Photos by Andrew Bennett
Here is an exclusive report on a stealth concert gig in Toronto last week by Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse.
Thanks so much for the TW exclusive Stu!
Howdy Thrashers Wheat!
Long time fan of your site but never had anything to share until today.
We got wind that Neil was in Ontario, Canada from a friend who bumped
into him up north. A few days later we heard that Neil had been booked
into a club in downtown Toronto called The Rivoli on Queen Street West
for the weekend. We immediately booked tables
at the club for Friday and Saturday night. We booked multiple tables of 6 for each night. A day later the club called us all and canceled our
reservations. No explanation except the club was booked for a private event for the entire weekend.
As another friend lives across the street we have been keeping an eye
out. Thursday at midnight they blocked off the street in front of the
club and had filming permits to do so. The tables were cleared bare. All
of the alcohol in the bar was removed and replaced
with top shelf offerings. On Friday morning security showed up both
front and back of the venue. The trucks then began appearing (3 or 4
fully loaded) late morning. They unloaded a ton of gear from the
multiple trucks and loaded it through the front door.
Several of the road cases were labelled NY and Neil Young so the
rumours were true.
The Load In
Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse @ The Rivoli, Toronto on Nov. 3, 2023
They stacked up a bunch of empty cases out front of
the club to block the street view. We made an hourly trip around the
club until midnight and then called it a night on Friday
as nothing seemed to be going on.
We have had no official word on what is happening. We have heard
everything from a private corporate gig, to a billionaires birthday
party. The club I believe it's licensed for 240 persons. We continued to
watch the front door and made periodic trips around
the club. More security and staff were both in front and out back. Just
after 7pm people started to arrive at the club and were screened for
entry.
At 9pm we went around back of the club. 9:10pm we hear the cheers
as Neil Young and Crazy Horse hit the stage.
As we stood in an alley listening at the
back door of the club it was sometimes difficult to hear. When the
backdoor was opened the sound was absolutely phenomenal in the club.
What a treat for the lucky 200 who were invited to what
was called a 'Reverse Surprise Party - Age Before Beauty'.
The setlist is incomplete.
Neil Young and Crazy Horse
Saturday November 4 2023
The Rivoli, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Country Home
Fuckin Up
Over and Over
Love to Burn
Farmer John
Mansion on the Hill
Love and Only Love ->
(?)->
Love and Only Love
Cinamon Girl
Rockin' in the Free World
Neil's set ended at 10:35pm and the load out began.
From what we could
gather the show was a birthday
party for a wealthy Toronto local.
Apparently, the birthday host did not tell any of the guests
what was to come. What a surprise it must have been for those lucky
enough to get an invite. It seemed to be one of the best kept secrets in
the city as nobody but a handful of us hanging out back knew what was
going on.
After Neil Young played and they loaded in another band -- The Arkells. The Arkells played last -- thus the Age Before Beauty moniker.
The reverse surprise were the musical guests for the party.
Security was pretty cool in letting us hang outside the backdoor and
would keep the door open for as long as possible
so we could hear what was going on. The back doors were left open for
the encore. Neil, Daryl Hannah and Crazy Horse emerged from the
backstage doors and were into an SUV and were gone.
If you zoom in you can see Neil's name on the gear (and ya that's a Chick Fil A beside the club that people who were there had no clue NYCH was rocking next store!).
As of noon today [Nov 6], nothing has been posted anywhere not even local media. I'm not on any social media so something may have been mentioned in that realm.
Most people I have mentioned it to had no clue and are blown away. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see and hear it for myself.
We initially thought it was just going to be a Shakey productions video based on the load in. The amount of gear for a truly tiny club seemed over the top.
We seemed to know more than the people who worked the show or those
attending. We could have blown the secret by just standing in front and
telling folks. We didn't even share the news but with the closest of
friends. The folks working the show weren't even
aware of what was going on.
I
know one of the folks I had told the next day said he bumped into a
person who attended the show a few hours later and spilled the
beans. I only shared it (publicly) with you and SugarMtn when I got
home that night.
It was two blocks away from some of the biggest news
media in Canada and they had no clue.
We kept it tight lipped hoping if
it just a couple of us they would let us in. The
best we got from the stage manager was to open the backstage door for
the end of the set and encore. He thanked us for keeping it off the
net.
I
do know
that NDA's (non-disclosure agreements) were the story (kind of how we
got the heads up) but what's history should be noted and accurate. I
wish I could have provided a better setlist but it's 90% accurate
(missing one or two at worst, I noted one '?'). The
load in of the Arkells impeded our listening.
