REACTION: World is Changing - Neil Young Cancels Tour; Chooses Digital Instead | WEHM VLOG
"Uncle Neil is too busy to tour" per a Consequence of Sound tweet.
There has been considerable reaction, (and here, here, and here) to the news that Neil Young is canceling plans for 2019 Fall Concert Tour with Crazy Horse to work on Shakey Pictures video projects instead.
Uncle Neil is too busy to tour. https://t.co/6ywvsdwC75
— Consequence of Sound (@consequence) August 3, 2019
Here is a rather provocative reaction from Anthony OnAir | WEHM VLOG on Neil Young canceling his concert tour and choosing to spend his time on The Archives instead.
Anthony OnAir's VLOG on WEHM contends that the world is changing to such a degree that Neil Young is recognizing that new reality and adjusting his approach to delivering the music. Rather than promote the upcoming album with Crazy Horse titled COLORADO, Neil will focus on a "Making Of" documentary of recording the Crazy Horse sessions, in a new and completely different approach.
As Anthony OnAir's VLOG states: "Any artist not addressing their digital legacy is failing their fans." We must say that while we agree with Anthony's declaration, we can't wait for the next Crazy Horse tour. So, while NYA is definitely a fan's dream come true -- and vastly exceeds what any fan could ever even imagine was possible -- 2020 can't come soon enough. LIVE COLORADO IS BETTER.
Labels: album, concert, crazy horse, neil young, studio, tour
26 Comments:
New and completely different approach? He's been doing making-of documentaries for his albums for decades (SWA, Greendale, Prairie Wind, LWW, Le Noise and Monsanto, to name a few). All this video talk is just a way to soften the blow that Nils won't be available to tour this fall because he'll be working on the next Springsteen album.
WOW. What a shame....
All's I can say is, Like an Inca, the song was ingrained in the deep recesses of my memory banks. NEVER even considered it was the last song on a (mostly) easily discard able album (for most fans) Trans. Neil & Real KILLED it. Now, no tour? CH orig Nils. We ain't gett'n Younger folks. Don't get me wrong, I'll take whatever Neil I can get, just no CH in 2019? BUM. ER. hope I am around long enuff to see it? Like an Inca.....
BTW, I agree w/ Baboo, mostly.
Been 'round long enuff to catch the "drift".
If I am Not mistook'n (usually am) Solo Live @ Vicar Street already made an appearance, no? Greendale, Live. Solo. Ireland. Maybe others have as well? Dunno, but doubt it. I pretty much have ALL "official" releases?
Hypocrit piece of shit shouldnt be allowed to tour in bad diesel burning busses anyways
From an email from Alan in Seattle:
Dear Thrasher and Thrashette,
I am sad that I can’t post on your page with my google ID. I have lost 4+ posts.
I will try another way. Anyway, I say, do not be sad about the cancelled CH tour. All these live film projects! He wants to do it. Let him! He will be paying us dividends from this project. Neil the film editor! His friends have died. Give home time for his vision to bring us a cornucopia or video with great sound resolution, I am sure!
I just saw him in Seattle in May 20th at the Paramount. It was very good. Old man, playing a little less aggressively than 1991, but still a guitar hero hero able to lay it down and use his axe like the veteran Rock God that he is!
@ Babbo B. - well, that's how Neil sees it. Whether truly new and completely different approach?
in the ear of the beholder we suppose.
@ herbsworld - Like an Inca, is pretty intergalactic.
which reminds us this essay we read today on Doctor to Doctor:
Zuma: Sequoia Anderson on time traveling through Neil Young’s Zuma, featuring photographs by Kat Bawden.
https://drdoctordrdoctor.com/zuma-255faff9cbfb
Aztec using supernatural Wi-Fi
maybe we'll blog it? or maybe Jim M will respond? He's pretty tuned into the topic....
@ Alan in Seattle - sorry for the hassle. This "intermittent feature" has been going on for years and we're never able to get to the bottom of it.
There's a very long story here that's not pretty but we'll spare everyone.
We can only say, run a test 1st. Save anything significant before hitting publish.
There's sometimes some very weird cookie settings behaviours which will block or error out.
Please report any issues to us @ thrasher ATSIGN thrasherswheat.org
include platform: Mobile (Android or Apple) or PC
They are all in their seventies. Enough said.
@herbsworld: We've already seen at least parts of 11 of the 15 video projects listed (all of Rusted Out Garage, Solo Trans, Vicar Street, Silver and Gold and BBC '71, portions of Budokan 76, Odeon 76, Harvest Sessions and Stratford '71, and single clips from Greendale Live and Alchemy). Maybe 12, if Catalyst is indeed the '97 show.
