Birmingham: Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Reviews - June 11, 2013
UPDATES COMING IN MOMENTS --- REFRESH FREQUENTLY
9 photos of @neilyoung in concert at @thelgarena here: facebook.com/album.php?fbid… twitter.com/Junction10/sta…
— Jason Sheldon (@Junction10) June 12, 2013
Finally back from Neil Young, I've never been a gig like it. In 2 1/2hrs he played 15 songs!! It was v.differ to the last time I saw him.
— Vader(@SomeMightSay95) June 12, 2013
Neil Young & Crazy Horse. #birmingham twitter.com/someofitistrue…
— someofitistrue (@someofitistrue) June 11, 2013
Neil young.. Good save the queen. twitter.com/ste_routledge/…
— Stephen Routledge (@ste_routledge) June 10, 2013
Roadies setting up for @neilyoung & crazy horse. Not that you can see them mind twitter.com/Cottsy/status/…
— Andrew Cotton (@Cottsy) June 11, 2013
Neil Young & Crazy Horse will be performing tonight at LG Arena, Birmingham, England .
Got a report? Drop us a comment below.
Check Sugar Mountain for setlist updates and Chronological Grid, Recording Summary, Statistics and Extras.
Also, see Neil Young & Crazy Horse 2013 Concert Tour Reviews and the right, middle sidebar for continuous real time RSS feed updates.
Thrasher's Wheat Radio T-Shirts
Want one???
Here's how to support Europe reporting this summer
Don't be denied!
(Click photo to enlarge)
Labels: concerts, crazy horse, europe, neil young
by thrasher@PermaLink: 6/11/2013 03:37:00 PM
56 comments
>> Pre-Order on Amazon.com << 
Human Highway
Concert Review of the Moment
This Land is My Land
FREEDOM In A New Year
*Thanks Neil!*
![[EFC Blue Ribbon - Free Speech Online]](http://www.thrasherswheat.org/gifs/free-speech.gif)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Neil Young
Pardon My Heart
"We're The Ones 
Thanks for Supporting Thrasher's Wheat!
This blog 
(... he didn't kill himself either...)
#AaronDidntKillHimself
Neil Young's Moon Songs
Civic Duty Is Not Terrorism
Orwell (and Grandpa) Was Right
What's So Funny About 
56 Comments:
Managed to resist looking at setlists so far, cant wait for the surprise in Glasgow! Hope everyone is enjoying their Euro experience !
:-)
Davie from Scotland
Fucking incredible. Set list messed up and turned around. CORTEZ!
Kicked off with Love To Burn and just kept going through to Powderfinger 2.5 hours later. Cortez was particularly good.
Not sure what was the highlight, a glorious CTK or the sight of the man next to me head in hands wincing during the Walk Like A Giant feedback meltdown :)
Awesome, ragged, LOUD perfection! After Cinnamon Girl Neil said to Poncho and Billy "That was tight!" then seemed to have a argument with Poncho during Mr Soul about how to play. Neil missed off the final verse to Fu*@in' Up, only to be told by Poncho to carry. The band seemed to having a really good time on stage. Neil has a heavily strapped wrist that looked to be causing him a little pain towards the end of the set, I'm not surprised with the ferocity of his strumming/shredding the strings. Oh, and CORTEZ!!
Astonishing gig. Love to Burn? What a cracker. Cortez was sensational, walk like a giant immense, Cinnamon Girl kicked ass, Ramada Inn sublime, but the highlight for me was ... Fuckin' Up which was fucked up. Poncho's little rap was hilarious and Neiler conducted the crowd between two refrains - "Fuck up" and "Do it again" while Poncho did his rap. V funny. I have some videos from the front row. I'll upload them tomorrow.
Absolutely awesome!Cortez blew me away,l must admit the end of Giant could have been shorter,but thats a small gripe,l certainly smelt the Horse!Cant wait for Lpool in August crowd will go crazy from the off with Day in the life intro and will Neil sing a Beatles tune there ,l hope so! Imagine that!
The only gripe I had was it wasn't loud enough. We were say a third back on the floor and you could talk to your friend without shouting. Never a good thing
Other than that A+
Roll on London on Monday
AJ
Just fabulous....big crowd, great sound, lots of shiny bald heads and a few people leaving during the sonic blast that was the end of WLG. NY looked and sounded great, especially for me during Mr Soul. Thought Poncho's guitar was nice and loud too......
