Review of the Moment: Neil Young & Crazy Horse's Australia Concert Tour

Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Perth Arena, Perth, Australia - 3-2-2013
Photo by Lee B. | Facebook
The positive review of Neil Young & Crazy Horse's Down Under adventures just keeps getting better.

From review of March 9th & 10th 2013 @ Bimbadgen Winery & Sydney Entertainment Centre concerts on Neil Young & Crazy Horse on Tone Deaf - The Home Of Australian Music by Paul Busch:

The need to take a deep refreshing drink of Neil Young and Crazy Horse each time they come to Australia is always something that the faithful believers of his art will try their best to do.

The people that ‘get’ Young and his muse come with open eyes and ears knowing that whatever is offered up will be honest, soulful, and mesmerising. He and Crazy Horse proved that New South Wales would not soon forget this galloping force after two stellar gigs at Bimbadgen Winery in the Hunter Valley on Saturday and at the Entertainment Centre in Sydney this past weekend.

From the opening and extended jam of “Love And Only Love”, the Horse was in full flight from the get go. This sonic force washes over you and then eventually Young sings and you sigh with wonder that his voice has not lost that aching quality.

For 15 minutes Frank “Poncho’’ Sampedro and Young duel with their guitars while the equally stunning Billy Talbot lays down a solid wall of bass. Ralph Molina is a modest rock on the drums.

This first number is just an announcement to all where this concert is going tonight. It will be loud, it will have feedback, and it will be amazing.

Full review on Tone Deaf - The Home Of Australian Music by Paul Busch.

Also, see all Neil Young & Crazy Horse 2013 Concert Tour Reviews.

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A Day On The Green, AUS Concert Reviews of Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Mar 16, 2013

Alchemy Tour
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Neil Young & Crazy Horse will be performing tonight at A Day On The Green - The Hill Winery, Geelong, Australia.

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.

Don't Be Denied!

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VIDEO: "Danger Bird" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Melbourne, AUS, Mar 13, 2013

Here's a glorious YouTube video of "Danger Bird" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse from Melbourne, AUS concert on Mar 13, 2013.

This was the tour debut of "Danger Bird" at the epic 3 hour first night of Melbourne.

It's been almost ten years since the song last played at Radio City Music Hall, New York City, New York, on 2004-03-20 per Sugar Mountain - Neil Young Set Lists.

Unfortunately, video cuts after ~11:00, but still has great vibe and feel.

And I know we should be free (With the rain pounding on his back he recalls)
But freedom's just a prison to me (the moment that he cracked long ago in the museum)
'Cause I lied to keep it kind (with his friends)
When I left you far behind. (And like those memories the rain keeps pounding)
down, down, down

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Neil Young & Crazy Horse Melbourne, AUS Concert Reviews - Mar 15, 2013

Alchemy Tour
Neil Young & Crazy Horse

Neil Young and Crazy Horse killed it again in Melbourne. Seriously, he's performing at a whole other level!.

— silvia monzon (@SteelGaffneygnl) March 15, 2013

Neil Young: I've seen bands a third of his age that don't rock nearly half as much.

— Ben Carson (@somerandomben) March 15, 2013

Neil Young and Crazy Horse played another sizzling show tonight in Melbourne, just as good as Wednesday night!

— Richard Sharman (@blackshadowpix) March 15, 2013

Neil Young just melted my face off. #thatisall

— Matthew Rees (@mrees1985) March 15, 2013

Neil young. twitter.com/andreamaryb/st…

— Andrea Bowden (@andreamaryb) March 15, 2013

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Neil Young & Crazy Horse will be performing tonight at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia.

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.

Don't Be Denied!

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EPIC + Cortez Video: Melbourne, AUS Concert by Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Mar 13, 2013

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Cortez the Killer [Live Melbourne 13/3/2013]

Epic.

