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An unofficial news blog for Neil Young fans from Thrasher's Wheat with concert and album updates, reviews, analysis, and other Rock & Roll ramblings. Separating the wheat from the chaff since 1996.
Neil Young, Crazy Horse and Rick The Bassplayer, Mainz Nordmole, 07-28-2014
Love To Burn
This is a story why I love the man, about the joy and pleasure of being a Rustie and it is the personal review of my last show of this amazing tour!
I am often asked by friends or colleagues "you go to several shows of the same artist in a row, isn't that boring?" I always tell them, that it is because I want to see my favorite artists as often as I can live... while thinking "You'll never understand, cause asking this question shows, that you don't have Love To Burn".
Neil proved again last night, that every show is different, a different mood, the same song never to be played the same twice, no talking to the crowd that was written down before, same words every show, just spontaneous interaction... sometimes more... and sometimes less.
When we arrived at this strange temporary site on the bank of the Rhine, that was part of an old harbour section, walking there from the bus stop, we could hear a rhythm from a far, loud intense.. boom... boom....boom... sound check... what song is it?...Tonight's The Night!!!... WOW!.. The closer we came, the more the song structure was building up... Wooo hooo what a welcome at the venue... will we get it tonight at the show? So exiting... well we didn't, but I guess the crowd in Copenhagen, can possibly look forward to listening to one of my favorite Neil songs.
The pleasure then of meeting all my Rustie friends again, like coming home! I knew she would be there and so I was able to hug her for the first time, my friend Hiroko... "so good to meet you"... she gave me a beautiful, beautiful necklace, one of those, she makes herself, "a tree of life" as she told me "Thank you so much Hiroko". Saying hello to all my friends, hugging Tomer again, my friend from Tel Aviv, who followed Neil spontaneously to three German shows, because Neil wasn't able to play Tel Aviv for the saddest resson of all... Living with war. Tomer gave me a button of Thrasher's Wheat, it will always remind me of meeting such a wonderful new friend and I will wear it with pride, as Thrasher of course is one of my favorite Neil pages, since....ever. There's a sweet story about these buttons, finding their way to Germany... I'll tell that story later.
Waiting in line, looking forward to the show, the weather.. oohhh not looking good, thunderstorms ( we were very lucky in the end, no rain), "come on guys, let us in", grabbing a free t-shirt and running to the stage... always the same, but always exciting!
The Magic Numbers again as support act. I really like them, especially their gorgeous song A Shot In The Dark. And again the tension rising for Neil and his fellow musicians to come on stage, only a short break for rearranging the stage... Old Black handy... and Wooo hooo, here they are!
Down By The River again first song!!! Yes!!! Even more intense than in Dresden! And Powderfinger to follow. The setlist the same as in Dresden...BUT... Cortez in addition! I had prayed for that song again. Tomer, who was standing next to me, had looked at the time, he told me both songs 24 minutes, incredible, insane, awesome, gorgeous!!! No one can do it like Neil, this playing like destroying the song, like tearing it apart, stripping it down to the single notes, only to rebuild it, making it whole again and again and again. Love To Burn also yesterday one of the longest and most intense versions ever. The show lasted 2.25 hrs... with 14 songs played... WOW! (my setlist wasn't quite right last night, too overwhelmed...).
Neil wasn't as talkative as the night before in Dresden, but his spirit and heart was with us, shown in his smiles, in waving to us! In the end he talked to us, telling us again, that we were given the free shirts to remind us of taking care of our Mother Earth! And of course the last song again the encouragement, the demand Who's Gonna Stand Up And Save The Earth?... You've Got To!!!!
Waving good bye... "Who's gonna stand up?"... "Who's gonna stand up?"... "Who's gonna stand up?"... and off they went....
Thank You so much to Neil and his fellow musicians! It was worth every ride through thunderstorms and pouring rain, every train ride or flight! Following Neil on a tour is the most amazing journey and the most rewarding thing to do. I never went home disappointed, NEVER!
While saying good bye to all my lovely Rustie friends, see ya... somewhere down the road... I was thinking: "So this is it?... hmm..... but what about Colmar.... I will have to check out Colmar... the last show of the Euro-tour...hmm...."
Even if I shouldn't go, to me it was the most surprising and most intense Neil, I've ever seen. I am so grateful that he's still bringing us the gift of his wonderful music, thank you so much!!
