional show. He sure is like a kid having fun with "Fuckin up"...full of gratitude today and a bit deaf.
At 11/28/2012 09:40:00 AM, Anonymous said...: OK,that's enough !
If Neil & his horse won't come over to europe we will have to invade the USA .

sincerely ; Europe .
At 11/28/2012 09:44:00 AM, Anonymous said...: ok , that's enough !
If NeiL & his horse won't come over to Europe , we will have to invade the USA.
We will come in peace and bring some beers !

Sincerely ,
A very jealous Belgian fan.
At 11/28/2012 09:55:00 AM, hiswife said...: Amazing show! It rocked from beginning to end and the guitar work was beyond what I have ever experienced at a Neil Young concert, now to include my ninth as of last night. Went with the expectation that he would play what he wanted, and a brief nod to the past was all that was necessary because the newer material is instant classic. Not to be missed if you love your Neil with a healthy dose of Crazy Horse!
At 11/28/2012 09:59:00 AM, Anonymous said...: DAILY SHOW TONITE'S THE NITE!!!
At 11/28/2012 10:47:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Great show. I first saw Neil (and Crazy Horse) 34 years ago on the Rust Never Sleeps tour at the Nassau Coliseum and they blew the roof off the joint. I'm happy to report the old man can still bring it. Seeing Neil and his commitment to living in the moment, and still having such joy in his art, was a thrill and an inspiration.
As noted in comments for earlier shows, some in the audience didn't seem to get they were at a Crazy Horse show and left early. And I swear half the crowd didn't even know Mr. Soul. Too bad for them.
At 11/28/2012 11:10:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Not for the faint of heart, last night. If you went in there expecting something different than what we heard (not that anyone should go into a Neil show with any expectations), you were surprised, but hopefully pleasantly so. Not that I'd call a Crazy Horse show a pleasant experience - it's full throttle, grab you by your throat, distortion laden, foot stomping rock 'n roll. Neil doesn't pretend otherwise when he's on stage with the Horse. Last night was nothing unexpected, but delivered perfectly.
At 11/28/2012 11:11:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Sorry Europe. Maybe just making up for the 1995 Euro NY&Pearl Jam Mirror Ball tour that I never saw :).

At least Roger Waters is bringing his massive Wall show to Europe next year - zzzzz - actually it was a good show - visually one of a kind - but of course lacks the passion, spontaneity, and sheer f'ck'd upness of a NYCH show. I don't want to hear a live show that is a note for note duplicate of the album, and Neil is definitely not playing anything note for note on this tour (except the acoustic stuff).

At least you get to enjoy the youtube stuff in 2012, which wasn't possible 18 years ago.

I know. It sucks.
At 11/28/2012 11:57:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Powderfinger - Madison Square Garden - HD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3I42AuKmH8
At 11/28/2012 12:20:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Mine was the first comment above in real time at 1:33 am. A few hours of sleep have not altered my conclusion.

I will also confirm what has been said about the large numbers departing early. In general, even among those that stayed there seemed to be only a minority really getting into it. Ultimatley I feel bad for them, for whatever reason unable to fully experience the magic that is NY&CH.

Possibly this was my best concert experience ever. I was in awe the entire night.
At 11/28/2012 12:45:00 PM, Tim Hurley said...: Oh...does anyone know if the girl that came out and wandered around wiyh her guitar was the same girl...Sun Green? She sute looked like her!
At 11/28/2012 01:23:00 PM, The Zuma Band said...: RE about some people leaving early. IIRC the last time I saw NY at MSG there was mention that some people left in order to catch the last/late trains going to New Jersey. Is this true?

In Boston I did not see any such exodus, as I had wondered about that based on some other negative reviewers' comments. The Garden was fairly full, except for the nosebleed seats, and the crowd was well into the show from start to finish.

Maybe that's why we got "Farmer John" heh heh
At 11/28/2012 02:34:00 PM, TomCrac said...: The night just got better and better.... I thought Everest did a solid set, sounded great. Patti Smith was so much better than expected, so glad I got to see her. Then Neil and the Horse just kept cranking and cranking the place up! I swear there were times that I thought, "If I let go of this railing, I am going to go tumbling backwards!" I was lucky enough to have been in the front row with a real good group of fans around us. Great vibe. It was one of the best shows I have been to.
At 11/28/2012 02:37:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Well, I have a colleague that lives in Jersey and he saw the whole show, and he said he recognized only about 3 or 4 songs. I took a train after midnight going north of the city, I had plenty of time, and I had to take two subways to get there.