Another amazing night...all songs (and the ending were incredible).
If you did moan/sigh/walkout etc....then I respect your opinion...but you didnt write the songs..and you didnt have to go to the concert...and I presume you have never sold a large amount of records/cds/concert tickets etc.
The only thing that went on for to long was the walk back to the car park....felt like I was on a hunting trip through the Yosemite national.....the guy who designed this place...is the only 'Fxxk Up' I can think of tonight.
Great concert
Astounding. Thought the songs from the new album(and Neil's voice) sounded so much better live than on the album. Simply astonishing, and the sound was excellent from where I was standing. Amazing performance of Cortez the Killer and I may even have been converted to a fan of Fu*@in' Up
First time seeing him live, luckily i decided to check the set-lists of earlier shows, so i wasn't dissapointed with lack of 'on the beach'and my other obsessions . Stunning. I only knew 5 songs of the show, including Dylan.Would not think twice, definitely see him every chance i get from now on.
Newcastle was great, Birmingham was stunning, roll on Glasgow and hopefully it will be notched up another level. Walk Like A Giant was immense. Amazing to hear Love To Burn and a superb CTK.
Absolutely astounding!
If you're lucky enough to see work by Hockney or Tarantino, you wouldn't tell them how to paint or shoot movies, would you? Sometimes you just have to roll up, watch a master at work and thank your lucky stars you've been invited.
The gig was Neil in all his Ragged Glory. Grunge? Check. Rock n Roll? Check. Feedback? Check. Wilful determination to test his audience? Check. One of the greatest of modern day musicians on top form? Check, check and double check... with an egg on top.
Fuckin Up, Love to Burn, Cortez, Cinnamon Girl, Powderfinger, Heart of Gold, My My Hey Hey, Walk Like a Giant... and so much more.
Simply awesome. Late sixties and still so much to give, so much brio, so much spirit.
The fire was in his eyes at the end. You could tell it had been a great gig.
One word of warning - if you have only 'Harvest' in your cd collection and want to tick off a Neil Young gig then you may be in for an ear-bleeding surprise.
But just go... go and wonder at the genius.
Enjoy Glasgow. I'm envious.
Awesome! The guys really seemed to enjoy themselves amd Neil's voice was surprisingly strong.
Found a review here: http://stillgotthefever.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/neil-young-crazy-horse-lg-arena.html?m=1
Brilliant night in Birmingham... Neil seems really energized for this tour.. his vocals were great and I would love to know what effects he uses to get those sounds out of ol' Black... Really enjoyed the new songs... (would have liked to hear 'Born in Ontario' but hey ho.. Cortez and Mr Soul were amazing.. Was really impressed with the Horse's backing vocals too.. their harmonies added a lot to the (few!) quieter numbers... I agree with the comment below that the venue is a nightmare though.. It's a soul-less old barn with a crazy long walk back to your car, and you have to pay £8 for the privilege!
Was truly special. Cortez was worth the £55 alone. It all seemed to teeter on the edge of collapse at times, but that's what makes a Crazy Horse gig so special rather than a predictable bore. One woman by me only seemed to know Heart Of Gold, and another had their hands over their ears during the immense feedback outro to WLAG. Poor fuckers :)
Last time i seen Neil was in 1987 tour the guy was imense again so much better with the horse though. Fuckin up was funny .shame about rockin in thecfree world for the encore!
Hi guys. Birmingham review in my blog at www.stillgotthefever.blogspot.co.uk if it's of any interest...
Loved some of the comments to the crowd last night -
(To a request for T Bone ) "we don't get asked to play that often - but we know all the words!
(At the first end of F#@king up) "I've forgotten the last verse - I really like that one too"
Great performance; near-perfect setlist. Now, it feels like a dream.
I disagree with some of the comments above about the venue - it had decent, crisp sound for an arena, the staff were friendly and helpful, the layout was well-designed etc.
The only problem was parts of the crowd: people talking*; constant walking in and out (during Los Lobos, who played well); many left early. A lot of people in attendance were much more familiar with Harvest than anything by Crazy Horse.
This was my first Crazy Horse show, and I can't wait to see my next two in London!
*Fortunately the show was loud enough to nearly completely drown out the background noise!
