Comment of the Moment: Neil Young Solo @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre, Paso Robles, CA - July 8

Neil Young The Ford, Los Angeles - July 1, 2023Photo by Mike "Expecting To Fly" (Click photo to enlarge) 

Our Comment of the Moment is from Neil Young Solo @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre, Paso Robles, CA - July 8  by JVJ:

Gotta say I'm happy there was SOMEONE in attendance that was stoked for this setlist and the rare opportunities it provided. 

I was lucky enough to be up front, so maybe the vibe got a little looser and more appreciative in other spots but I was mostly surrounded by people being audibly confounded that they didn't "know a single song he's playing" (direct quote from the couple to the left of me). But at least that couple was receptive to songs they've never heard. I don't need to be surrounded by people who can list every song from every album by memory but AT LEAST be open to appreciating what you are hearing... which wasn't the case with the couple to my right... the wife scrolling through her phone and even making calls DURING the set. Their attention shifting only for "Heart of Gold" and then leaving immediately after that.

The amount of people shouting for the hits wasn't really a surprise... I had assumed the venue and its size might not be the most knowledgable or curious audience... but it was still a bit of a bummer to experience that. People shouting requests between songs instead of listening to what he may (or may not) have to say. Shouting songs that have been played thousands of times.

This far into his career and he's still confounding audience expectations... doesn't say much about the audiences. And I'm sure I'm just calling out a small fraction of the crowd. The applause between songs said much more than the knuckleheads ever could. I wish the people around me could have just taken in the moment, looked up at the beautiful California summer sky and appreciated everything about the moment. We can all speculate whether or not this is one of his final lap through the stages, sheds, and stadiums but one thing is for damn certain... this setlist is a moment of time that will not last too long. He'll be on to another batch of songs that have caught his fascination. Maybe solo, maybe with the horse or the real or something that will confound the audiences again. It's cool that today someone who likely only has Harvest or the Greatest Hits comp is probably adding something from Sleeps With Angels to their playlist right now.I was definitely too young to catch him on the road for SWA and just a bit too young to have my ear to the ground for any Mirrorball shows (that would all change in '97 though) so hearing him play songs from both of those was transcendent... just a flood of tears and joy. And from Trans! And "Homefires"! Just hearing and seeing him again at all.

Alright... to hell with the small cluster of unimaginative dimwits - they absolutely could not take away from how cool and special and unique this tour is. It's the closest you can come to his fireside sessions happening in front of you... and at fairly large venues no less.

Thank you and apologies to the TW community for letting me work through that small little tantrum in public forum.

See this tour if you can.

Fingers crossed the audience in Berkeley is a little cooler? Even if they're not, I'll be grateful to be there.

Thanks so much for the concert review and report JVJ!

Seriously, we know what you mean about Neil audiences.  Like you said, it's still confounding that Neil audiences are still confounded 50+ years into his career.

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