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An unofficial news blog for Neil Young fans from Thrasher's Wheat with concert and album updates, reviews, analysis, and other Rock & Roll ramblings. Separating the wheat from the chaff since 1996.
Awesome to catch up with so many of our Rustie Grain friends who traveled from far and wide. To witness the band of brothers hitting their 80's so fearlessly was inspiring. And then we had a near perfect Saturday night concert in mid-Spring with a full horizon to horizon rainbow over the lawn just before concert time.
"Show
up at any high school graduation ceremony this spring and a teenage
speechmaker might tell you that time flies, heals all wounds, is money,
is a flat circle, can’t be turned back. Show up at any
Neil Young concert this summer and a 78-year-old carrying an electric
guitar will remind you that time really is a river, and that his music
is a huge granite boulder plunked square in the middle of it."
Now I can see why people have taken to the road to see multiple Neil
Young & Crazy Horse shows. Right now the shows are getting longer
and there is more variety. My wife and I drove up for about five hours
to Bristow and arrived just as the heavy rain moved in. So we arrived a
little too late for the soundcheck, tailgate experience and the rust
fest the day before. Was looking forward to seeing everyone but it
wasn’t to be.
Honestly, not a big fan of the digital ticket. I
don't generally carry a phone with me, to be honest, and to have to get
in and out of your seat is a pain for me showing your digital wallet
each time. You had to pay an extra $6 for a printed ticket.
We
got in about 6:45 PM as the rainbow formed so we checked out the polar
bear at the Love Earth village first. Around 7:00 or so I took two
books for Neil to the backstage area in a clear plastic bag. The guard
said he couldn't be responsible for getting them backstage and he called
an assistant on the bus. She came out to get the books that were my
first one that I autographed, "Faces of Pilot Mountain," and Mr. Rufus
Edmisten's autographed book, "That's Rufus: A Memoir of Tar Heel
Politics, Watergate and Public Life." When I told Neil the themes of my
book as I was writing it his response in the Letters to the Editor was,
WOW.
That was really encouraging and now the Ancient American 8K video
crew have filmed a documentary on the book which was one of the biggest
gifts of my life. By the way, Mr. Rufus Edmisten is the lawyer who
served President Nixon for the Watergate tapes in the White House.
Then
Rev. Billy started his part of the show and I really enjoyed it. His
get out in nature to your sacred spot really hit home with me. Love
Earth, indeed!
There was an emotional weight to the show that was
amazing. Our seats were right in line with the seated sound crew so
the sound was spot on and perfect in Row Q. About the time he played
"Powderfinger" they somehow dialed the sound in even more that was like
shifting it into 5th gear or something. There was signage that we were
being filmed by Daryl Hannah's film company.
My wife had
gone with me to the second Rust Never Sleeps show outside Detroit in
1978 and she remembered the stage set-up but missed the Jawa's since
they were only white coated scientists in Bristow. She sang right along
on the acoustic set with just about everyone else. It was like
standing in a choir instead of just listening to a choir. "Helpless" was
a really good choice as a sliver of a moon came up on the right side of
the stage but given the G5 solar event happening right during the
concert it seems like Pocahontas would have been a great choice, too,
that Thrasher wanted.
Clearly, the vivid bright rainbow was a sign that this was going to be a night to remember and it was...
And here is a video of entire concert.
0:00 / 1:51:16
NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE - FULL SHOW@Jiffy Lube Live Bristow, VA 5/11/24
Micah found that sweet spot of unleashing the passion and keeping the tension on a tight leash.
Ralph is playing brilliantly. Billy knows they’ve cracked it — see the smile at the end of the song.
...
Again, the high points of this show are where we feel that Neil is fully in control of his instrument (playing with precision, not just thrashing around with no idea where the notes will land), and he can rely on Ralph to be right there with him.
No pressure, Ralph!
Actually, there is pressure. There’s no pressure and there’s lots of pressure, both at the same time.
See what I mean about tension? About keeping it on just the right leash? Too much tension, and the musicians are paralysed. Too little, and there’s no explosion, no thrill, no intensity.
None of us expect the more senior members of the band to be putting in the same energy as 1986; nearly 40 years ago.
The ace up their sleeve, the full deck of cards up their sleeve is they can still play with scary levels of intensity and precision and controlled tension. Which requires just a little physical energy, physical dexterity and nimbleness, and a lot of mental focus.
Thanks for the notes Scots!
Reverend Billy and The Church of Stop Shopping Choir
A restaurant and brewery + a live music venue = a rockin' good time! Farm Brew LIVE campus at Innovation Park. 9925 Discovery Blvd. Manassas, VA 20109 https://2silosbrewing.com/visit-us?url=campus-map
Looking at the videos of this tour reminds me of going to the first or
second show of the Rust Never Sleeps tour just outside Detroit.
I was a
cub reporter for the Ypsilanti Press at the time. Had seats in the
center section in the 10th row. My brother and I got to the venue early
and since I was writing about it they let us in early. As we were
walking down to our seats at the Pine Knob Music Theater I noticed
someone at the soundboard and walked over. As I got closer I realized
it was someone that was on the inside of the David Crosby album.