That's what we're hearing over and over again, my friend, regarding last night's Neil Young & Crazy Horse concert in Melbourne, AUS. Clocking in at 3 hours, the longest Alchemy tour show so far with 18 songs. Dangerbird, Barstool Blues and Sedan Delivery are tour debuts with Cortez The Killer making first appearance of 2013.

An amazing night by all accounts.

The setlist breaks down as follows:

American Stars and Bars 1
Everybody Knows This is Nowhere 1
Harvest 1
Life 1
Psychedelic Pill 4
Ragged Glory 1
Rust Never Sleeps 3
Reactor 1
Unreleased 2
Zuma 3

Has there ever been a better set list than this one?! (Thanks Mr Henry!)

Alchemy Never Sleeps (in Melbourne)?

After some of the earlier doubter reviewers, we were wondering what was going on Down Under but it would seem that all of Australia has come to its senses and are now "believers".

Witness Blogger winterlong who said...

To quote Stevie Wonder,

"I'm too high, I'm too high, hope I never ever come down".

The Plenary gig was transcendent.

I don't expect the Horse to match it at Rod Laver, but really don't care.

To have been there, was to witness some of the most alive and truly live,performance moments. Neil was right out there, and the Horse did there best to follow. The guitar work was awesome's big daddy, and the Crazy horse harmonies, angelic.

Danger Bird...what a treat! It was so slow, the whole thing was in danger of stopping mid air, but somehow, miraculously, the bird flew, and soared. Incredible. Sedan delivery and Barstool blues, also unforgettable. It felt like we were carried into a timeless space, and honestly, I could have stayed all nite in that space. It was amazing to see the time at the end.

There was magic over the band, and magic for all with eyes to hear, see and feel.
I've been to many NY gigs over the years.
Nothing...nothing comes close to this gig.

Thank you Neil.
Thankyou Crazy Horse.
Godspeed to you and yours,
see you on Friday nite for more 'hit you in the heart' music.
I've thrown away all my medicine.
I've taken the cure. :-)

So glad you got a transcendent gig "Winterlong". Thanks for the comment.

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Melbourne, AUS Concert Reviews of Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Mar 13, 2013

3 hours of @neilyoung & Crazy Horse tonight! Great to see Cortez the killer get a run.#2moretogo twitter.com/Matt_W_JBaus/s…

— MattW (@Matt_W_JBaus) March 13, 2013

Early reports are a EPIC, blowout night in Melbourne.. 3 hour concert!! The event of the season.

Setlist: Love and Only Love~Powderfinger ~Born in Ontario~ Walk Like a Giant~ Hole in the Sky ~Heart of Gold ~Twisted Road ~Singer Without a Song~ Ramada Inn ~Cinnamon Girl~Cortez The Killer~ Dangerbird~ Barstool Blues~Prisoners of Rock and Roll~Opera Star~My My Hey Hey~ Sedan Delivery~Like A Hurricane
(Thanks Soldier Steve!)


Billy Talbot & Neil Young
"Adventure # 3: We held off holding the sign “ Arkansas Girls ♥ Crazy Horse” that Tami had sent from Arkansas, till they had nearly finished playing “Cinnamon Girl.” Carolyn held it up & Ralph spotted the sign first, & then pointed a drumstick toward us & mouthed to me, “Are you’re Michael?” I nodded & mouthed back “Yes.” He nodded back at me... Then Billy spotted the sign & his face lit up like an infield fly. The biggest smile came over his face & the moment was magic & captured for all to see... Billy pointed the sign out to Neil, & Neil had this big grin on his face as well.. Job done Tami & done well... More on the sign later.... The best part.. — with Billy Talbot."
via Michael S.J. | Photos of Rusties

Neil Young played for exactly 3 hours. He blows young musicians out the water. A different class. Wow!

— Brett Schewitz (@SchweppsRocka) March 13, 2013

No exaggeration - This Neil Young show is one of the most astonishing gigs I have ever witnessed. #neilyoung #plenary

— Stan Lee (@BrandDNA) March 13, 2013

. Neil Young and Crazy Horse delivered three hours of bliss tonight at The Plenary in #Melbourne. One of the best gigs of my life.