Down By The River
Powderfinger
Standing In The Light Of Love
Days That Used To Be
Living With War
Love To Burn
Name Of Love
Blowin' In The Wind
Heart Of Gold
Barstool Blues
Psychedelic Pill
Cortez The Killer
Rockin' In The Free World
Who's Gonna Stand Up And Save The Earth
PS: I have told the story in my reviews before, that I have recently lost a friend, who loves Neil the same way I do. I had to think of him again last night and I will always miss him. But I also know, that we will always be connected in a way....through our love of Neil!
Thanks Ruby Inthedust, our roving rustie reporter! Another excellent review with vivid memories to share.
The amazing Neil Young has playing this song with Crazy Horse on an extraordinary location near the river Elbe at Dresden. It was my hope to hear the song as a bonus for closing the show. But it was the opener, incredible. Everything after that was a bonus, I think.
btw, it was quite exhausting to recording the song more than twenty minutes, but it was worthy. Thank you Neil, for the show.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert:: Mainz, Germany - July 25, 2014
28 July 2014 Mainz setlist (based on Frank Busjahn posts) via Rusties...
1. Down By The River
2. Powderfinger
3. Standing In The Light Of Love
4. Days That Used To Be
5. Living With War
6. Love To Burn
7. Name Of Love
8. Blowin' In The Wind
9. Heart Of Gold
10. Barstool Blues
11. Psychedelic Pill
12. Cortez
13. Rockin' In The Free World
---
14. Who's Gonna Stand Up And Save The Earth?
UPDATES COMING SOON...
Neil Young & Crazy Horse will be performing tonight at Zollhafen - Nordmole, Mainz, Germany.
Art approaches our soul predominantly through the gate of our unconscious mind and therefore, when I'm asked, why Neil is my favorite artist, you will find me trying to explain a thing, that in fact is one of the hardest things to tell. But last night, I was given the explanation, why Neil is the musical love of my life... by the man himself!
Expectations were high before the show. The venue is one of the most beautiful I've seen. Down by the river Elbe, with a view to the old, historic city of Dresden. And in the queue there was talking about "will he surprise us again?", "will there be a different setlist?", "will it be special, because of the cancelled show last year?"... oh yes.. all of that should happen.
After queuing for hours and waiting for the support act (again great! The Magic Numbers) you could feel the tension rising)... the crowd clapping and shouting... wooo hooo!
And then they came, Neil waving to the crowd, getting his guitar.. Old Black... one chord... what?!?... The next chord.. WHAT?!?
DOWN BY THE RIVER!!!!! FIRST SONG!?!?!!!!
25 minutes! I never saw it performed that way! Torn apart, cut into pieces and rebuilt again! Show me one artist, who will play one of his top songs, that other's would play as the last encore, as opener, in an incredible, epic, 25 minutes version, without being afraid, that he won't be able to keep the tension or even top that during the rest of the show!!
Powderfinger to follow, with a change of guitars from Old Black to Gold Copa 5... during the song...
Standing In The Light Of Love!! What a song that is! And what a crowd it was! After the song stopped... oho ohohoo.. Standing In The Light of Love... for minutes! .. the band smiling, happy, Poncho pure emotion! Love ya Poncho!!
Days That Used To Be... again so moving.. These lyrics so true!! Neil so nice, waving to the nearby Carola Bridge, that was packed with people.. watching and listening for free, who cares? Enjoy!
Living With War, the song, we all don't wanna hear anymore and Neil doesn't wanna play... a beautiful, beautiful version with harp and organ ( surprise, when it came down before the song started..).. and again my friend Tomer from Tel Aviv with me at the show... chivers down my spine... the saddest song of the night, yet so beautifully performed!
Love To Burn again... these awesome lyrics blow my mind.. everytime I listen to that song, it's like watching a phantasy movie, like watching a buildung of Gaudi, the genius architect, who has designed buildings like turning a dream into reality... "In the valley of hearts, there's a house full of broken windows...." The way it is performed on this tour, to me, can only be explained as Ultimate! Perfect!
Name Of Love... oh yes! The best advice ever! Do it in the name of love! And the acoustic set to follow with Blowing in the Wind again and Heart of Gold.
Barstool Blues... well.... that song also blew my mind, in all of the three shows.... the performance so pure, so intense! ... and Neil, Poncho, all of them, smiling being one with us... waving to the bridge again "how you're doing, there on the bridge?" so sweet!
