In a recent interview with Neil Young in The New Yorker by Amanda Petrusich, he discusses how to do a self-sustaining, renewable concert tour.
Neil Young: Well, I have a plan.
I’ve been working on it with a couple of my friends for about seven or eight months. We’re trying to figure out how to do a self-sustaining, renewable tour. Everything that moves our vehicles around, the stage, the lights, the sound, everything that powers it is clean. Nothing dirty with us.
We set it up; we do this everywhere we go. This is something that’s very important to me, if I’m ever going to go out again. . . . and I’m not sure I want to, I’m still feeling that out. But, if I’m ever going to do it, I want to make sure that everything is clean.
What was the last thing you remember eating at a show, and how good was it? Was it from a farm-made, homegrown village? I don’t think so. It was from a factory farm that’s killing us.
I’ve been working on this idea of bringing the food and the drink and the merch into the realm where it’s all clean. I will make sure that the food comes from real farmers.
Once it’s up and going, and I’m finished with my part of the tour, there’s no reason why the tour has to stop. The tour can keep on going with another headliner. It’s about sustainability and renewability in the future, loving Earth for what it is.
We want to do the right thing. That’s kind of the idea.
The New Yorker: At seventy-seven, have you thought about retirement?
Neil Young: Doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility.
That could happen. You get to a point in life where things are happening everywhere around you, and your friends are going away and not coming back.
Things change.
We finished recording this toward the end of May. That’s six months ago. That’s a long time for me to wait. I’ve never waited that long to put out a record.
Things do change, indeed Neil.
"For me, there are no more trips with fossil fuels. The tour is waiting for the clean bus. Not for Covid.It's about the life and death of the planet as we know it.
But I will do everything to come to you and share some music."
So with the requirement for an all eco tour and the consideration of retiring, have we seen the last of Neil Young in concert?
This would be an unbelievable thing to get to experience. Of course, since I live in Newfoundland, I'd probably have to travel by plane to see one of these shows, which is kind of a bummer but I will if I have to. I hope this comes to fruition.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see this happen. The corporate and government structure that run "the food systems" (a joke, it is a profit system), might actually notice. Keep going Neil, you are a great human being.
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ReplyDeleteWe will all be seeing Neil Young play live again, in one form or another. Perhaps on the big screen?
ReplyDeleteI hope to watch Harvest at the movie theater tomorrow night but snow threatens in Seattle. We shall see.
Neil, it’s ok to “retire.” You have already delivered a lifetime of hard work, tours, albums, and gorgeous Art (etc.).
Maybe us fans can circumvent your retirement by demanding you do so(!).
We have never been able to tell NY what to do, so this could provide some hope of Neil Young never retiring.
Meanwhile, I will enjoy some great music that was not made recently.
Our Hero is still a Hero, tour or not. Your Brother Alan in Seattle
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ReplyDeleteNeil - In the words of the Isley Brothers:
ReplyDeleteIt's your thing, do what you wanna do
I can't tell you, who to sock it to!
Hope to see you again though.
~ SONY