— Richard Sharman (@blackshadowpix) March 13, 2013

Neil Young brilliant tonight @triplemmelb ....you could smell the Horse.....none better than Neil

— Barry Denner (@bazman14) March 13, 2013

Neil Young / Crazy Horse = three hours of brutal bliss...

— Wes Holland (@wes__holland) March 13, 2013

From Neil Young Films Alchemy Concert Movie In Melbourne, Australia | Live | Music News | Noise11:

by Paul Cashmere on March 14, 2013

With a capacity of 5000, tonight’s Neil Young & Crazy Horse at Melbourne’s Plenary Hall was the smallest room Young has ever played in Australia. Every other show to date has been arenas. The Plenary show was billed as a special show and indeed it was because Neil was making a movie.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse filmed this Melbourne ‘Alchemy’ show for their next concert documentary and by the set and the setlist you can expect ‘Alchemy’ the concert movie to be ‘Rust Never Sleeps II’.

Tonight, Neil Young fans got to see him up close and personal for one of his most ferocious shows ever, with thanks to his band of pitbulls, Crazy Horse. I challenge any musician even two thirds younger than 67-year old Neil Young to go a few rounds with him on stage. He would destroy you musically.

I’ve seen Neil Young on every one of his Australian tours and by far this was his most powerful. In total, three hours from head to toe. Neil Young & Crazy Horse were like a hurricane this evening. Tonight he was totally switched to 11.

Let me start at the end. After ‘Cinnamon Girl’, Young threw away the standard setlist played in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney and played a completely unique set with a few rarities over the extended hour. All of the other shows ran for two hours and 20 minutes. This one was exactly three hours.

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Alchemy Tour
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Neil Young & Crazy Horse will be performing tonight at The Plenary, Melbourne, Australia.

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.

Don't Be Denied!

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Concert Review of Moment: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Sydney, AUS - Mar 10, 2013

Neil Young & Crazy Horse
A Day On The Green, Hunter Valley, AUS on Mar 9, 2013
Photographer: Kevin Bull | Reverb Magazine Online
(Click photo to enlarge)
Contrary to whatever perception one might have of the current Australia leg of the Alchemy World Tour of Neil Young & Crazy Horse, not all is lost, by far.

Now witness the quickness with which we get along.

The Concert Review of Moment is from Neil Young News: Concert Reviews of Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Sydney, AUS - Mar 10, 2013 by AlbaN:

Sydney 2013-03-10 - Crazy Horse at their finest

Last night I (53 years) and my 20-year-old son got to experience the horse at their absolute finest.

Yes that's right, at their absolute finest! This experience left me in no doubt that the horse are at the top of their game right now; raw, rowdy, grungy guitar-based primal stomp music. The muse is still flowing, my foot is still tapping, even after a few hours sleep. Still in awe how they do it. If you're a horse fan it don't get any better than this I can assure you.

I was a little concerned before going re some of the comments about the concert and the extended endings & huddles etc, but I was more than impressed and it was above all expectations, far far above. These guys were on fire; they threw everything they had into the performance and they were having so much fun. We were right on the rail (front row GA) in front of Poncho. What a gentleman he is, gave me the finger and I gave it back twice as hard. He was in party mode and loving it, he was singing along to the songs even though he was far from the microphone. You could see and feel he loved them and doing his thing. Who would think they are all 60+ years. It was really great to see them interacting and how they interplay the guitar bits and to see them play their new stuff, artists doing what’s closest to them at the time. And we got to hear a new song performed prior to most of the world, what a treat. And the piano song (Singer without a song), none of us have really heard that before, how sweet it was. Neil provided one acoustic staple old fave in heart of gold, but it was then back to the new and how great they are, twisted road what a tale.

The concert had a range of emotions, power and drama. Ramada Inn, what a classic this will become, and the analog time warp classics of Cinnamon Girl and Mr Soul, how solid and powerful were they.