And Psychedelic Pill!!! This song has undergone a kind of an evolution on that tour... such a powerful performance! And Neil telling us about "the song without meaning... "it's for Poncho, it's about women".. showing the shape of a beautiful woman with his hands, which he did several times throughout the performance of that song... looking at Poncho "women, women, women"... so funny!
Rockin'In The Free World! Yes! So fitting! ... always! But especially in the former eastern part of our nowadays reunited Homeland!
Neil was given a rose, that was thrown on stage.. he kept it, smelling the fragrance... "Thank you for giving me this, beautiful! Sniff! There should be a few sniffs left...." so sweet! AND telling us "you were given free t-shirts, reminding you of our EARTH... is there a hitch... yes! you have to do your part!" We will try Neil, at least we will try!
Who's Gonna Stand Up.... again the last song! Reply by Poncho: "You have to!" YES SIR!!
Whoa! What a night down by the river! I have seen Neil and Neil with Crazy Horse MANY times! I cannot point out the best show I have attended, but Dresden 2014 is definitely on the Top 5 list! Thank you so much to Neil and Poncho and Rick and Ralph and YaDonna and Dorene and to the whole stuff!
Sorry folks, all of you, who have missed that show, you missed Neil Young and Crazy Horse AT THEIR VERY BEST!!! If I have ever prayed for a good recording or even a video to show up, it would be for this show...
Thanks Ruby Inthedust! An excellent review and we're feeling like we're almost there in Europe with you and all of the rusties.
Neil Young, Crazy Horse & Rick The Bassplayer Hockey Park Mönchengladbach, 25.07.2014
Woody... do you know?....
I'm afraid, this is gonna be a very emotional concert-review. When it comes to music, especially to Neil, I do not think, I feel!
The show last night was only a ten minutes drive from where I live. The closest to my home, Neil will ever perform. I have been talking to a friend, who's also a huge Neil-fan, about that show for hours and days, weeks ahead of this day, we wanted to enjoy that show together and we would have talked about it for hours and days after the show. I somehow managed to fuck up that friendship for a stupid reason and so it turned out, that the Mönchengladbach show should be the saddest show of the tour for me.
But Neil always gets me. He intensifies my joy, when I'm happy and he eases my pain, when I'm sad... and so it was yesterday!
The fabulous support act, The Magic Numbers, did a great act again. Please check them out, they are so great! Elliot Roberts was enjoying them at the side of the stage, looking very happy and very relaxed. When they dedicated a song to him, he was like "nah... not to me.." After a brief break to rearrange the stage, I could feel my heartbeat increasing... woo hoo! Live music is better!
When Neil and Crazy Horse came on stage, it was like bang! and my sadness turned into excitement. I was surrounded by my old and new Rustie friends... so happy to have met Roel there and Tomer my wonderful friend from Israel, who wanted to see Neil in Tel Aviv and as that show was canceled for the saddest reason of all, he decided to come to Mönchengladbach, Dresden and Mainz to see Neil here!
Love And Only Love! As if it was written for the world, we're living in today! Love and only love will break the hate down! Hopefully it finally will!
The setlist was pretty much the same as the ones from the shows before with a surprise for second song... first chord.. Roel and me, like one voice: "Powderfinger!!?!!". Great to hear one of my favorite Neil songs again.
Standing In The Light Of Love! Yes!! It was played in the sound check... I wanted to hear that song, the new lyrics, sung by that Young Neil who keeps fighting.. "Protect Earth"!
Neil was smiling, happy! Rick in such a good mood.. smiling all the way! All of them very much showing us, we're happy to be here with you! Neil was walking over to Woody several times, talking to him, listening, touching him... it was like "Woody, can you tell me, what happens to the world we're living in?"
Living With War was even more moving this time... with my friend Tomer from Israel so close to me and my dutch friend Roel, who's Facebook-photo has turned into the black (... out of the blue)...
Days that used to be... well I opened this review, telling why it was a sad show for me, so the song came crawling deep into my soul..."talk to me my long lost friend and tell me how you are... "
Love To Burn again was like deconstructed, torn down and built up again in 15 minutes... so intense! I felt like walking through a dreamland... in the valley of hearts!
And again it was Cortez! The song of the night!! I thought it myself and I heard it very often after the show : best Cortez ever!". So intense, so smooth, soft, powerful, all at the same time. You could almost feel being on one of the huge sailing vessels..." dancing across the water", way back in time in the 16th century!
