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.Full article Considering Neil Young Through the Eyes of His Fans | No Depression by Gary Stoller.
“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'.”
So how about you folks out there? Consider Neil Young through your eyes below and share.
I went to a show at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, ON on October 31, 1996 (Halloween night). A friend and I drove up from London, ON and I lost my starting spot on the high school football team for missing practice to be there. It was worth it 1000x over. This was a Crazy Horse show that ran pretty much 3hrs straight with only a small break for Neil to come out and play a few acoustic numbers. For me the highlight was a full band electric version of Pocahontas which really changed the way I thought about music and what a good song is. I had Rust Never Sleeps and Freedom at the time so I knew that Neil did both acoustic and electric versions of his songs but I was never expecting to hear Pocahontas sound like that: Full on slow grunge - it was great and it took me totally by surprise. NY and CH showed me their versatility and the versatility of a great song. The concert also featured a heavy dose of Zuma which I was familiar with before the show, but since that show has probably been my number 1 rotated NY disc.
ReplyDeleteNeil was playing in Sault Ste Marie Ontario on his 2012 Canadian Tour. Just before the show my wife and I went to visit my elderly mother.
ReplyDeleteMy mother looked at her in shock and said, " You are not wearing jeans to a concert are you ? " We couldn't stop laughing.
A spell was cast during that show from the opening notes of, Love and Only Love, right through to Pocahontas pulling away into the night.
Great band, great music, great showman and a most memorable night.
And as Leonard Cohen once said, "Memorability is a verdict, not an intention."
HORDE Festival, Tinley Park, August 3rd 1997.
ReplyDeletehttp://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2012/07/the-concert-i-wont-forget-night-neil.html
Catalyst 5/19/97 … surprise show announced that morning, dumb luck or a gift from G-d but I happened to be walking in front of the venue that day JUST as tickets went on sale (only day I've ever been in santa cruz in my life before or since!) show played in front of about 500 people, Neil and CH on fire! Did not recognize a bunch of songs, turned out they were 1st time breakouts and some remain unreleased and unplayed … still one of my favorite bootlegs of all time! I was already a Neil lifer then but that show took me to a whole different level of fandom. That said, almost every Neil show I've ever seen going back over 30 years has been pretty epic … Close runner ups: Chrome Dreams tour in '07, Carnegie Hall solo acoustic in '14, and Blue Notes in '88 or '89
ReplyDeleteThanks Tom, Lloyd, Joe & Dan!
ReplyDeleteAll great concert memories.
We have many too, which we have tried to share in real time over the years.
We probably did a Rust post (20 years after the fact) on our 1st CSNY concert in 74. Same with RNS tour, which for us is still an all time Neil favorite.
It's great that these concerts have footage from the era.
All that said, we just are floored by how POTR just brings it all together and takes Neil to even higher highs. Where do we go from here? Don't say it's over....
The Sandy benefit in Atlantic City brought my daughter to her first Neil show small room crazy horse what more could you want!
ReplyDeleteThe Sandy benefit in Atlantic City brought my daughter to her first Neil show small room crazy horse what more could you want!
ReplyDelete