Considering Neil Young Through the Eyes of His Fans | No Depression

Neil Young
Photo by Matt Furman/The Wall Street Journal

Here's a small sampling of a survey of Rusties — "Neil Young’s most devoted fans who converse and post in an online community called RUST" — and their thoughts on his best concert performances.

From Considering Neil Young Through the Eyes of His Fans | No Depression by Gary Stoller:

Ian Rosen, who lives in Los Angeles and has been a fan since 1978, says the best show he attended was at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on April 27, 1991. The 1991 tour followed Young’s late 1990 album, Ragged Glory, an album filled with blistering guitar solos and strong melodies.

“After years of Neil trying different styles, it was a re-affirmation of why I loved his music so much in the first place,” Rosen says. “It was a tour behind one of his greatest albums — 25 years after his first album with Buffalo Springfield.”

The Sports Arena show was the best Young show Rosen has attended “because I didn't think he had it in him to still be so energizing and powerful.”

Rosen says Young is has favorite artist because his music rocks, is “soulful and beautiful” and “has continued to be so excellent and relevant for so many years.”

The Canadian-born rocker who has lived in California since the 1960s has been a major influence in Rosen’s life.

“He’s made me unashamed to embrace my own uniqueness and individuality and unafraid to try new things,” Rosen says. “He's also been inspirational in following my own muse over the years and not compromising.”

Leo Echavarria of Keene, New Hampshire, says Young keeps him “sane” and is his favorite artist because of his “versatility.”

Young’s best tour, he says, was 1987’s Life tour because of the set lists and the performance of Crazy Horse. The best Young show Echavarria attended was on Aug. 8, 1997, at the Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts in Mansfield, Massachusetts. It was part of H.O.R.D.E., a summer music festival featuring many acts that was originated by Blues Traveler in 1992.

Young started the Mansfield show with “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)” and followed with “Crime in the City” and “Hippie Dream.” He played more well-known songs such as “The Needle and the Damage Done,” “Ohio,” “Powderfinger," and a title cut treasured by Young fans, “Tonight’s the Night.”

Echavarria cannot forget the final number. “The venue put on the houselights at 11 p.m., and Neil played a 15-minute version of ‘Rockin’ in the Free World'.”

Full article Considering Neil Young Through the Eyes of His Fans | No Depression by Gary Stoller.

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