And Rockin' In The Free World again! Also with new lyrics from Neil the warrior... two times the song ended... and two times it started over again.. Yes Neil we are with you: We will keep on rockin'in the free world as long as you will keep on fighting and playing for us.
Encore again: Who's gonna Stand Up And Save The Earth... The conclusion of a night full of anger and love, war and hoping for peace, of concern about our mother planet, the home for our children, full of joy and happiness, beautiful music and wonderful people!
"Who's gonna stand up! Who's gonna stand up! Who's gonna stand up!"
Neil was a wonderful medicine to ease my sadness, well, he is not Jesus, he cannot bring back my friend. But he can bring joy to us all in giving us his incredibly wonderful music.
Music Is Love!
Thanks again Ruby Inthedust! Music Is Love. Neil = Music. Good times will return. And we're so glad you're there with so many other rusties bringing it all back home for those who couldn't be there. May The Horse be with you. p&l
Tickets for Farm Aid 2014 will go on sale Friday, August 1, at 10 a.m. EDT. Tickets will be available at www.livenation.com, Ticketmaster outlets, Walnut Creek Amphitheatre's Box Office, or by phone at 800-745-3000. Ticket prices range from $49 to $175.
This show would require 10 headlines... but I chose this one! As the show hadn't sold as well as the city of Ulm had expected (unbelievable), Neil and his management decided to promote the show and gave a special gift to all those, who went to see him.. a t-shirt. The men's style is the one Neil's wearing, saying EARTH and the girlie's style (yes! a special girlie-fit :-) ) says PROTECT! So a couple says PROTECT EARTH when both are wearing the tees... what a simple but fabulous idea!
It was a very special show. It was Neil the warrior, raising his voice against war, encouraging us all to "love and only love" and worrying about the future of our planet as our gift to the future generations. He was powerful, intense, nice, smiling, enjoying himself, like I never saw him before!
Love And Only Love... will endure... the message of the night, the first song, intense as always. Goin' Home, I love that song since they played it twice in one show in Rotterdam 2001... After that "Days That Used To Be"... oh .. hard song for me in these days. .tears!
" I wish I could talk to you,
And you could talk to me
'Cause there's very few of us left
my friend
From the days that used to be."
"People say "Don't rock the boat".... yes very true Neil!
And then ... the first chord and I said "That's Living With War!"...it was!! Neil announced it as "a song we never did before" (with CH) and then something I don't recall exactly, like "sadly we could play it every day..."... so fitting in these days of war and deaths of innocent people, chills!
Love To Burn! A very special song to me..."Late one night I was walking in the valley of hearts"... what a wonderful metaphor! Love To Burn was absolutely stunning... He nailed that song to the floor of the stage.. it seemed to be going on forever... intense and raw! Wooo hooo!
Do It In The Name Of Love was the biggest surprise to me... rarely played live... if ever before?? Ralf Böllhoff said it in his review on Rusted Moon, it was played before in the 80s, right? What a song and what a message to all of us!
The entire show seemed to have a strong message with Neil looking up to the cathedral's high tower several times during Love And Only Love and In The Name Of Love, as if he wanted to say "You there, living in this church, give us your spirit, help us to live in peace and with love".
The acoustic set to follow... Blowin'In The Wind...no one ever sings it as intense as Neil... with the entire crowd singing along... chills again! And Heart Of Gold... mmmhhh.
Psychedelic Pill is not my favorite song of the last album... but it rocks live!... but then.... but then.... one chord and I thought "wake me up, I must be dreaming"... I was yearning for that song since 2012, when I saw Neil with the Horse first in the US... I saw 10 shows in total... but not one with my favorite Neil song! And here it was, in all his entire epic beauty... Cortez! I was screaming and hugging all my Rustie-friends surrounding me... I was in heaven! YES!!!
RITFW... part of the night's message... Love, Peace, Freedom, Saving Mother Nature! That song always gets the audience... always!
Who's gonna stand up and save the earth... The last song of the night.. like Neil giving his legacy to us... but wait! No legacy yet... Neil is so vital, so powerful, there's a lot more to come!!!
They all were in a very good mood. Poncho in his "zone", eyes closed, grooving, smiling! Rick expressive, as I never saw him before, coming to the front twice, smiling, happy! Well and Ralph, like always... the back-bone of the awesome Crazy Horse sound! The ladies added a wonderful touch of lightness, especially adding a wonderful "dancing across the water" with Cortez!