@Alan: You really think that Neil is a hands-on video editor? He has people for that. While he obviously signs off on everything, this same work could have gone on whether he was touring or not.
@Thrasher: I see now that "new and completely different approach" were words you previously used to describe the actual recording sessions based on Hanlon's NYA post, not the making-of documentary itself (which obviously is nothing new). Still seems like a bit of a stretch, since the only thing Hanlon said was really different was having the Horse do overdubs on three live solo recordings (out of 11 total album tracks).
I actually think it's a pretty classy move to not even mention Nils and his EStreet commitments in the post by Neil. There's no need. I have to think this is a fantastic year musically for Nils. He record a new CH album, he releases and tours his album, Blue with Lou and now he's getting back with Bruce. He's appeasing fans all over the place. I sure am grateful. Of course I'm a little sad, I was excited to go to a show. That's a human reaction. It does help to know in advance that it's not happening, I usually set a little money and time off aside when I hear something is in the works. So the headsup is nice. And we're going to get some movie nights, it's hopefully a 2019 appetizer for a 2020 main feast.
People my age, they dont do the things I do...
@ Babbo B. - well, as with all things neil, it's hard to say the meaning of this song...
not having Elliot around to guide a CH tour on short notice makes seem pulling the plug a reasonable call.
frankly, with the loss of Elliot, this seems to allow him time to reflect on a momentous loss, surely.
@ rtg - yep,a fantastic year for Nils.
People our age, should do the things we do...
(fify)
I'm surprised no one else here has mentioned the single most obvious connection to this topic:
DH
DH Love
Darryl Hannah
She has focused on nearly every NY film project since coming into the picture.
Puns, Intended.
@thrasher: innarest'n read (drDR) ty.
I ALWAYS thought "Like An Inca" woulda fit better on Zuma.
Guess it really is "All One Song"....
Love his music. As for the person, I could care less for his detached, selfish, rogue act that is his modus operandi since he drove his hearse over the border 50+ years ago. Read the book by David Browne. Tells me all you need to know about a great musician who is selfish, insecure and thrived on being a ass
I was also thinking this : "@Alan: You really think that Neil is a hands-on video editor? He has people for that. While he obviously signs off on everything, this same work could have gone on whether he was touring or not." I think he just needs more time off before embarking on such.
Look at it this way: at least we'll be spared another round of kvetching about ticket prices. "Live music is better" indeed, but the economics are just one illustration of how real life is not always that simple.
We Neil Nuts can be an acrimonious lot, like most folks who care deeply about something and want to see it done right. Adding to the complications, most of us probably have diverse ideas about what "right" looks like.
We clamor for the goods from the Archives--sometimes, arguably, at the expense of appreciating new works--but all this shit takes time and energy to put together properly. Even accounting for NY's propensity to change his mind and the multiple format re-sets, it's not a question of snapping one's fingers.
So, what are we left with? A new Crazy Horse album in the fall (presumably a two-LP release if there are 11 songs and side 1 can only house 2 of them due to length), a behind-the-scenes feature on the album, and more Archives stuff known to be in the pipeline.
The real question: how much can we absorb at once? As one of the younger regulars hereabouts, it's a tad too easy for me to counsel patience. However, I think it still applies to a reasonable extent. A new CH album in itself would usually be, and is, momentous. No tour yet? Disappointing, sure. Then again, Neil has toured a *lot* (with and without the Horse), so long time fans in particular have been spoiled with that expectation.
With some other artists, we wouldn't get as much live music as we've had from Neil. It's important to appreciate what is while remaining open to what might come. I'm hoping all of this isn't enough to cloud anyone's judgement on the new album. It would be a shame to lose sight of "Colorado"'s potential virtues just because we can't always have everything we want, let alone getting it all instantaneously.
I agree with Babbo B (and ajbsf, somewhat).
I would love to know if Neil he considered suppressing his pride momentarily, to give Poncho an invitation to reconsider retirement.
Will there ever be the long ago promised Blu Ray Box Set of The Archives Box Set Volume II? He's letting us fans down who have been waiting for over 10 years for it, and were told back in 2009 that they were already working on it.
If anyone has any info please contact me. Thank you all.
P.S. I already miss Poncho
Will there ever be a physical Blu Ray Release of Archives Vol. II as promised over 10 years ago?