The folks I met who were
inside weren't versed in NYCH but were all in awe.
Again one of the best
shows I've heard but never got in. I'm completely jelly!
Seen multiple
Stones club shows in TO but this would have
been at the top of my list. Would love to hear a tape. What made it
work was it has to be the best kept secret in Toronto history. If I was
him I would have had them play my living room, it has to be bigger than
the Rivoli.
I wrote the above when I got home from the evening and could expand on
it with some latent memories and more pics. Unfortunately none from
inside the venue.
I have spoken with a couple of folks who worked the
gig and said they were fans but couldn't get a better
list than I provided. The bartender said they shut down bar service
during the performance. This is my 40th year of seeing
Neil (first show '83 Maple Leaf Gardens) and still a fan! You have to be
to stand in a dirty back alley in downtown
Toronto in the cold on a rumour. My hands were so cold my pics have
that psychedelic shake to them, naturally.
Let me know what I can do to help your post. It should be noted
for posterity, you can keep the names private except the club and date.
Again loved the site almost since you started, have clicked the links to order some Neil and was happy to finally contribute.
Keep up the good harvest!
Cheers
Stu
Thanks so much for the report Stu! Wow, what a nice surprise. Sure wish you guys had been able to squeeze in for a better view and audio. Alas.
So where will Neil pop up next?!
How much to hire the Old Boy(s). I got a few bucks in the bank.
ReplyDeleteApparently the whole Ragged Glory album has been played with the exception of the album's last track.
ReplyDeleteMan, something tells me if I had enough dough, I could get Neil to perform the entire On The Beach album in my living room. Betcha if I gave him enough, he'd put on a MAGA hat too.
ReplyDeleteAin't singing for Pepsi
Ain't singing for Coke
I don't sing for nobody
Makes me look like a joke
And he'd forget to ask you to get tested.
DeleteSomeone on FB confirmed that both Nils and Micah were there
ReplyDeleteWarmup gig perhaps on the way to a summer tour for NYCH.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the “Sellout” talk, Neil in the past made a stand & refused to tour with an official sponsor. This gig does not change his stance as I see it. A private party for a bunch of well connected fans perhaps. A rich guy paying the cost to put the gig on. Was it filmed? It looks like a Ragged Glory Deluxe release party to me.
Was the money possibly given to charity? With Neil Young, we may never learn the answer, or how much he has given to charities. We know he has played more benefit shows than anyone.
Let’s not be too quick to judge the motives of Uncle Neil.
Your Brother Alan in Seattle
cough up the bucks.
ReplyDeletecough up the bucks.
neil: "not touring until next summer, only outdoor venues because of "HEALTH SAFETY".
ReplyDeleterich guy: $$$$$$
neil: "club gig sounds great!"
yeah, oversimplification, but i'd love to see neil play a small theater again. but i guess, since i don't have the bucks, it's no go.
Does Neil Young ever change his mind? Time Fades Away got re-released after he said “Never.”
ReplyDeleteOne could see this gig as a sign of hope for indoor venues & even possibly European shows, & shows in other lands.
We may be watching the stealth show on NYA. Let’s not curse the fates just yet.
Your Brother Alan in Seattle
It wasn’t so long ago when it looked like Neil would not tour ever again, or even play live shows.
ReplyDeleteWe TW readers / NY fans were in crisis!
Thrasher pointed out that TW is “All about Live music.” He could have halted this blog & even taken it off line.
Some TW fans & I tried to convince him that this blog is about so much more than live shows, but Thrasher is a man of conviction & a live music lover. What would happen?
But he did not throw in the towel, I gladly say on this blog, still! Since then, Thrasher got to see Farm Aid with Neil again, not to mention the super Stealth “Bob Dylan & the Heartbreakers” magical mini set! What a reward!
We hardcore Neil Young fans hang on his every word, as it were. Did Neil lie when he said “No tour until my bus runs Green?”
Did Neil Young lie? Yes or No?! I prefer to think of it as “He evolved” into a new conclusion. We are all evolving, hopefully. Do we ever change our minds and arrive at a different conclusion? And Take Action contradicting our previous “official statement?”
Of course we do! That is why I am a MRI Tech instead of a miserable businessman. I changed my mind.
Does Neil Young & Crazy Horse have an Epic masterpiece called “Change Your Mind” ?! It’s a command. We get to rethink past policies & blustery pronouncements.
I once told my parents I would never be friends with my blood brother again, & now we are friends, & we play guitars with our old Dad, who is still killing it on the Harmonica! And our old mom, baking muffins in the kitchen! It’s a dream come true.