Neil seemed to like the place. His body language and his smiles showed, he was enjoying himself. And so were we! Neil, you still have to say SOMETHING, please don't stop! We love you! ... and we attended a special night!
Thank you so much!
p.s. - Some additional thoughts on Cortez performed in Ulm..
This morning in my car I was listening to a great recording of the Ulm-Show. And I realized, that Cortez was the smoothest version of that song I've listened to so far. It was intense, but so soft, almost tenderly performed! I think it is Rick, who gives it a soft touch, with him playing his bassline less powerful than Billy, but so beautiful! My heart is still full and I will never forget that magical night in Ulm!... I can't wait for Mönchengladbach and two more shows to come!!!
Thanks to Thrasher for posting my comment on his internet-page! As it was my first and favorite Neil-source on the internet, I'm feeling honored!
Thanks Ruby Inthedust! Excellent and so glad you enjoyed and shared. Love and only love.
Neil has added another new song to the set list last night in Italy. Standing in the Light of Love is an unreleased tune that was first introduced in 2001 and only played live that year.
Of the previous 27 times it was played, all but one (a show in Japan) were in Europe.
http://www.sugarmtn.org/song.php?song=539
We've already mentioned how the violence in Israel and the Ukraine surely caused the inclusion of Living With War and Name of Love during the last two shows but neglected to mention how Cortez the Killer was also added for the same two dates probably to keep with that theme. Reference this verse:
Hate was just a legend
And war was never known
The people worked together
And they lifted many stones.
Thanks bh & BNB!
Neil Young & Crazy Horse will be performing tonight at Collisioni Festival, Barolo, Italy.
After cancelling the Israel show due to the continuous and increasing violence there, Neil has added two appropriate songs to the Ulm, Germany set list:
1. Living With War album of the same name; played 35 times before. http://www.sugarmtn.org/lyrics.php?song=349
I'm living with war everyday
I'm living with war in my heart everyday
I'm living with war right now
And when the dawn breaks I see my fellow man
And on the flat-screen we kill and we're killed again
And when the night falls, I pray for peace
Try to remember peace (visualize)
I join the multitudes
I raise my hand in peace
I never bow to the laws of the thought police
I take a holy vow
To never kill again
To never kill again
I'm living with war in my heart
I'm living with war in my heart and my mind
I'm living with war right now
Don't take no tidal wave
Don't take no mass grave
Don't take no smokin' gun
To show how the west was won
But when the curtain falls, I pray for peace
Try to remember peace (visualize)
In the crowded streets
In the big hotels
In the mosques and the doors of the old museum
I take a holy vow
To never kill again
Try to remember peace
The rocket's red glare
Bombs bursting in air
Give proof through the night,
That Our flag is still there
I'm living with war everyday
I'm living with war in my heart everyday
I'm living with war right now.
2. Name of Love from American Dream; has only been played 19 times in the past and hasn't been played live in 26 years. Details: http://www.sugarmtn.org/lyrics.php?song=411
You who rule upon the land,
You hold the future in your hand,
When you take your people down the road,
Before another bomb explodes.
Can you do it in the name of love?
Can you do it in the name of love?
And when you sail upon the sea
This one's for you, this one's for me.
Before another missile flies
You who soar into the sky
Can you do it in the name of love?
Can you do it in the name of love?
And so I shout it around the world
To every boy and every girl,
Yeah, I shout it around the world
To every boy and every girl,
Can you do it in the name of love?
Can you do it in the name of love?
Can you do it in the name of love?
Thanks bh @ BNB!
Cortez
Man on the Rail
Uwe
Neil Young & Crazy Horse will be performing tonight at Münsterplatz, Ulm, Germany.
A nice photo of the "new" Crazy Horse by Paolo Brillo.
Also, a video of the already astonishing and scorching "Down By The River" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse at 2014-07-12, Hyde Park, London, England. 18+ minutes. enjoy
Dedicated to "Brother Billy". wow (We hear Billy's coming along nicely, btw)
Also, new song "Who's Gonna Stand Up And Save The Earth?". good question
We are shipping posters this week, as Neil was on tour and we were faced with delays. We appreciate your patience and continued support. For making you wait a little longer, we thought we could share a video you might get a kick out of.
For those of you that doubted Neil would sign every single poster, here is proof that he did. Enjoy his wise words, too:
"When I first came up with the name Pono, people said, You can't do that! People are gonna think it's porno! I said, These people know the difference between music and pornography!"
Yes, we are sure you do.