@ Ian Kertis, You may be younger than most hereabouts, but your comments show great maturity. Thank you for saying exactly what I was thinking on the subject. I’m one of the older ones here, and frankly, whatever Neil wants is just fine with me. It’s his life and his career and it should come as no surprise if he changes his plans. After all he’s been through over the last several years he can do whatever he wants. I’m just a fan, and that gives me no right to judge Neil or anyone else for that matter. Looking forward to hearing the new Crazy Horse album and anything else Neil wants to release in 2019.
Peace.
@michael1984: Sorry to say, Neil announced quite some time ago that there would be no more Blu-ray releases. As further explained in an NYA letter/answer in January, "Blu-ray production is unsustainable. Costs way too much to make and master compared to the demand. What we have at NYA is deeper and the audio can be just as good as Blu-ray."
@Dan Swan... Thanks for your kind comments. One point I feel is most worth expounding: it's vital that we appreciate new works along with the archival releases. NY's ongoing prolificacy, and his commitment to producing bold, fresh work, is not to be flouted.
This doesn't mean we put aside criticism or reservations. It's to be expected that we'll each find some projects we like more than others. A wide range of opinions and responses is normal and can be productive. The key is a constructive and open-minded approach that gives each new work a chance to succeed on its own strengths.
I mention this mostly because of tendency, perhaps understandable, to treat the Archives as a sot of Holy Grail. While it's true that there's enticing material in the vaults and we've waited a long time for it, I think the Archives hype sometimes runs the risk of relatively devaluing new works. That shouldn't happen, as both are important for different reasons.
@right-wing... To my knowledge, Pancho is "retired" by his own choice. He'll be missed, but I'm not sure what that has to do with Neil's pride. Maybe Pancho would return at Neil's request, maybe not. There's plenty we don't know, but I'd surmise the tour cancellation is down to a confluence of factors.
@Babbo B., Thanks for a solid answer to Mmcheal1984's query, as I was somewhat curious myself. In retrospect, it's unfortunate about BD leading to a dead end. Nonetheless, and as NY correctly observed, it was not economical. In years to come, the existing box sets will be great collectors' items. C'est la vie.
It’s clear that the Blu Ray format has been discarded by NYA, but this doesn’t make the format obsolete. The format is actually selling and 4K is actually growing in demand. Television manufacturers are now only offering 4K on the larger screen options, and from what I’ve been told, 8K will be the standard for 2020 large screen T.V.’s.
If NYA only offers DVD as a physical product then I will gladly purchase it. But from my perspective it appears that the future is in streaming video in place of a physical product. I would prefer a physical product but it’s clear that the millennials don’t. Unlike Amazon Prime or Netflix, NYA only has Hearse Theatre at the moment, so we can only view what NYA offers us. There is no way to stream what we want when we want it like other services can. I assume this may change in the future of NYA.
At the moment, I feel that NYA is an outstanding value for the money and I can see they plan to move forward with improvements along the way, so I look forward to seeing where it goes. As long as Neil continues to release his music on vinyl I’ll be happy. I’m just grateful for what he’s already doing and want to support him the best way I can.
I’m glad we all have a place to share our opinions on this site and know that we’re heard. Positive or negative views are always welcome as long as we aren’t malicious with each other.
Peace.
@Dan Swan, I certainly did not mean to imply BD as a whole is obsolete. However, the large NYA box sets themselves were never overly economical. Along with the ongoing album releases, I see no reason to assume individual Shakey Pictures titles won’t continue to appear on BD and/or DVD. Paradox was a Neflix release but not directly related to Archives,
I’m still fond of the physical medium myself, but realistically, I do suspect much of the future is intangible, so to speak. In this light, it’s neat to think of NYA (and other cultural productions) transcending space and time through the potential of the worldwide web.
Colorado tracklist posted now on NYA:
1. Think Of Me
2. She Showed Me Love
3. Olden Days
4. Help Me Lose My Mind (previously unheard)
5. Green Is Blue
6. Shut It Down (previously unheard)
7. Milky Way
8. Eternity
9. Rainbow Of Colors
10. I Do (aka Why Do I Believe In You)
Info cards indicate the first three songs recorded were Eternity, Think Of Me and Green Is Blue, so those presumably are the live solo tracks with Horse overdubs.
To me Green is Blue is the standout Ive heard to far. I watched it again last night on the recent Winnepeg show. It reminds me of something that could hold its own on After the Goldrush. That good. Eternity, Think of Me, She Showed Me Love, I dont know. Im split. Some I liked solo but didnt w POTR.
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