After Neil made his sad announcement, things have changed! I got to see the Coastal tour up close & personal in Auburn WA. I even got to live out a fantasy in a kayak with my wife on the Deschutes River (Bend, OR) on our Anniversary, listening to Neil play a show within earshot, with a few hundred other “River Rats.” What a fortunate turn of events!
The river gig was symbolic for me in that my favorite NY song is set on a river, another one of Neil’s “movie in a song” classics.
But whether you are down by the river, or in a venue, seeing Neil Young again, in person & live may be in your future! Let’s don’t be angry, or say “the Magic’s gone, it’s Over.” There’s been a change of heart. Instead of cursing the Darkness, Light a Candle for where we’re going!
Your Brother Alan in Seattle
It's kind of funny that nobody critizised the recent Roxy benefit shows, also indoors and before a small audience. This time it was a multi-millionaire investing in a rock star pension fund. There are many more stupid things the rich man could have done with his money - like asking to share the stage maybe, or even worse. Does a single concert already count as a tour? One day a recording will surface and a lot of fans will call it "legendary".
ReplyDeleteBrother Alan - as always, your passion and energy is appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking on the “Neil hypocrisy” subject. We used get baited into this quite a bit back in the day, particularly regarding ticket $’s. So try not to fall into the bait trap. It’s a no win situation.
And we do appreciate all of your encouragement on keeping TW going. ATM, been working on the annual Neil b-day posting for this weekend. (Happy early b-day NY!)
Farm Aid 23 was a major re-charge after almost a 4 year drought on seeing Neil in concert. While only 4 songs, the night turned out to have one of our finest 90 minute music runs.
Within that short span, we saw Neil, Bob & Willie + more, including The Heartbreakers, Nelson Boys, etc
Truly an exhilarating night.
So to read Stu’s report here on the Toronto stealth gig was a flashback for us back to FA. What would happen? Who would it be? What would be played? Practically no one was in on the big FA secret of a stealth Dylan & Heartbreakers set, much like Toronto.
In this day and age, we admit we’re pretty jaded. Seen a lot, done a lot, etc. So when a joyous surprise arrives out of the blue, well pinch us awake.
All & all, it’s still great to be alive. And to meet you and get to know you this summer was a blessing. We hoped to have more to say at the time but got pretty side tracked on so much. But we have not forgotten and we’ll memorialize here on TW eventually.
Well, Well. RS with a TW credit. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/neil-young-ragged-glory-private-concert-canada-goose-1234874732/
ReplyDelete@alan, not really "changing his mind", more "speaking out of both sides of his mouth". neil posted on his archives website on Nov 2 that he's only playing outdoor venues "for health safety". this gig was Nov 4.
ReplyDeletei get it, people like you and thrasher can find no wrong with anything neil does. but he's just a human, and he keeps fuckin' up just like the rest of us.
He does what his wife tells him to do.
DeleteI guess I am out of the loop on this sort of thing? A truly great artist with apparently serious convictions about his art plays a show for a billionaire? Why? Do we know Neil got paid? Do we know "he did it for the money" and even if he did what follows from this fact? I don't think it follows that he is a hypocrite. He said he wasn't playing for Bud and politicians but all musicians play for money. What is the real difference between playing the Roxy and playing a single show for one person or family?
ReplyDeleteI think the people who immediately assume the worst or infer the worst need to check their logic and assumptions. And no, I don't see Thrasher and others in worship mode. It is more like at this point Neil Young has paid his dues times about 1 billion and we should have a deep respect and admiration for what he has done. We know he will continue to chart his own path and this is what is known as authenticity.
What a fine weekend for Thrasher's Wheat and reporter Stu! Kudos to you both for this musical scoop to start the Neil's birthday weekend!
ReplyDeleteThe TW report is credited as the source all over the internet...