Have a lovely weekend.
It's a real behind the scenes moment with Neil freestyling away in all of his ragged glory.
A recent photo of Crazy Horse's Frank "Poncho" Sampedro from Liverpool, England - July 13, 2014. Nice to see Poncho with Lennon shirt while in Liverpool. That must've went down well locally. Guess the Hendrix shirt was retired?? (Thanks David for view from the rail.)
Here are reports from Europe/Mideast Summer Tour 2014 thus far...
His management having made the mega-faux-pas of including Israel in a ‘European’ tour, he thought he’d stay quiet, go with it and slip in a cheeky ‘free the people of Palestine’ half-way through a song when he got to the Apartheid state?
This is the charitable interpretation. And if that was the idea, it was extraordinarily naive. The damage done by an artist of Neil’s stature and known views on human rights playing for the Israeli genocidists far outweighs the benefits of a stealth chorus line, even if he had the courage to do it. If he believes in freedom for Palestine let him say so openly and apologise for the huge capital the ethnic cleansers have made out of his silence.
In their quest to exterminate an entire people on the basis of their race, the Israelis are currently murdering as many Palestinian children as they can. Neil can’t undo the damage he has done by simply tossing money at people (and how typically North American is that?).
Congratulations to the magnificent people of Liverpool who demonstrated their solidarity with the Palestinians outside Neil’s concert. What an example to the people on the stage, whose silence was louder than their guitars.
Thanks Phil for the measured comment. Appreciated. Here's where we're at. The net outcome on this is +/- 0. No change.
And here's why. Neil certainly didn't make the decision to play Israel lightly. He was going in eyes open.
But we'll never know what would've happened at concert. If he played his regular set and walked off with only a "Thank You Tel Aviv!" then folks when have all sorts of conclusions. fine.
But supposed Neil ripped the most ferocious version of Rockin in the Free World and made some lyric changes? Maybe some rather pointed lyric adjustments?
What then? If there's anywhere in the world that needs to hear song of peace & love, it's the Mideast.
So here's a Mideast Vacation for you...
As Neil sings "Stop Sniffin' That Smokin' Gun". Stay passionate. peace
Neil Young with Crazy Horse performed "Mideast Vacation" from 1987's Life at the Bridge School Benefit concert on Oct. 10, 2001. This marked Neil Young's 2nd post 9-11 performance (note NYFD hat) at the zeitgeist of 2000's paranoia.
The original key lyric "I went lookin' for Khaddafi [Libya's Muammar Gaddafi] Aboard Air Force One" was changed for the concert to "I went lookin' for Bin Laden aboard Air Force One".
Well, just another song in a long line of Neil Young prophecies, 1986's "Mideast Vacation" captured at the zeigeist of 1980's paranoia.
"I went lookin' for Bin Laden aboard Air Force One"
But I never did find him
And the C.I.A. said Son,
You'll never be a hero
......Your flyin' days are done
It's time for you to go home now
Stop sniffin' that smokin' gun."
~~Neil Young, "Mideast Vacation, 1987
it's an angry world indeed,
peace
Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Rockin' in the Free World - Hyde Park - Live in London - July 12 2014
Upon cancellation, Young announced in a statement: “I will be making donations to both the Louise & Tillie Alpert Youth Music Center of Israel, and Heartbeat, two organizations that teach music to Palestinian and Israeli youth simultaneously by enabling them to play music together.”.
Young Arab and Jewish musicians from Heartbeat (Courtesy Instagram)
Beit Alpert was established by the Jerusalem Foundation in order to make music education available to all children. It now serves as the home to music ensembles of children from all over Jerusalem, including the Arab Youth Band and the Ensemble for Jewish & Arab Youth.
Liat Rosner, a spokesperson for the Jerusalem Foundation, said that neither the foundation nor Beit Alpert had heard about Neil Young’s planned donation.
At Heartbeat, an organization of Arab and Israeli youth ensembles, executive director Aaron Shneyer said he received an email on Monday from Oren Arnon, the head producer for concert promoter Shuki Weiss.
“He’s been extremely supportive and he’s promoted us on quite a few occasions,” said Shneyer.
Once the announcement was written up in Variety and Rolling Stone, Shneyer said he received many congratulatory messages.
“It’s very heartwarming,” he said. “It gives us a lot of encouragement and we’re extremely grateful to both Neil Young and to Crazy Horse for understanding this work of bringing together Palestinian and Israeli youth. We’re touched that he sees the importance of supporting our youth musicians’ effort to develop a powerful alternative to violence.”