I agree. I think the venue is ok. Modern arenas leave a lot to be desired but LG isn't bad at all. I've found that the sound is always pretty good there. Saw Roger Waters do The Wall a couple of years back and then saw the same gig a couple of weeks later at London's O2. LG was way better.
im surprised at the reviews on this site. went to Birmingham last night, 11th june...ive worshipped this man for 40 years, but last night...R I P a rock legend. hes lost it....far too self indulgent even though he has a reputation for it.... largely ignored the crowd and rarely spoke to us...some fairly obscure songs, but hey hey my my was one of the few highlights. most of the crowd, like me, seemed motionless and bored and only a very small handful in the standing area were moving.. at one stage he even said "I cant hear you guys..." well, that's because I was bored, unimpressed and hugely disappointed. he seemed to treat the fans with utter contempt,what a waste of money, waste of a perfectly good Tuesday evening, and the loss of 40 years adulation. R I P neil young, thanks for the memories, but....
What a showman! My husband and I were there last night and Neil rocked. This is my third neil concert and its the best so far. Contrary to other reviews I thought Neil interacted with the audience and the range of songs delivered showed the great diversity and talent of the man. Loved it, well worth the trip up from Wales - roll on the next one!
Fairly obscure songs? You mean songs from his most recent album, a couple of new ones and the rest were classics if you have any knowledge of his back catalogue. All played brilliantly. What exactly did you expect?
Testament to why NY is head and shoulders above any of his generation. The highlight of the night being a song "Walk Like A Giant" less than a year old when he has a back catalogue to die for; and played many classic track last night.
I love the Stones but you go to for Sympathy, or Tumblin' Dice not "Doom and Gloom"
Funny how the negative comments about this tour rarely if ever mention Crazy Horse. Is that maybe because those people don't own any albums by "Neil Young AND CRAZY HORSE", but bought a ticket to see them anyway and unsurprisngly didn't get what they expected.
Incidentially, when posting this comment the word I had to enter to prove I'm not a robot was "fucceeded", which I think is what Neil and the Horse did last night.
Anyone excpecting to fly with a trip through his back catalogue will be surprised but Neil's always played it this way - I'm a fan and understand his motives but at times so of the songs just rambled on and it is always the same song. He needs someone like Stills to break up the extended solos - e.g. 4 Way Street Carry On & Southern Man. Great to see him but I'd prefer a smaller venue and an acoustic set - I knew what to expect for what could be The Last Dance.
Thought last night's concert was great. As to critics I have seen Neil and Crazy Horse a number of times and this followed the expected format - predominantly loud with lots of extended guitar workouts and feedback frenzy at the end of tracks. Not forgetting a quiet interlude of course. As to his lack of talking or banter with an audience that has never been high on my list of what I want from a concert and most fans know and accept that's the way it is. Like it or not but it was hardly a surprise if you have been a fan for a long time. If you want witty banter stay at home and watch "Dave"! I thought set list was well balanced between old and new and a few surprises - Blowin' in the wind for example. We all have our favourites but how can he please everyone with his back catalogue? He can't, so he does what he wants and we judge. I for one was pleased I wentt and it may be the last time the Horse rides into the UK.
I thought he joked that he couldn't remember the words to t-bone!
I kind of got what I wanted - which was a NY and Crazy Horse gig but I can empathise with some of the others on here it was over indulgent at points (Walk like a Giant 5 mins plus of feedback - excellent if your a diehard but...)My only real gripe is why do a cover version of Blowing in the Wind? A fantastic back catalogue of songs he could of done and I have to endure 5 mins of Dylan - why not do an acoustic version of Like a Hurricane and really make everyone's night (well mine anyway)
CORTEZ!!!! You lucky people in Birmingham - I'm green of envy. Hope they'll play it in Cologne also!
Great night. Neil is so much better with the Horse. Loved all of it but Ramada Inn, CTK, WLAG and Powderfinger were special. Hope to see the Horse again.
No queuing getting out either.
I'm going out on a limb here - I prefer Neil solo with acoustic guitar & piano. I appreciate that this is the final horse outing and Neil pleases himself which is just dandy, to each his own but - seeing playing solo 'Love In Mind' or 'Ambulance Blues'is my preference.