So, for whatever reason perhaps you earned Farmer John. While another song would have obviously been a treat, I just find it impossible to even consider what the show wasn't, when it was so much.
At 11/28/2012 04:21:00 PM, Anonymous said...: "I just find it impossible to even consider what the show wasn't, when it was so much."

I agree with you Anonymous (at 2:37 PM). I thought it was a good mix of old and new. For the person who recognized only 3 or 4 songs, I wonder how much he has really listened to Neil over the years.

That said, New Yorkers - and I'm one - are a fickle bunch. In the hallways and stairwells afterward, alot of what I heard was disappointment and griping about how he didn't play such and such. After hearing that for the 6th or 7th time, I asked whether he could possibly play everything everyone wanted to hear and if they liked what they heard..."well, yeah, but..." Say no more. Enjoy what you heard, Neil and the boys put their all into it. As always. The Horse was not spooked last night!
At 11/28/2012 04:40:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Patti and Everest were great, really warming up the crowd. I love Neil but am not fond of some of the new stuff, especially the cacaphonous "Climber on the land..." I thought it would never end and it actually made me angry. Didn't get the concept. Sorry we missed Mr.Soul... we left before.
At 11/28/2012 04:53:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Anonymous said...
Patti and Everest were great, really warming up the crowd. I love Neil but am not fond of some of the new stuff, especially the cacaphonous "Climber on the land..." I thought it would never end and it actually made me angry. Didn't get the concept. Sorry we missed Mr.Soul... we left before.
===

And I thought you would never leave....

I love how folks roll Walk like a Giant, which is clearly the dividing force on this tour, into some much broader criticism of the new CD. Fact: there are only 4 songs from the new CD on the setlist. One of those - Ramada Inn - is widely considered one of the best songs ever written, recorded, and played by Neil. Twisted is an easy 3 minute song, and Ontario is a pretty little number. Singer without a song is a beautiful song - short and sweet. All the other songs are what most folks call "neil young standards". Sorry you didn't like a show that leaned so heavily on neil young standards :).

Hope you enjoyed listening to old man and heart of gold on your Iphone on the way to work this morning.

This show was dynamite.
At 11/28/2012 05:00:00 PM, Matthew L. said...: "Climber on the Land"? That's Walk Like a Giant, Anon.

And it made you ANGRY?

Wow.
At 11/28/2012 05:20:00 PM, Mr Henry said...: I agree Matt, Climber On The Land is a good one! Neil should share that w/ Thurston Moore who is a big fan of songs and band names that you don't quite hear correctly. He even has a side band that's called "Bark Haze" because that's what he originally thought the Bar Kays were called!?

And like the Rolling Stones sing kinda sort of "I'll never leave your pizza burning". Looking forward to watching Neil on The Daily Show tonight.
At 11/28/2012 05:29:00 PM, Tim Hurley said...: Yes, "Walk like a GIANT" was HUGE! When I saw them do it in Central Park, I thought King King himself had stepped into Manhattan to takeover. Neil has made the sound of a GIANT walking...
At 11/28/2012 05:29:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Yes, Anonymous (at 4:21) we NYers are a fickle bunch. There is obviously a subset of people that know the bulk of the old stuff and have been jamming to the new album for at least several weeks. For those people (at least me), this was the perfect show, and I think most of the comments here reflect that.

So at the end of the day, the question is whether Neil Young will cater to his best fans or not, which oh by the way also likely coincides with his own personal preferences as well. Fortunately we know where he came out on that front. He's just not going to dumb it down for the masses.

By the way, have to laugh at the myopic focus on the 8 minute ending to WLAG. Is it any different than space at a Dead show? I knew it would be long, so it offered me a great opportunity to go grab a drink.
At 11/28/2012 05:34:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Europe(well UK at least!)

PLEEEEAASE.......PRETTY PLEASE!!!!

