CONCERT REPORTS: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Albuquerque, NM, August 3, 2012
Photo by Pat "Barefoot Floors" Quinn
(Click photo to enlarge)

"EQUAL TIME FOR PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE"
~~Official T-shirt of Neil Young & Crazy Horse 2012 tour

Setlist from Sugar Mountain:

1. Love And Only Love
2. Powderfinger
3. Born In Ontario*
4. "Walk Like A Giant"*
5. The Needle And The Damage Done (acoustic solo)
6. Twisted Road* (acoustic w/ the band)
7. For The Love Of Man/I Wonder Why*+
8. Ramada Inn*
9. Cinnamon Girl
10. F*!#in' Up
11. Psychedelic Pill*
12. Mr. Soul
13. Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)
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14. Jesus' Chariot
15. Roll Another Number

* - song debut
+ - 1981 studio outtake

Only Neil Young would tour in support of his new Americana album, play one song off of it, but play six other new songs no one's heard. Nice

— Timothy Magaw (@timmagaw) August 4, 2012

***Seven*** song debuts! From comment below: LAOL was 13 minutes, Walk Like a Giant was 19 and Every Morning Comes the Sun was 17.


Mr. Soul

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Albuquerque, NM, August 3, 2012
Photo by Steve Snowden/Getty Images
(Click photo to enlarge)

From Neil Young and Crazy Horse Launch Tour With New Tunes in Albuquerque | Music News | Rolling Stone By Andy Greene:

"The title of the next song was unclear – it could be "Walk Like a Giant" – but it begins and ends with Young and Sampedro whistling together into the mic, and it's one of the most powerful songs Young has written in years. The feedback coda on this one must have lasted a full five minutes, with Molina pounding on his drum kit like an invading warrior. Here's hoping the rest of the new disc lives up to the promise of this one. "

(Thanks SD!)

"Oh yeah, I have a song called 'Albuquerque.' ...We should have played that." --Neil Young, right after his Albuquerque concert, probably.

— New Mexico News (@New_Mexico_News) August 4, 2012

Also, see Neil Young News: PHOTO GALLERY & Concert Review of the Moment: Neil Young & Crazy Horse @ Albuquerque, New Mexico.

\/ \/ \/ MORE COMMENTS, REVIEWS, LINKS BELOW \/ \/ \/

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Neil Young & Crazy Horse

Neil Young & Crazy Horse will be performing tonight at Albuquerque, New Mexico - The Pavilion.

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.

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In The Spirit of Crazy Horse

"In The Spirit of Crazy Horse"
National Geographic Magazine - August 2012
(Click photo to enlarge)

With the Neil Young & Crazy Horse tour kicking off tomorrow in Albuquerque, New Mexico, everyone is levitating with anticipation.

Even National Geographic Magazine is hyping the reunion this month with a cover story "In The Spirit of Crazy Horse".

More on Neil Young & Crazy Horse 2012 concert tour and reviews.

(Thanks Howell!)

UPDATE: Based on a comment below, we would just like to state that this post was done "tongue in cheek" and was not intended in any way to trivialize Crazy Horse or Native Americans/Indians.

Please note our previous piece Crazy Horse: A Noble American History and the ensuing uproar. As evidenced by the post, we have nothing but the utmost respect for Native American history, And for that matter, indigenous peoples around the world.

In addition, it was our hope that folks would follow the NG link and go read the wonderful article. Maybe some TW readers would learn a thing or 2 they didn't know about our Native American history. MAybe we could have strongly encouraged that in the original posting?

Not to get too off track here, but in order to return to a sustainable global model, we -- as modern humans -- need to go back and learn from indigenous peoples how to live sustainably.

Lastly, we admit that we are beyond excited about the reunion of the band Crazy Horse and can not wait to see the concerts. If our enthusiasm clouded our judgement, so be it. Apologies for any offense taken which was not intended.

peace

...