Vancouver Sun: https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/neil-young-rumoured-to-play-secret-gig-at-the-rivoli-in-toronto/wcm/11e8b08c-8f75-476c-ab9c-c3bcab7ea393
Toronto Sun: https://www.msn.com/en-ca/entertainment/music/neil-young-rumoured-to-play-secret-gig-at-the-rivoli-in-toronto/ar-AA1jJJqG
Rolling Stone: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/neil-young-ragged-glory-private-concert-canada-goose-1234874732/
Exclaim! https://exclaim.ca/music/article/neil_young_and_crazy_horse_reportedly_played_a_secret_show_at_torontos_rivoli_last_weekend
Stereogum refers tip back to Rolling Stone: https://www.stereogum.com/2242366/neil-young-crazy-horse-apparently-played-a-billionaires-private-party/news/
Journal of Musical Things: https://www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com/believe-it-or-not-neil-young-played-a-super-secret-club-gig-in-toronto-last-weekend/
Here are some images of the tiny Rivoli:
https://www.blogto.com/music/2021/05/history-rivoli-toronto/
https://www.facebook.com/RivoliToronto/photos
BTW, private gigs are always entertained by booking agents for artists and sometimes go to the top of the list as a recommendation. These private gigs now help pay the enormous cost of touring these days. Wondering if Neil Young has some sort of relationship with the company? If it is Canadian Goose they are a clothing company who often supplies film crews or is it Grey Goose Vodka?
ReplyDeleteIt terms of the "sell out" aspect of this discussion...we seem to be in very novel times where new things are happening all the time that have no historical precedent. It is almost like history isn't repeating itself anymore. While we've been told war is human nature I am seeing that change now, too, if that ever was true. Nearly ever veteran I've seen return home came back changed. Boot camp made them save their friends but didn't turn them into killing machines in my experience with them.
If you are rigid and unbending you might just break these days. Glad that Neil Young has convictions that can change in front of the public and not just privately.
This Hopi prophecy is making more and more sense to me a decade later:
You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour. Now you must go back and tell the people that this is The Hour. And there are things to be considered….
Where are you living? What are you doing? What are your relationships? Are you in right relation? Where is your water? Know your garden. It is time to speak your truth. Create your community. Be good to each other. And do not look outside yourself for your leader.
Then he clasped his hands together, smiled, and said, ‘This could be a good time’!
There is a river running now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold onto the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly.
Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above water.
And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey come to a halt.
The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word "struggle" from your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. – Hopi Prophecy (2012)
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ReplyDeleteHere is the Canada Goose website in the U.S. I suspect might be the company that had the private gig with Neil Young & Crazy Horse 'n Micah Nelson at that tiny club:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.canadagoose.com/us/en/film/film.html
Looks like Canada Goose had a change of mind about their clothing and fur plus a bit on the history of the birthday boy and his company:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/how-i-transformed-canada-goose-from-a-small-family-business-into-a-11-billion-luxury-brand/vi-AA1jJcux#details
So is this private gig going to be a promotional video for ‘Neil Young Official Release Series Discs 22, 23+, 24 & 25’? How did they get a film crew and all that equipment in that tiny club (check out the images in the post above).
All those years of talking big about following the muse, doing everything for the art, being "real", and now it's "I've got my money and I don't give a fuck"?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the memories Neil but I won't be spending any more on your work
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ReplyDeleteEdited :
ReplyDelete@ Thrasher @ AbnerSnopes @ Dionys & other fans:
I am quite thrilled that Before & After is on the way into Santa Neil’s big bag o’ presents for us! That Coastal tour was tremendous. For those who were not able to attend, this new album will be the antidote for having missed it.
And did I hear that there were video cameras rolling @ Coastal? I did not see any myself. Not sure, but I hope so. If not, no problem. The audio recording is what I really cherish. Videos always get less play time than audio from my music library. For that reason, I may choose to buy the CD version of NYA3, & the price will be more realistic. I intend to stay a member of NYA.com forever, so I can just watch the vids on NYA. There are a few possibilities that could cause me to desire the blu-rays, & not just for High resolution. Video of I’m The Ocean +\or Dream Machine / Live To Ride could make it or break it.
One reason I love those two songs SO much, other than the fact that they are excellent songs, is that they both refer to motor vehicle accidents! In 1989 I was a “victim of love” & I survived a solo high speed motor vehicle accident, plowing sideways into a cinder block wall (in the middle of a fork in the road) after bashing past a high curb doing 70mph in a slow paced residential neighborhood. Luckily, I turned left and the passenger side hit!
Man I was grateful to have my life still! I meet folks all the time in CT & MRI who did not do so well as I did. I was back at that wall a year later, on my knees thanking God for my life! That was quite a sobering experience! I have also been a motorcycle & bicycle rider, even covering the scenic highway at Neil’s old Broken Arrow Ranch on 2 wheels without a motor. I imagine Live To Ride was written about that place, where Neil ride motorcycles, but who knows.
Both of those songs give me a chill, and charge up my Soul to full power every time I hear them. I saw Booker T & the MG’s in ‘93 perform that song. That was a hell of a tour! I moved to SF a few weeks after Neil & Pearl Jam played a free show in Golden Gate Park. But it turned out the show suffered from Eddie’s illness. The band didn’t even know enough Neil Young songs to play a full set. But Neil tried to deliver. I don’t think ITO was in the set list that day.