And I reckon Neil & Poncho interacted with the crowd more than I have seen before, they were both humorous, gesturing with the crowd and joking with each other. And the horse huddles were not too much, this is how they interplay and to experience how they work it with each other was really a treat. Maybe you need to be down front to really appreciate all this, and to actually see and feel how they play together. Hey, but that's where rock n roll is, in the mosh (not so moshy with all the oldies), but not to be sitting back in some far-away stand where you can’t really feel the muse and see what the band is doing. Its all part of the experience; seeing and feeling how they interact. Neil’s voice was great and the harmonies from Billy and Poncho, wow much better than expected. Much, much better. And the guys are looking good too! And it was good to actually see Ralph on stage after he crawled out from behind those drums, felt him all night though.

And the encore, Prisoners & Opera Star – how unexpected was that, what a treat to hear some hidden gems (even with some nuances and the odd bit of slop) from some mostly forgotten about albums (or not even known albums by the non-horse lovers). They pulled no punches here. Thumped it out till the final note came down. Clearly they were loving it and we the horse-lovers right at the front loved every second as well.

Whatever substances these guys are not on now, feed em more of it! Hopefully the horse will capture the magic they have at present and get some of their new songs recorded (am sure Neil has a bucket load stashed away in that brain of his). Can’t wait for the next album, preorder now as it will be a cracker. No doubts here, No fading away here, And it surely ain’t over. Long live the horse. Keep fuckn’ up guys!

Wonderful review AlbaN! What an experience with your son, too!

Here's another review from a non-doubter [Live Review] NEIL YOUNG | Reverb Magazine Online by Stephen Bisset.

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Drunk Yet Sensitive Aussie Fans Storm Stage at Neil Young Concert

If you've been following the concert reviews coming out of the Neil Young & Crazy Horse tour down in Australia, you may have been scratching your head like us. As in, what's going on Down Under with these Neil fans?

We tried to take a stab at understanding it all with the recent post The Essence of "The Doubters": Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Reviews but made little head way... until this little gem popped up.

Here's a report on this weekend's Neil Young & Crazy Horse concert at A Day On The Green, Hunter Valley, AUS on Mar 9, 2013:

Drunk Yet Sensitive Aussie Fans Storm Stage at Neil Young Concert

March 10, 2013, Sydney, Australia

In what will be billed as the White Zin riot, crying and inebriated audience members at a Neil Young and Crazy Horse concert reacted violently to the perplexing and unfamiliar music they were confronted with at the "A Day On The Green" Festival in Hunter Valley.

"Crikey," sobbed Mel Cowhan, a retired petting zoo maintenance man, "I was 'ere wiff me missus, enjoying a gallon or two of some fine wine in a box, expecting to do a right-o sing along with Neil Young, at least the Neil Young I thought I knew, and what was this? Sounded like the aliens lifted up Uluru and dropped it gob smack on our 'eads, thas what!"

Incensed at what they felt was their right to demand the material that the artist was performing that night - "I came to hear all the hits and only the hits from "Harvest" and, uhh you know, "Horse With No Name" blurted Lilly McPie- a determined, though woozy and staggering clot of concert goers attempted to attack the stage to convince the "imposter" on stage to find the "real" Neil Young and make him perform. "I know you expect us to all behave like our ancestors, the drunken and violent prisoners who landed in Botany Bay in 1788. Yes, we're drunk tonight, and yes, we're certainly prone to violence." said Nigel Tusselwaithe as he hurled an empty Fosters can in the general direction of the stage and screamed "Play 'effin' "Old Man" you sods or I'll personally bugger you all!!", but, he continued, " We're also quite sensitive, indeed maudlin when we've been in our cups, and we demand sensitive music to calm our savage instincts. This audio bludgeoning is awakening something in us that we thought had been tamed with 200 years of sunshine, alcohol, and more immediate concerns like salt water crocodiles and poisonous snakes and spiders. Of course, not being in gaols in Britain also helped."