From TW sidebar:
"When all the trees have been cut down,
when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted,
when all the air is unsafe to breathe,
only then will you discover you cannot eat money."
~ ~ Native American Prophecy

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TOUR DATES & REVIEWS: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - UPDATED

UPDATE: For all the latest tour updates, be sure to check the main page Neil Young News.

UPDATE: Presales Codes for Tickets to Neil Young & Crazy Horse Tour Tickets.


Neil Young & Crazy Horse
(Click photo to enlarge)
Neil Young & Crazy Horse tour dates for 2012 have been announced.

From Neil Young And Crazy Horse Set U.S. Tour Dates | Music News | Rolling Stone:

UPDATE:

Neil Young and Crazy Horse have announced that they will hit the road in North America this fall for their first tour together since 2004 for "A Vinyl Evening With Neil Young & Crazy Horse”." Check out the tour dates below, and check back to NeilYoung.com for the on-sale dates. Each ticket comes with a physical copy of “Americana!

with Los Lobos (1st Leg) & Patti Smith (2nd Leg)

8/3 Albuquerque, New Mexico - The Pavilion
8/5 Morrison, CO – Red Rocks
8/6 Morrison, CO – Red Rocks
8/9 Lake Tahoe, NV - Harveys Outdoor Arena
8/10 San Francisco, CA – Outside Lands
9/22 Farm Aid 2012, Hershey, PA - Hersheypark Stadium
9/29 Global Festival - Great Lawn, Central Park, New York City, NY

10/3 Windsor, ONT – WFCU Centre
10/5 Kingston, ONT – K ROCK Centre
10/6 London, ONT – John Labatt Centre
10/8 Cleveland, OH – Wolstein Center
10/09 Pittsburgh, PA – Petersen Center
10/11 Chicago, IL – United Center
10/13 Austin, TX – Austin City Limits
10/14 Tulsa, OK – Tulsa Convention Center
10/17 Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
10/20 & 21 Bridge School Benefit - Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
10/25 Tuscaloosa, AL - Tuscaloosa Amphitheater
10/26 Voodoo Fest, New Orleans

3rd Leg

11/10 Seattle, WA – Key Arena
11/11 Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
11/13 Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
11/14 Saskatoon, SK – Credit Union Centre
11/16 Winnipeg, MB – MTS Centre
11/19 Toronto, ONT – Air Canada Centre
11/20 Kitchener, ONT - Memorial Auditorium
11/23 Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
11/24 Ottawa, ONT – Scotiabank Place
11/26 Boston, MA – TD Garden
11/27 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
11/29 Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
11/30 Fairfax, VA – Patriot Center
12/03 Brooklyn, New York - Barclays Center
12/04 Bridgeport, CT – Webster Bank at Harbor Yard
Hurricane Sandy Benefit Concert - Atlantic City, 12/6/12

In other random tour news...

In the recent interview with Shepard Fairey and Neil Young in Rolling Stone by Steve Baltin, an interesting comment was made regarding future Crazy Horse tour plans and Fairey's art:

"The art will be the backdrop for this short tour that we’re doing," Young said of the upcoming Americana dates, which he described as "really a very short tour."

So. A "very short tour."?!

That news may come as a disappointment for fans hoping to catch dates around the Americanas and elsewhere around the world.

And if that's not puzzling enough, how about this other news nugget from Rolling Stone by Andy Greene where Neil Young explains Buffalo Springfield's aborted reunion and possibly touring again:

"That could happen," says Young. "But it's not happening now. I'd be on a tour of my past for the rest of fucking time, which I can't do. I have to be able to move forward. I can't be relegated. I did enough of it for right then, but there is this seed of something great still there. It's worth exploring again."

So Crazy Horse tour? Short.

Buffalo Springfield tour? Maybe.

The plot thickens.

More Neil Young & Crazy Horse 2012 tour news.

In the meantime, enjoy the Americana release!



UPDATE: For all the latest tour updates, be sure to check the main page Neil Young News.