Anyway, lots of good stuff happening in the Neil Young world. Dionys mentioned the stealth show possibly bankrolling a summer tour. That sounds plausible. I am thinking NYCH! If Nils can’t make it, draft the Nelson boys!
Your Brother Alan in Seattle
Happy birthday to Neil P. Young. To all the others: be grateful or be gone, at least for today.
ReplyDelete"Reverse surprise party?" "Wealthy Toronto local?" Nobody seems to know for sure, so why don't all the haters just shut up until we know for sure what was going on? I don't agree with everything Neil does, he pushes my buttons sometimes and I certainly don't place him on a pedestal. But has anyone actually considered that this could have been Neil's own birthday bash? That would tie in with the reverse surprise part, the reference to age before beauty, and he would qualify as a wealthy local, albeit one who has moved away but he is from that area. The perverseness of the situation I also imagine might appeal to his sense of humour. Just a thought.....incidentally, Happy Birthday Neil....here's the cliche, long may you run! (One of us has to say it!)
ReplyDeleteI get the distinct sense that "the haters" don't read other comments. They don't seem open to any criticism.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm one of "the haters", so be it. Call me whatever, I remember a certain type of dignity in Neil that I admired as much as his music. You know, that whole 'Sponsored by Nobody" integrity that seemed to ooze from Neil for decades.
ReplyDeleteOh well, thems days seem to be over, as Neil plays private shows for billionaires. This seems to confuse though, as Neil and his fans are on a constant "hate the billionaires" journey, except apparently for the billionaires that Neil plays private shows for. If he goes out and does a summer tour playing the entire Ragged Glory album for ALL of his fans, then so be it. But if he plays tunes like Cripple Creek Ferry, Till the Morning Comes, and Ambulance Blues for one billionaire and Ragged Glory for another, while we get Heart of Gold and Comes A Time, then sorry, but we got a problem. And none of you loyalists will "Change My Mind"
And I read everything printed here, btw.
# Richie Cruz we might not agree on many things, as we live worlds apart for one reason. But I do not believe that you are a "hater", more like a disappointed lover sorts of.
ReplyDeleteDignity is a nice thing to have, but "first the feed, and then the morals" as one German playwright once said (who was a dedicated communist and wrote "Mack the Knife" and the "Alabama Song", you being from California knowing the Doors song list backwards, I assume).
To keep the engine going or to "put her back on track" after the Covid-hiatus might cost more than we know. Also I do believe that while CH, by our standards of course, is well-paid today, that might not always have been the case in the past. When getting older you find out that you owe to more people more than you thought in younger days. NYA is a machine that is based to some extent on videos and especially music that originally was not part of the contracts made between Neil Young and his band members, simply because the technical possibilities did not exist at the time of contract. Given the latest Beatles release Neil Young's archives probably contain material to go on forever and then some. Is there a Crazy Horse Band Estate and Foundation to generate funds in perpetuity? No doubt Neil Young had to set up something like that for his children. But there are many more to the circus, that "was his" for a long time.
I would just lightly encourage folks not to throw around terms like “haters”. If people feel they are being misrepresented or unfairly painted with a broad brush, there’s a tendency to react defensively and/or just stop listening. Things can get very aggravating very quickly when one person assumes other is attacking rather than expressing a different perspective in good faith.
ReplyDeleteNot saying we need to walk on eggshells, but is the benefit of the doubt too much to ask?
Peace to all.
That's a superb way of putting it, TMR.
Delete(And some great perspectives here, all round. Thanks everybody.)
Scotsman.
Wow. So many words here. Lots of assumptions and conspiracy-making. Neil is 78, but has always done what he wants. He's human. We're his fans, so go with the flow. Mercenary? Please! We've all traded our silver and gold for vinyl, cds, dvds, tours, and The Archives. That makes us more entitled than a rich dude? I don't think so. Enjoy the music. It's all one song...
ReplyDeleteWow. So many words here. Lots of assumptions and conspiracy-making. Neil is 78, but has always done what he wants. He's human. We're his fans, so go with the flow. Mercenary? Please! We've all traded our silver and gold for vinyl, cds, dvds, tours, and The Archives. That makes us more entitled than a rich dude? I don't think so. Enjoy the music. It's all one song...
ReplyDeleteAnd now everyone can listen to this show!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.discogs.com/release/30540337-Neil-The-Horse-Fuin-Up