The mob was repulsed before they could even breach the outer perimeter of the General Admission zone by repetitive and crushing sonic shock waves. "Knocked me flat on me bum" mutttered Matilda Snopes as she crawled along on the festival grounds, "That, and the liter of tequila I just quaffed."

"If this was war Crazy Horse would be on trial for violating the Geneva Conventions on the use of sound as a weapon!" said Bertie Swiles, as he limped back towards his blanket and barbeque at the farther recesses of the festival grounds. "Anyways, I ate too much shrimp, and I'm thirsty for some more gin and I have to pee."

The mood of the evening was summed up by Lucy Blight and her sister, Drusilla, as they contemplated a musical world and (now former) idol they found confounding. "Well, he doesn't look like he did 40 years ago, and that is certainly unsettling. I mean, every time I play my Neil Young collection (consisting of "Harvest" ) the songs are just the same, so why can't he do that? You know, get a brown wig and a buckskin jacket and just make everything like 1972." said Lucy, with a wistful whine. Added Drusilla, sniffling, "I'll admit, I did try "Comes A Time" but it had that creepy song. "Look Out For My Love," so no more of that wild new stuff! Reminded me of Bobbie McSchwetty, my beau back then who I had to get a restraining order against. But I ended up marrying him! Of course, he doesn't look at all like he did in 1972....it's like he was eaten by an even drunker and immensely fatter version of himself."

Thanks Zuma Band! That's a priceless riot. Definitely helping us back off the ledge.

Some of these AUS reviews were starting to almost get the better of us. Imagine that...

More on the perplexing The Essence of "The Doubters": Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Reviews.

Or, at least Australia fans aren't as rude as Bridgeport, CT fans who find out what happens If You Text During a Neil Young Concert, This Could Be You.

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The Essence of "The Doubters": Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Reviews

"OK, who wants a drumstick???" - Drummer Ralph Molina
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
A Day On The Green, Hunter Valley, AUS - Mar 9, 2013
Photo by Davey Bob
(Click photo to enlarge)
If one were to follow some of the reviews of the current Neil Young and Crazy Horse of Australia & New Zealand Tour, one might come away with an impression that the tour isn't terribly successful.

We've certainly observed this disconnect between the actual concert experience and the post concert followup in the out of touch and irrelevant mainstream media. Last year, Neil Young himself took to the stage and flatly proclaimed "Fuck the doubters" and we've since chronicled the saga of Doubters and Believers in the Neil Young fanbase.

The latest example is on the Neil Young & Crazy Horse concert at A Day On The Green, Hunter Valley, AUS on Mar 9, 2013. This totally absurd example of rock and roll journalism malpractice comes from REVIEW: Neil Young difficult pill to swallow | Newcastle Herald by IAN KIRKWOOD.

One can read the review and pretty much know instantly, the reviewer -- IAN KIRKWOOD -- knows absolutely nothing about Neil Young & Crazy Horse, music criticism or fundamental journalism. It's doubtful the reviewer even attended the concert based on the fact that the review includes the following:

Online this morning, the reviews have been mixed.

But this on the Day on the Green | Facebook probably sums up the reaction:

‘‘. . . if the booing wasnt enough as a guide that the crowd wasnt enjoying the concert. Singing "you’re a f..k up" over and over again for half an hour. We left prematurely. Was NOT worth the price we paid.’’

But then if you actually go to Day on the Green Facebook site , here's what you find (as others have noted): There are a total of *2* review comments on Facebook, one positive by "Tiller" with 7 likes and one negative by "Benny" with ZERO likes and 8 comments by folks ridiculing him.

So how did the Newcastle Herald editors manage to let this "balanced" reporting make it into publication? Good question. If not clear already, one must understand that the media is a corrupt enterprise verging on collapse due to their lies and false narratives.