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The Emotional Resonance That Is Neil Young

Neil Young
Avery Fisher Hall, New York City, NY, April 24, 2011
Photo by Norman Y. Lono
(Click photo to enlarge)

Sometimes folks will ask why we do what we do here.

And sometimes we wonder ourselves. But every now and then you get a note that touches your soul and the answer becomes self evident... what we call "Neil Stories".

So pull up a chair, sit down, clear your mind, and ponder this letter from Shane.

Thrasher,

Thought maybe you might be interested in hearing this, as it is always something that has put a smile on my face (and maybe a few tears in my eyes).

I don't recall the exact time I really started to get into Neil's music, but once I did I devoured everything I possibly could find. This would have been right around the time that Prairie Wind came out, and I was entering my late teens. Working through Neil's back catalogue is a truly rewarding experience, as I'm sure you're well aware.

Needless to say I was hooked, and would play Neil albums whenever I could. This meant a lot of long road trips in Canada to university with my parents and them listening to my Neil Young cd's the entire way. While my parents grew up during the 60s and 70s, I wouldn't say they were big fans, but they knew a good deal of the songs. The acoustic-based songs especially. My mother in particular loved (as do I) Neil's version of "Four Strong Winds," and would always ask me to put it on whenever I played any Neil music. I always loved to do so because it felt good to share this common love for the music with her, even if it meant listening to her attempt to sing along!

Anyways, in the summer of 2005, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. This was obviously a trying time for everyone in our family, even if my mother approached it with a positive attitude. I found it especially difficult being away from home for a significant portion of time at university. While I had (likely naively) thought that this would be something that my mom would have to deal with for a number of years (and hopefully beat), in November of 2007 I was phoned early in the morning and told to get to the airport to fly home. My mother was in hospital, dying.

It is hard to put into words the scene of entering the hospital room, seeing friends and family gathered around my mother lying in the bed. She was still alive, but in a coma-like state where she couldn't speak to us, but she was able to react if we talked to her, if only in a limited fashion. I've never felt a worse or more hopeless feeling in my entire life, and I couldn't stop thinking about my mom in that position, still conscious that we are all there but unable to communicate with us. It was heartbreaking and terrifying.

I don't know what lead me to think of it, but I had my iPod with me from the flight home, and of course I had some of my Neil Young albums on there to listen to as well. I decided that if she was conscious of what was going on, that it was probably a terrifying situation for her. I had always felt like my mother and I were cut from the exact same cloth, so I just did what I thought I would want. I asked my dad if it was okay, and I put the earbuds in her ears and put on Neil's version of "Four Strong Winds" for her to listen to.

I hoped that if she was going to die, that at least one of the last things she would get to hear would be this song that she always loved, and that we were always able to share together. After I put the song on for her, we could see her lips moving to try and sing along to the song. She couldn't actually speak, but I know from her reaction that she could hear what I was playing for her. I really truly hope that it provided her with some measure of comfort and warmth in that moment, and I really believe that it did.

Come April 2009, I was ecstatic because I was going to finally be able to go to my first Neil Young concert, in my hometown no less (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario). It really wouldn't have mattered what he played because I was just beyond excited to be at the show, but in the back of my mind I really hoped to hear "Four Strong Winds." I like to follow Sugar Mountain and read the set lists from previous shows, and I had noticed that in the previous 5 or so shows in Canada prior to the Sault show he hadn't played the song. I wasn't really expecting him to - there are so many songs he could play.

But then, during his acoustic set, it happened, and he played it. I don't know why he chose to play it (maybe due to going out to western Canada, it fits the lyrics), but in the time that song was being played it didn't matter. I thought of my mother the entire time, and i know that I welled up with tears in my eyes. Even though I know it's not why it was played, it didn't matter, and it still doesn't matter. In that moment, it felt like the song was played for my mother, and it felt perfect for me. I don't think any other concert experience I will ever have will eclipse the emotions and feelings for me there.