Peace

Chrism
At 11/28/2012 05:51:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I was right on the rail, Poncho side, from 630 on. I have no clue what happened behind us, who left when or how into the show they were. But I know what happened on stage and it was everything I wished for... a total sonic assault by 4 men who hold nothing back and hide behind no smoke, no mirrors, no recordings, no added musicians, no effects. It is pure, primal, raw, ear bending, mind blowing rock n roll. I want to do it again. peace, further....
At 11/28/2012 06:53:00 PM, Anonymous said...: As always, Neil put on a great show. I learned a long time ago when I followed the Dead that it isn't what they play so much as how they play it. The same thing applies to Neil and he delivered in spades. That being said, the new songs seemed too much to handle for many in our section and they bailed right around Ramada Inn if I remember correctly. We also had the traditional sit or stand arguments. In fact, while Patti Smith was on, a man in the row in front of us stood up to allow a woman to pass who was coming across the aisle. I'd say he was up for about 3 seconds before people behind us started screaming for him to sit down. Arguing ensued and my hopes of standing for the show were quickly dashed. Overall, a great night though. The worst part of any Neil show is leaving and knowing you're probably not going to see him again for a while. I hope I'm wrong.
At 11/28/2012 07:04:00 PM, Dan1 said...: Totally agree with most of the sentiments here (ex-anon) ... Feel like its impossible to say it better than many who have posted previously so just wanted to share a few random thoughts ... have never seen a bad Neil show since my first in the 80s ... each time he puts in 110% and each has its own unique specialness, no exception this time, the new songs were each sublime, the energy of Neil and CH was ferocious, but fun, I never cease to be amazed by Neil's ability to roll out a new album, then bring the songs to life in a live performance, really stellar, a wonder that Neil keeps delivering time and time again. I was with a friend whose been around but had never seen Neil and was a casual fan which meant he recognized about 4 or 5 songs and he was totally blown away by the performance. Can't think of any other musician I've seen who is spot on every time, such a joy! For the last number of years (ex-FITR) the new songs have been the total highlight for me, last night too. Also, nice to see Neil in a good mood, having fun, and reunited with the Horse! Wasn't sure we'd see this again and surely glad we did!
At 11/28/2012 07:04:00 PM, Anonymous said...: def a rockin show! WLAG was a highlight i thought they ripped that tune and ive only herd it a few times. new yorkers are a very open bunch to say the least. I never expect a song to be played no matter who, might have a few in mind, but i guess seeing phish for the past 15 years does that to a fan. prob gonna hit the brooklyn show
At 11/28/2012 07:39:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I thought the show was fantastic and echo much of what's been said. It was a *long* 8 yrs waiting. My only gripe did anybody else think the sound was significantly lower than NYCH shows of past?? Not a bad mix...just moderate volume at best. I had nosebleeds seats and that could be it but I was convinced it just wasnt as loud as other NYCH have been and of course should be!
At 11/28/2012 07:42:00 PM, OLDTIMER said...: Seen Neil many times, first time was 1978 Rust Never Sleeps at MSG. Amazing that he is still rocking so hard after all these years, cause I sure have slowed down! My brother was with me and likes all the old stuff and 4 minute pop songs so he was bitching during WLAG. So when Neil went to the "Crazy Horse Time Machine" and called some in the audience "fuckin doubters" I pointed and told him that Neil heard him. Funniest I've ever seen when he was going through the albums and said "Everybody's Rockin....what the fuck was that!" Everest....never heard of them and then realized...hey that's the band from the Corona commercial!
At 11/28/2012 07:49:00 PM, OLDTIMER said...: Also I think Twisted Road worked much better acoustic. Patti Smith was tremendous, much better than I expected. My whole row left during Ramada Inn so left a lot more room for me!
At 11/28/2012 08:33:00 PM, Mr Henry said...: I saw and heard a lot of Dead space jams back in the 70's and the extended coda for Walk Like A Giant in Boston was absolutely nothing like any of those. Pretty much the only comparison I have is hearing Pillow Wand last year; that's a duo with Nels Cline and Thurston Moore. Even that doesn't really compare although it was totally fucking amazing. Maybe Cecil Taylor if he played guitar and was into rock and roll....

I am kind of surprised to hear how many were leaving the Madison Square show, especially after/during Ramada Inn. We had a number of folks leaving at the Boston show, but it was more later on and near the end.