I have ZERO ZERO ZERO sympathy for anyone complaining. You had A YEAR to figure out what you were going to see when the show came to yours. You have hundreds of resources, from this site (which you obviously know if you're posting here), to Sugarmtn, to YOUTUBE.
If you choose to stick your head in the sand when buying a concert ticket and not inform yourself, and then complain when Neil doesn't play what you thought he would or how you thought he would, then tough luck. Some people enjoy not knowing anything beforehand, but those also tend to be people who don't moan and complain about setlists and stylistic expectations and enjoy the moment.
I'm well past caring at what the complainers say, and at the point of just sighing and laughing at their self-inflicted foolishness.
I see no problem with prefering acoustic stuff. As long as you don't go to a Crazy Horse gig expecting it and then moaning later (which to my knowledge you haven't)
Never posted here before, but here is my comment. For me, most old bands/ artists are now little more than chicken in a basket cabaret acts just churning out the old hits & I include The Stones in that list.
I am seeing 5 shows this tour & went to a gig in Canada. If I thought Neil was in that cabaret category I would not waste my time or money.
Quite clearly this is born out by the range of comments that are being provoked by these gigs. In fact Neil has been provoking this controversey his entire career & more power to him. Think what the comments would have been like after the Tonights The Night gigs or Time Fade Away '73 gigs if Thrashers Wheat was around.
Me, I loved Paris & loved the start of last nights gig. Roll on London next week & the other two gigs.
i was dissapointed by the lack of interest shown to the crowd - 16,000 fans @ average of £60 per ticket is close to a million pounds revenue for one gig!
i had to leave to get the last train at 11pm so missed the final two numbers - which from the setlist were by far the best. so yes, no doubt the smug ones will say tough s**t to me but the over-long feedback seesions - he really lost it with all that litter being blown on stage - meant the time was wasted in getting to the tracks that would have stoked up the crowd. the majority of people there looked bored, and were bored - i say that having seen the legend 5 times now and that was easily the worst gig i've seen him play. i will be at the liverpool gig though and I will be staying overnight so I won't miss the encores!
As a newish and oldish Neil Young fan who thinks Cortez is the best noise ever made by a guitar, last night was worth the price and the trip for just one song. Not sure why people would complain, even in my limited knowledge I get that feedback is food for the Horse!
He gives them "Heart of Gold" and "Cinnamon Girl" and still they kvetch. He does extended jams and so called long time fans get upset...though they somehow don't know that going back to Day 1 that format has been an essential part of the Crazy Horse approach ("Down By The River" "Cowgirl.." etc.) Really, take a listen to "Live at the Fillmore East" from 1970! Get a flippin clue!
There's just no pleasing some people, unless he plays their personal set list. I think it is the curse of the iPod age.
Hey Neil, crush them with more feedback! Run them out of the halls!
This comment has been removed by the author.
Some shots from Birmingham last nite:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151402147816741.1073741838.712326740&type=1&l=103e86a7d5
I was there last night, first time I'd seen CH although I am familiar with a lot of NY & CH back catalogue, at times it was fantastic esp Cortez but at times it was self indulgent DURG...
Still a big fan but I doubt I'd bother again.
Not everyone is a die hard fan that feels Neil can do no wrong. That take time to visit this site relentlessly for info on what Neil is up to. Yes its true, some are just casual fans. They have a right to express their opinion on this site as to their take on the concert. They paid the cash, they took the time to post, just agree to disagree. No need to be mean. I seen the tour in Vancouver and thought it was incredible. Throw your hatred down.
Dug
http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5788213&postID=648848106463709775
After 40 years of being a 'Rustie' this was also my first ever sighting of God in all his glory.
Yes, I too thought that WLAG could have had 3 minutes chopped off the end but so what. I was watching the master at work and just knew that by the end we would have heard enough different songs to send us home happy.
I took a young lady, she'll like that :) with me and until we had got together a few months back she had never heard of Neil Young apart from vaguely hearing Heart of Gold on the radio sometimes.
I was worried it might all be a bit too much for her but at the end she looked at me, eyes sparkling, and said that was "totally brilliant".
Thank you Neil. She loves me even more now x
Fantastic show. First time I had seen him since the Broken Arrow tour when I was a kid and great to hear the gtr thunder again. I love 'Feedback Neil' and would happily double the outro to WLAG. Awesome noise jamz. Ramada Inn was my personal highlight, prefect blend of questing instrumentals and more lyrical depth than Neil has provided of late. Really inspiring to hear such crushing tones in a space so reminiscent of an airport/service station and used to stadium rock cheese fests. Horse forever.