I thought on the cusp of a new Neil Young tour, it was an appropriate time to share this story with you. To me, it shows the transcendental nature of music, and live music especially. It's not even a Neil Young-written tune - but it doesn't matter. His version to me will forever be THE version of the song, and that performance will forever be a personal moment I'll never forget. It just makes me think of all of the different ways people can interpret and be affected by Neil's music - a song will mean something to Neil specifically, but it might mean something else entirely to one of his fans who hears it.

To me, that's the beauty of music, and of Neil's music in particular. There's an emotional resonance to it that sticks with you - it comes from an honest place and stirs something inside of you. He turned this Ian Tyson song into something intensely personal that I'll have forever more as a link between my mother and I.

Sincerely,

Shane

Thanks Shane for sharing. wonderful memories. May the four strong winds always blow your way.

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Memories of Neil Young at the Vancouver Olympics 2010

Neil Young
"Long May You Run"
Vancouver Olympics Closing Ceremony: Winter Games 2010
PHOTO by Getty
With all the hoopla and drama of the Olympics in London, we thought it would be nice to remember the Vancouver Olympics 2010 Closing Ceremonies with Neil Young.

Neil Young performed "Long May You Run" for the Vancouver Olympics Closing Ceremony: Winter Games 2010. As snow gently drifted down from above, Neil strolled about with his harmonica rack and Martin guitar.

Following Young's performance, the cauldrons were extinguished and the torch arms retracted, bringing a symbolic coda to the Olympics finale.





Neil Young Extinguishes Olympic Flame
"We've been through some things together
With trunks of memories still to come"

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PBS Broadcasting The Bridge School Concerts

PBS will start broadcasting The Bridge School Concerts as a one hour pledge drive show in August.

The content for the show comes form the Bridge School Concerts 25th Anniversary DVD set (review) and viewers who pledge will receive Bridge CDs and DVDs, in traditional PBS fashion.

We've really enjoyed our Bluray discs and have loaned them out to a couple of friends on several occasions. A REM fan who we know was completely blown away by R.E.M. & Neil Young on "Country Feedback" in 1998, one of our all time favorite Bridge School Benefit memories.

Organized by musician Neil Young and his wife, Pegi, the Bridge School Benefit Concert is an annual, all acoustic, non-profit charity event held every October at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. Some of the biggest names in music participate in these concerts, and the 25th Anniversary held in October 2011 was no exception. Artists involved included Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Pearl Jam, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, The Who, Tom Petty,Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, The Pretenders; Ben Harper; Bonnie Raitt; The Dave Mathews Band; James Taylor; Tom Waits, Brain Wilson and many more. Anamorphic Widescreen

Stations broadcasting (so far):

• WVPT - Shenandoah Valley and Central Virginia's public television station
• KQED Public Media for Northern CA
• Rocky Mountain PBS
  

Coming soon to additional PBS stations throughout the USA. Check your local PBS affiliate for dates and show times.

Hopefully this will help both PBS and the Bridge School....plus show people around the country what they are missing at Shoreline each October.

Bridge School Concert 25th Anniversary package set.

More on 25th Anniversary 2011 Bridge School Benefit Concert.

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Your Sunday Morning Sermon

Calvary Chapel - Nederland, Colorado
(Click photo to enlarge)

We get mail...

Hey Thrasher - there's hardly a day goes by I don't check the site! Can't wait for the two Crazy Horse shows I'm seeing - Red Rocks on 8/5 and Tulsa in October!

Speaking of Colorado, I'm a resident of Arvada, a suburb northwest of Denver. Today I was driving through the nearby mountain town of Nederland when I spotted this sign (attached photo). Glad to see that a local preacher is a Neil Young fan. But maybe he should have waited until Sunday, August 5 to deliver that sermon!

Keep up the good work!

Kevin D.

Thanks Kevin! An intentional typo, we suppose? Or maybe the preacher was just hyping the upcoming Crazy Horse concerts?

Somehow, we don't think we;ll hear "Heart of Gold" on this tour.

Enjoy the Red Rocks concert!

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