And for all the Neil fans at The Gahden (and especially for those who couldn't be there but wanted to) here's The Dream Syndicate with the best Boston song (even if Steve does sing "I don't wanna be here anymore" and this is the longest URL in history)!

http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;_ylt=A2KLqIUwurZQLwEA7A77w8QF;_ylu=X3oDMTBrc3VyamVwBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDdmlkBHZ0aWQD?p=dream+syndicate+in+spain&vid=5488ac7fd86a479dcdde122fa2fe05ac&l=6%3A42&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts4.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DV.4603346783436859%26pid%3D15.1&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DvMD7YTgFjGM&tit=The+Dream+Syndicate+-+Boston+%28Live+in+Sala+Wah+Wah+Valencia%29&c=8&sigr=11ae3g3a8&&tt=b
At 11/28/2012 08:36:00 PM, Anonymous said...: LOVED last night!!! So much more energy than w/the solo tour...he feeds off Crazy Horse. And all the special effects and stuff were pretty neat & creative...Neil never stops innovating. And the ENCORE w/Roll Another Number--I LOVE that song and have never heard it live and have been a Neil fan for 35 years.
At 11/28/2012 10:06:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Can't wait for Bridgeport...the reviews here are stellar...far better overall than some of the previous tours! Can't believe my luck...to have GA floor tix...I will dance like a giant on that land! Can't get enough of that tune actually...as strong as anything Neil has put out prior I believe. See you there....
At 11/28/2012 10:08:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Can't wait for Bridgeport...the reviews here are stellar...far better overall than some of the previous tours! Can't believe my luck...to have GA floor tix...I will dance like a giant on that land! Can't get enough of that tune actually...as strong as anything Neil has put out prior I believe. See you there....
At 11/28/2012 10:44:00 PM, doubters 1 said...: so many mentions of the Dead. remember when they would play 3 shows before repeating a song ? Neil Young could learn from that. The new songs are sub-par at best. But he really looks to be having fun and thats hugely contagious. Even with my disappointment over these old, rehash, retreads, tired melodies , live its worth the trip.
At 11/28/2012 11:26:00 PM, Jim said...: Sub-par at best?..........LOL.
At 11/29/2012 03:19:00 AM, Nicolas S said...: To anan@5:34
I don't understand your comment: UK is not Europe ;o)
Anyway, please Neil, come to Europe (I mean france, Belgium, Germany, etc...) next year!

Nicolas
At 11/29/2012 04:29:00 AM, Anonymous said...: To Nicholas 03:19:00 AM,

Fair enough! - I'll re-phrase:

Neil, please bring the Horse over to 'this' side of the Atlantic

PRETTY PLEASE.......!!!!!

Peace, Chrism
At 11/29/2012 06:24:00 AM, Anonymous said...: "so many mentions of the Dead. remember when they would play 3 shows before repeating a song ? Neil Young could learn from that."

Why? You went to 3 shows?

And the new stuff is sub-par at best? It's just hard for me to imagine this comment.
At 11/29/2012 09:59:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Maybe this is true in most arenas that can handle Neil these days, but I think that because tickets are so expensive at MSG, you get rich fans rather than real fans.

Many people seem to be more concerned with being seen than listening to the show.

I sat for most of the show (in disbelief that everyone around me insisted on sitting during what everyone seems to agree are songs that showcase some of Neil's best guitar work in the last 20 years), and when My My Hey Hey began I stood and rocked out the whole time. Alone.

On one hand I didn't let the disinterest of the masses (though many had left by the time Neil went back on the "time machine") ruin the show for me. On the other, the economics of big time concert music favor well heeled (less than) casual listeners over real fans.

I observed the same thing when Springsteen played MSG last April. There was a core of diehard fans. But most seats were filled by fans of the Greatest Hits, and they talked loudly through new songs.

I'd like to think that a show in a place that is more down to earth than Manhattan will still be filled by real fans.

At this point, I'm worried that the Crossroads (Clapton and crew) festival coming to MSG in April will fall on disinterested ears.
At 11/29/2012 10:13:00 AM, Tim Hurley said...: Still tickets, (Not too pricey) for Brooklyn! Can't wait! Twice in a week! I have great seats in BKLYN, but can't believe I'd rather be back on the floor. Those were such great tickets and I've never been so close to Neil, (with NO pushing and shoving)!
I still would love to know if the girl with the guitar was Sun Green...(I would figure some RUSTIE would know if that was the same Sun as the Greendale show). See everyone in Brooklyn!
At 11/29/2012 11:29:00 AM, Marc said...: I was lucky enough to catch Neil 3x on this tour-- I went on vacation with my girlfriend to SF for Outside Lands, caught them on our home turf in Austin at ACL Fest, and then was back in NY for Thanksgiving and took my Dad to MSG for a delayed Father's Day gift (since the tickets went on sale the week of FD, I believe). Not a bad way to spend 3 nights of you life with good company, right??

