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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