Heartbeat has about 30 active musicians, most of them high school students, with an ensemble in Haifa and an ensemble in Jerusalem. There are also graduate bands; Zaatar is made up of Heartbeat musicians who have been playing together for several years and Shneyer hopes another band of recent graduates in Haifa will also step into “this ambassador role.”
“I hope we can turn up the volume,” he said.
Shneyer reflected on the last month as time of contemplation and reflection for Heartbeat participants.
“They’re speaking with each other, asking tough questions and we’re making sure the Heartbeat space can be a strong alternative to the status quo,” he said. “We’re trying to take it one step at a time.”
Donating to both Israeli and Palestinian charities shows true solidarity for not just one side of the Mideast crisis but for all of humanity. And these charities support music education in an area that truly needs to hear and play music for all of its many attendant benefits. Music -- now more than ever.
NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE CANCEL CONCERT IN TEL AVIV
13th July, 2014 -- (BURBANK, CA) -- Due to the current security situation in Tel Aviv Israel, Neil Young & Crazy Horse have been forced to cancel their concert appearance originally scheduled for July 17th in Hayarkon Park.
A spokesperson for Young's camp said: "It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we must cancel our one and only Israeli concert due to tensions which have rendered the event unsafe at this time. We'll miss the opportunity to play for our fans and look forward to playing in Israel and Palestine in peace."
"I will be making donations to both the Louise Tillie Alpert Youth Music Centre of Israel, and Heartbeat", said Mr. Young, "two organizations that teach music to Palestinian and Israeli youth simultaneously by enabling them to play music together."
Last night, at Neil Young & Crazy Horse's concert in Hyde Park, London during the opening song "Love And Only Love", Neil inserted the phrase "free the people of Palestine".
Only hours later, according to JPost.com, Neil Young's upcoming Tel-Aviv, Israel concert was canceled. The reason being cited is “The cancelation is due to the barrage of rockets that have been fired in recent days and the concern for the safety of an audience for such an event.”
Around the world, this announcement is being met by many with ridicule over the irony and unmitigated hypocrisy. Of course, anyone who isn't following the "mass media fear based propaganda matrix" knows this is a laughable excuse and that rockets are not pounding Tel Aviv and concert goers have little to worry about in terms of safety.
In light of the appalling recent events in Israel and Gaza and my dismay at the the lack of any response from our governments and in a final appeal to Neil's possible attachment to the rights of all human beings, not just the disenfranchised natives of North America, but all human beings all over the world, I am publishing that letter now.
Here it Is.
Dear Neil Young.
There are rumors flying about that you are considering doing shows in Tel Aviv this year.
The picket lines have been crossed in this last year by one or two lightweights from our community but no one of your stature. Woody Guthrie would turn in his grave. Neil Young! You are one of my biggest heroes, you are one of a very short list, you, John Lennon, Woody Guthrie, Huddy Ledbetter, Harry Belafonte, Sam Cooke, Billie Holiday and, like some others, but not many, your songs have always been redolent of love and humanity and compassion for your fellow man and woman. I find it hard to believe that you would turn your back on the indigenous people of Palestine. That you would lend support to, and encourage and legitimize, with your presence, a colonial apartheid regime, largely settled from Europe, that seeks to confine the native people of the land, either in exile or in second class status in reservations and ghettos.
Please, brother, tell me it ain't so.
As I recall, back in the day, along with the rest of us (Stevie van Zandt, Bruce, Led Zep etc etc etc etc) you would not "Play In Sun City" I am asking you to stand on the same moral ground now. The late, great, Nelson Mandela lives on in us, we cannot let him down. He was explicit in his position and I quote, " We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians". It is time for "Rock Against Racism" to show some of it's muscle by refusing to lend our names to the whitewashing of the illegal colonization of Palestinian land and the systematic oppression of its indigenous people. Unfortunately the opposition lobby has a lot of muscle too. They spend millions on their "Hasbara"(If like me you have no Hebrew)”Explaining” or to you and me "Propaganda". The propaganda machine is well oiled and ruthless. We, on the other hand, have only our commitment to non-violent resistance to lie down in front of the IDF caterpillar tractors that would raze the native people from the land of Palestine. We stand with those people, and with all the brave people of Israel and Palestine, Jewish and Arab alike who oppose The Israeli Governments brutal policies. We stand with Rachel Corrie, the young American woman who gave her life under the caterpillar's tracks. Please join me and countless other artists all over the world in solidarity with the oppressed and the disenfranchised. It is time to heed the peoples call. People like The Bedouin, the nomadic people of the Negev in the arid south of Israel, please research their plight, one village, Al-Araqib has been destroyed 63 times by IDF Bulldozers. If you are in doubt about any of this, I will go with you to Palestine, and Israel, if they’ll let me in, you will see what I have seen, and then let us figure out the right thing to do.