The SF and Austin shows, because they were fests, lacked all the production aspects of the NYC show. And they also lacked Neil really chatting and the band interplay between songs (probably because of hard curfews outside at Golden Gate and Zilker parks). At those two shows, they just put their heads down and blasted away it seemed like.

The MSG show was awesome because of the production and chatter. The feedback from Walk Like A Giant's outro makes much more "sense" in the context of the "no rain/get away from the speaker towers" announcements, etc-- not that I had a problem with it in SF or Austin, since loud distortion is what I love in general.

Really thought the MSG crowd was great. We were all the way up in the nosebleeds with a nice view of the stage and the crowd. I was pleasantly surprised to not see many folks leaving early; A couple to my left jetted after Ramada Inn, but that was all I really noticed. (If they had just stuck around, they would have gotten "the hits" but they also could have been leaving to catch a train. They certainly didn't seem annoyed at Neil while leaving!)

One thing I was wondering about, because they didn't do this in Austin or SF: What's up with the pump organ, unmanned, during Born in Ontario with a spotlight on it? And did Neil really just play along with a triggered pump organ part? That's a complete unnecessary flourish that he should skip-- or just find a roadie who can play pump/accordion and do the part LIVE. Oh well, if that's my criticism from 3 shows, I can't really complain.

All in all, I was SLIGHTLY disappointed that I didn't get to hear Cortez, Hurricane, Helpless or Farmer John at MSG. Having already heard Roll Another Number in SF, I was hoping for the encore to be something else. But, no biggie, especially since I got to see/hear the 1 performance of DBTR from 20 people back in Austin. Once again, there are a lot of other things to worry about in life and being upset about hearing Roll Another Number twice in a 6 month period is certainly the least of my problems!

I'm tempted to look into a vacation in Australia for one more show, but that's borderline obsessive. I think. Either way, hoping we get 1 more Crazy Horse album before he puts 'em back in the barn.
At 11/29/2012 12:39:00 PM, Anonymous said...: The million dollar question is what band Neil puts together when he does indeed put The Horse back in the barn.

Since the passing of Long Grain, we've had a solo record and two with the Horse...stay tuned...
At 11/29/2012 01:16:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I was bummed about my seats. Way high up on the side. I don't see how they are worth $100. But the show was killer. I hope this is not the last time he does it this way with the Horse. I just wish I was closer. Yes, people were leaving and complaining at the end of "Walk Like a Giant" which was my favorte song--especially the ending. I don't care if they leave. More fun and room for me.

What DOES bother me are idiots like the woman who DANCED and CLAPPED to "Needle and Damage." I hate fools like that.
At 11/29/2012 01:40:00 PM, barrooman said...: @11/29/2012 09:59:00 AM

"At this point, I'm worried that the Crossroads (Clapton and crew) festival coming to MSG in April will fall on disinterested ears."

feel your pain brother but i gots to go anytime that jeff beck and eric will share the stage and licks!! they did three years ago but unfortunetly for only around thirty minutes. people for the most part where checking their phones and waiting for forever man!!!

i passed on the garden this time because i'm going tonite and i saw the central park show. 08 was colossal!!!
At 12/02/2012 01:44:00 PM, irishbill said...: Hey, late to commenting, but had great seats for Neil/CH/MSG, have even better ones for the Barclay's show tomorrow in Bklyn!. Last time I saw the crew was at Jones Beach with Jewel (!!) opening...Patti Smith quite a few notches above that. Only discordant note was huge American flag unfurled at beginning of set with band singing along to National Anthem........I'm a Marine Vietnam vet and I don't need this bullshit patriotism when I go to a Neil show-----he's Canadian for Christ sake. Why was this even done?
At 12/04/2012 02:40:00 PM, irving19 said...: So glad Neil left Burt back on the ranch for this tour. But where was his wife? She usually does backup vocals.