All that aside, certainly The Alchemy Tour has polarized the audience based on expectations. And the negative reaction is actually a good thing because it proves that he doesn't just give the audience the hits and leave the stage. No what happens at a concert, is that Neil Young truly challenges his audiences.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Adelaide, AUS - 3/5/13
Photo by Rhythms (rhythms.com.au)
(Click photo to enlarge)
Well, here's a review from Rhythms (rhythms.com.au) by BRIAN WISE of the Adelaide, AUS (3/5/13) concert:

Of course, I knew basically what to expect – a loud, electric show framed around the Psychedelic Pill double CD – but that was way more than some of the people sitting around me knew. The chap next to me hoped that Neil would do a lot of songs from Harvest (the only Young album he owned) and was surprised when I suggested that might not happen (he did do ‘Heart Of Gold’ to rapturous applause).

Then, after Young played a new song someone yelled out, ‘This is boring, play your old songs!’ Some people still just don’t get it. Not that Young is too concerned. As he has written, he has the urge to constantly move on. Luckily, there are enough of his fans who have also moved on.

...

Perhaps the surprise of the night was an extended version of ‘Fuckin’ Up’ with Frank Sampedro improvising lyrics, singing doo wop at one point, and the audience encouraged to sing the line ‘Why does he keep fuckin’ up?’ back to Neil. It was kind of cheesy, but funny.

A great, rocking ‘Mr Soul’, another obvious crowd favourite, led into a fabulous and grungy version of ‘Hey Hey My, My (Into The Black)’, the final song.

The encore of ‘Like A Hurricane’ was also an unexpected treat and was elongated to the point where you felt that Young just did not want it to end. There were more false endings than a TV drama series. Billy Talbot knelt and placed his bass next to the speaker to extract more feedback, while Young placed his (with shredded strings) against another. Unfortunately, after 15 minutes, it did end after Young intoned the line ‘Once I thought I saw you’, and gave it a dreamlike sonic quality. Stunning.

I’ll think of a better word to describe Neil Young & Crazy Horse live, but for now ‘awesome’ will just have to do!

Now that's a review written by someone who attended the concert. As opposed to the lazy hacks at Newcastle Herald.

Lastly, we all know that Neil never, ever reads reviews. Just because he's suddenly including semi-obscure songs like "Opera Star" and "Prisoners Of Rock 'n' Roll" is purely coincidental. After all, what could the following lyrics have to do with "Doubters" and "Believers" debate, we ask???

"Opera Star"

"Some things never change,
they stay the way they are.
You were born to rock,
you'll never be an opera star
Some things never change,
they stay the way they are."

"Prisoners Of Rock 'n' Roll"

"People tell us that we play to loud
But they don't know what our music's about
We never listen to the record company man
They try to change us and ruin our band.

That's why we don't wanna be good
That's why we don't wanna be good
We're prisoners of rock and roll."

So here you go, this is for all the doubters.

And this is for all the believers.

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Concert Reviews of Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Sydney, AUS - Mar 10, 2013

True thing “@schtang: No one rocks like Neil Young & Crazy Horse.love those big artistic Fender stage amps twitter.com/Schtang/status…”

— DuncanNRoss (@DuncanNRoss) March 10, 2013

Neil young and crazy horse lived up to and surpassed all expectations . Amazing !

— Paul Hewitt (@HewyinSydney) March 10, 2013

From Neil Young delivers rock, laughs, at Sydney Entertainment Centre | thetelegraph.com.au by Kathy McCabe:

Yet to witness Young and his beloved collaborators in Crazy Horse have a transcendent musical conversation at the Sydney Entertainment Centre last night was the greatest affirmation of its stamina.

They set the scene with the bizarre and entertaining opening which fans have come to expect.

Uncle Neil had Old Black on fire with the horse at Syd Entertainment Centre last night @neilyoung@pearljam

— Brad Graham (@BradButchGraham) March 10, 2013

So Neil Young was pretty amazing last night. His voice is still in tact after all these years. Nice to spend that time with my Dad too.

— Monique McCall (@AzureandGold) March 10, 2013

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Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Neil Young & Crazy Horse will be performing tonight at Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney, Australia.

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.

Don't Be Denied!

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