By the way I watched your Bridge School concert on YouTube last year, it was very moving, you were, of course magnificent. You had asked me to perform, and as I explained to your management, I would have gladly done so had I not already been committed to The Wall Tour in Europe and Stand Up For Heroes in New York. This year I will be pleased and proud to come and support you if you call.
With respect, and love.
Roger Waters.
Just an aside, but Roger don't hold your breath on the invite.
Back on subject, if ever there was a concert audience that needed to hear songs like Love And Only Love, Blowin' In The Wind, Rockin' In The Free World, among others, it was the audience this concert was intended.
So much for peace when music is just more "collateral damage".
On the other hand, maybe Neil will invite Roger to Bridge? Maybe re-schedule the Tel-Aviv, Israel concert for Shoreline? How about it?
Istanbul concert still on for now... likewise for Rolling Stones in Israel...
The ongoing tour of Neil Young and Crazy Horse has been marked by Billy Talbot’s unfortunate health accident. There has been a discussion about whether a Horse without Billy Talbot is Crazy enough. Interestingly, the inclusion of the wonderful bass player Rick Rosas draws attention to the role of Billy Talbot in the regular Horse lineup. Listening to the recordings of the first concerts of the present tour we can hear – as far as YouTube allows – marked differences in sound and approach in comparison to the performances of the Alchemy Tour of 2013. There is a different handling of rhythm in the ‘new’ Horse constellation. Yes, the alchemy is different. They’re cooking things differently than last year. And why should it be otherwise, when you change one pivotal player in a team of four, you bet the band will sound differently. Apparently, Rick Rosas has a more sparing, laid back, lighter tone than the fat and heavy, stomping style of Billy Talbot. And with that, he influences the sound of the entire band.
This – admittedly very superficial – observation made me think about a listening sensation. Over the last 25 years, I noticed that Crazy Horse has developed a rough, stomping style of playing that presents a perfect carpet for Young to perform his guitar solos. But the Horse’s sound has become less agile, less flexible over time. It probably started around 1990, with Ragged Glory (the Live album still had a greater variety in rhythm and sound). Now Ragged Glory contains more than a few wonderful songs and it is a spectacular example of how the Horse inspires Neil Young’s guitar playing. However, I seldom play the entire album in one go; it is too much, and too much of the same. Psychedelic Pill has the same effect, even to an extreme. It is like listening to all Anton Bruckner’s symphonies in one day. If I had to characterize it, I’d call it a typically white elderly male stomp, an elephants’ stampede in slow motion. I’ve often thought that the sound originated in the band members putting on weight, becoming more sluggish and heavy. One too easily gets the impression is that – indeed – it’s all one song. There is a heaviness, a monotony of pulse, which to my ears stymies Neil Young’s versatility. Needless to say, I have always preferred the more funkier, punkier, speedier Neil Young (or the lyrical one, of course). (Perhaps a good example is the Eldorado album – with Rick Rosas on bass – which is an often neglected highlight of Neil Young’s oeuvre.)
This may sound as a severe judgement, and perhaps it will enflame some big NY fans. But let’s not forget that appreciation is also – and preferably – critical appreciation. We’re taking this artist seriously, after all. Of course there is an enormous space for disagreement here (please do!), as many may particularly like the fat stomping sound of the post-1990 Horse. But that’s a matter of taste. The real point of discussion is whether we indeed hear this happening, and whether the Horse, and Billy Talbot in particular, has heavily influenced Neil Young’s sound over the last decades. We tend to see Young as a master choosing his comrades according to his inner voice, but have we really thought about the fact that influences also go the other way?
And now we’re in the midst of the Alchemy Tour #2. It’s fascinating to see what’s happening.
As I said, just a thought.
Cheers from Europe
Thanks Minke! Excellent assessment.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Don't Cry No Tears Live at The Marquee Cork Ireland 2014
Thanks EyesOfRust! More videos in EyesOfRust playlist.
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