Comment of the Moment: Remembering Neil Young w/ Booker T & the MGs, 1993 Concert Tour

 Neil Young w/ Booker T & the MGs + Pearl Jam and Blind MelonPoster by Frank Kozik(See Sugar Mountain @ 1993-09-05, The Gorge, George, Washington, USA) 

 

Last week we posted that over on Neil Young Archives, a new Timeline Concert of  Neil Young with Booker T & the MGs from 1993 USA & Euro Tour w/ Booker T. & The MGs at Finsbury Park - London, England on July 11, 1993 began streaming.

A real monster, mega outdoor festival concert with Pearl Jam opening for Neil Young with Booker T & the MGs and then coming out for a final encore on “Rockin’ in the Free World” (which was unrecorded due to "tape ran out"), Booker T & the MGs is considered -- in retrospect -- as yet another great Neil Young backing band.

Our  Comment of the Moment: Remembering Neil Young w/ Booker T & the MGs, 1993 Concert Tour by Dan:

Growing up in the 60’s and early 70’s Booker T. & the MG’s were an essential element in the fabric of the times. 

Not only did they record as a stand alone entity, but they were one of four incredible groups that were the backbone of some of the greatest artists of their generation. Along with Booker T. & The MG’s, The Funk Brothers , The Fame Gang, and The Wrecking Crew, these musicians were responsible for some of the greatest music ever recorded. The opportunity to actually witness any of these players live was extremely rare for a young white kid growing up in the Pacific Northwest. So when Booker T. & the MG’s went out on tour with Neil Young, I realized that it might be my last chance to experience at least one of these remarkable groups I’d grown up admiring.

September 6th 1993…. Blind Melon, Pearl Jam, and Neil Young with Booker T. & The MG’s. Outdoors at the Portland Meadows racetrack. Perfect weather and I believe it was sold out.

Blind Melon at that time were only really known for the one song (No Rain) which I liked, but it didn’t prepare me for their live performance. These guys were totally committed to the music and they came with intensity and purpose. They reminded me of The Doors, they were reckless and spontaneous, which I found extremely satisfying. People were throwing water bottles on stage (as they did all day long) and finally Shannon Hoon stops the music and say “look, if you’re going to throw stuff up here let’s just get it over with. So on three, just throw whatever you want on stage…one two three”…..The avalanche of paraphernalia which cascaded down from above was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. One of the items was actually someone’s wallet, so Shannon picks it up, starts pulling out the contents inside and proceeds to toss everything back into the crowd. A truly brilliant performance from beginning to end. What a shame we lost him so young, they were an amazing band.

Witnessing Pearl Jam in 1993 was such a gift. They were so young. Still finding their own sound and navigating the fame that had been thrust upon them. Still feeling like they had something to prove, and they came out swinging. The purest form of intensity can really only come from the young, still hungry and angry about everything. This is what I experienced watching Pearl Jam perform that beautiful day in the sun. How anyone could walk away from that, and not forever be a devoted fan of Pearl Jam is unthinkable. One of the most raw performances I’ve ever experienced.

I had already seen Neil in concert several times by this point, but the excitement I felt this time was a little bit different. I was going to be witness to a historic pairing. I got into Neil with ‘Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere’, but but Booker T. & The MG’s had been with me since the early 60’s, so I spent much of this concert focused on them. Neil of course was in top form, and seemed to be relishing every single second getting to play with these four legends. There was an effortlessness in each and every note played that night, which has left an indelible mark on my soul. 

I was spellbound throughout the entire experience, and I feel truly blessed to have been there.

I still have the ticket stub….

ADULT $26.50
Produced By MCA Concerts
Neil Young
--X—Rain Or Shine—X—
No Coolers/Cameras Please
Mon. Sept. 6, 1993 4:30PM

Peace

Neil Young with Booker T & the MGs 

+ Pearl Jam & Teenage Fanclub 

Finsbury Park - London, England on July 11, 1993

(Ticket Stub via Sugar Mountain: 1993-07-11, Finsbury Park, London, England)

Thanks for the memories Dan!  

We saw the 1993 tour between Portland and England, along the U.S. East Coast.  More specifically, Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Our opening bands were Blind Melon and local act The Connells.

BTW, a review noted that "Blind Melon has reached a puzzling level of popularity" and compared Blind Melon to  "Jane's Addiction covering The Grateful Dead"?!

and, we too, still have the ticket stub….somewhere ...

BTW#2, have you read A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon  by Greg Prato?

A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon  

by Greg Prato 

 

Here are some recollections of touring with Neil Young as an opening act in 1993 from the chapter titled 'Neil Young and Lenny Kravitz Tours/Rolling Stone Cover'.

More on Remembering Neil Young w/ Booker T & the MGs, 1993 Concert Tour.

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