As someone that stayed to the very end, and witnessed the huge lengthy ovassion given to the band by the 95% still full arena. I think it's more than safe to say the VAST majority truly loved the gig
Pardon My Heart but I'm not moaning about the set list and I certainly knew what to expect so don't hem me into the why doesn't he do Harvest crowd. And certainly this is much better than CSN trudging out their usual bonhmie nonsense. Let's just keep a balance to the comments. It's great to see NYCH but having seen the TNTN tour the songs from The Pill are not up to it.
I took my new woman to Birmingham last night, waitng to be let in at 5.30, standing in front of stage dead centre row 2 - from 6pm through till 11.20, and hooray - she 'got it'!
I loved 'Walk Like a Giant' it's changed a lot since I last heard it in Vancouver but I really didn't get Cortez last night so was surprised to read such good reviews.
Regarding T bone Neil said "We don't get asked for that much ... but we know the words!"
And towards the end of a wonderful F*cking Up Neil said "I can't remember the last verse!"
Poncho replied "Oh no, it's my favourite one." And with that Neil went right on with singing it word perfect!
As for songs being too long, Love to Burn could have gone on for the whole 140 minutes and I'd have been happy, the fewer songs at a Neil Young concert the better as far as I'm concerned! It's the extended solos and jams with Poncho during which I can close my eyes and be carried away with that I come to hear, I can listen to the stock versions at home anytime.
And, in my judgement, (30-40 concerts) Neil was quite communicative last night (but it is worth the waiting to be right by the stage so as to be able to see sprkle in the mans eyes and hear the 'off mike' stuff)
O2 Monday!!!
Thanks to all for your comments.
What a range of opinion & reaction. For us, this is what makes following Neil so fascinating.
We said something similar after the Newcastle show in response to some of the bewilderment by long time fans of not playing classics, long endings, not talking to audience, etc.
For us, these are dead giveaways. Long time fans don't want all classics, short endings, "Hello Cleveland's", or other similar rock star poses. We like our Neil & Horse rough, raw and ragged.
So it sounds like it must've been a perfect concert based on this range of opinions?
With both acoustic & electric, quiet & soft, new & old songs, that's what Neil's concerts have practically always been. A little something for everyone, if you will. Again, a near perfect setlist and not some random grab bag.
How can one man perform a concert and folks come away with such diametrically opposed opinions? That is the mystery & beauty of Neil.
I and my three elder brothers made a special trip as my 2 elder brothers are unwell but were both Neil Young Fans from his heyday. We were extremely disappointed by the concert. His new songs could have been written by a 12 year old and we have seen better bands jamming in the local pubs. How can such a great singer songwriter from the past put on such a poor show and rip off an audience of 14,000 , many of whom showed the same disappointed that we did and many left early as we did. A complete waste of time and money and heartbreakingly disappointing for my brothers.
The last time I saw Neil I left saying it was the best I'd ever been too ... last night didn't quite hit the heights and the band had to work hard at times to keep it together ... but the sound when it all clicked- wow!!! WLAG, Love to Burn, FU*@in' Up highlights
Audience a touch unresponsive (or aged!?), but a great ovation at the end - recognising that we had been touched by genius.
Get your tickets, you're in for a treat!
WOW!!! That was just amazing: committed, passionate, funny and so intense. Great set list AND Cortez! Into the groove from the very first bars: a wonderful long loud evening.
Shouted for Cortez and got it! Was nearly in tears. Great moment, great song, brilliant show
Brilliant show.....not as good as as manchester 2008 but probably a bit better than Glastonbury.
Love to burn was amazing,i'd never heard Surfer Joe before but I thought it was amazing on the night
The end of wlag was just 10 minutes of noise and I can't pretend to have loved it but what I do love is neils tendency towards the eccentric,it's what gives him an edge.He'll never become a tribute act and I love him for that.
He's the only one of the 'old guard' who's still got it....voice and guitar playing as well.
Am I the only one who thinks the forgetting the last verse to fuckin up was just tongue in cheek? Great version though,slower and broodier with a hilarious Poncho rap in the middle.
Post a Comment
<< Home