Introduced myself and my brother and said, "you look familiar. Is your picture on the inside of the David Crosby album?"
"Yes, that is me, I'm Elliott Roberts," he said.
Nobody
was in the venue so we talked for about 15 minutes and I asked for a
set list but he said there wasn't one. Then he offered to meet me after
the show and pointed to the left side of the stage. He asked me where I
was sitting and it was really close to there. Come right there and I'll
answer any questions you have about the show. He was a man of his word
and was right there as Neil walked off the stage. Got all the new songs
right that night and my review was published for the afternoon edition
of the newspaper. It might have been the first one of the tour or a
close second.
From then on I mailed everything I wrote to him and
never had any trouble getting a press and photo passes. Once he asked
me if I had an extra copy of the Rolling Stone piece on the 1974 tour
for the archives and I did so sent it to him. After that I would sit in
the row in front of Scott & Bob Young at the Detroit and Lansing,
Michigan shows.
As we parted from talking at the soundboard
that night before the acoustic set of Rust Never Sleeps I said those are
the largest fender amps I'd ever seen.
"Oh yeah, it is going to be loud," Elliott said shaking is head in an affirmative way.
When
we got to our seats I realized everything was fake and was so
embarrassed with my younger brother. The ads for the show were for
Dolly Parton to open and then Neil Young. Later they changed it to Neil
Young & Crazy Horse. The talk before the tour was that it was
going to feature "Comes A Time" material and so everyone was thinking
"Harvest" type songs but nobody had heard the new material (this must
have been about the time of the bullet holes in the LPs).
Wish I'd known what David Briggs looked like because I'm sure I walked by him a few times over the years but never met him.
So looking forward to seeing the show on Saturday night!!!
A restaurant and brewery + a live music venue = a rockin' good time! Farm Brew LIVE campus at Innovation Park. 9925 Discovery Blvd. Manassas, VA 20109 https://2silosbrewing.com/visit-us?url=campus-map
54 Years Later: "Ohio", Kent State, Student Protests & The Tin Soldiers March On | #MayTheFOURBeWithYou
School Shootings ... "How many more?"
53 years ago, on May 4, 1970 at ~12:25 PM, a school shooting took place on the campus of Kent State University, Ohio.
Remember those days when students were brave enough to march in the streets and end a war?
Now that today's college students have been safely muzzled by crippling
loan debt and "woke" education, there is little need for authority to teach students a lesson
similar to that educational day of May 4, 1970. It's been 50 years
since shots rang out across a college campus, leaving four dead in Ohio and the lives of so many of that generation changed forever by the day's events.
And so, the tin soldiers march on and on... in Vietnam. Balkans. Iraq. El Salvador. Afghanistan. Libya. Syria. Yemen. Ukraine. Sudan. Palestine.
Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse in Austin, TX on May 1 - CANCELED/Rescheduled
Love Earth Tour
Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse
UPDATE; Due to weather, the Austin, TX concert has been canceled. Per venue statement:
"For the safety of the fans, Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s show on May 1st in Austin, TX at Germania Insurance Amphitheater has been rescheduled to September 13th due to severe weather conditions. Hold on to your tickets as they will be honored for the new date. Thank you."
Tonight, Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse Love Earth Tour in Austin, TX @ [Corp Name] Amphitheatre on May 1.
REVIEWS: "Fu##n' Up" Album by Neil [Young] & The [Crazy] Horse
"Fu##n' Up" Album Neil & the Horse
(Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse)
Yet another Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse album - "Fu##n' Up" specifically - has been released and here are a few takes.
First up, Scotsman weighs in with his vast Neil knoweddge.
The new Neil Young and Crazy Horse live album, F**kin’ Up, has bolted from the barn. In the build-up to release day, we’ve been treated to three pre-release singles:
Over and Over was a bit messy, but had the spirit and THEN SOME.
Farmer John was a bit of fun. (For a version of this great song that’s a lot more than just a bit of fun, check out the power-packed Way Down In The Rust Bucket version.)
And Days That Used To Be, whilst again performed with spirit (and notice, too, the surprise addition of the harmonica solo from 1988 solo versions), felt like a bit of an uphill grind.
That’s partly because the song was already close to the top of Neil’s vocal range about 30 or 40 years ago; he’s now at the stage where reaching those high notes is amazingly still possible, but more challenging. And it’s partly because the deceptively “loose” grungy sound actually requires immense concentration and discipline to harness and direct.
People often speak of how the appeal of Crazy Horse is in how sloppy and “loose” they are, but I think that misses the point. Lots of bands sound sloppy, and that’s just because they’re not very good. But *sounding* loose whilst *also* performing with precision is where the real magic is. Let’s not underplay this band’s skills.
On the album F**kin’ Up, the band are playing the songs with much the same sound they created as rock ‘n’ roll “teenagers” at the height of their powers (aka in their late forties).
Here and now, Neil Young and the band are rolling back the years. And if it’s at times a struggle to get there, a struggle to find the right gear for a rocky road, then we could argue that’s part of the appeal. Battles can be more captivating to experience than easy victories.
But to retrace our steps for a second, what exactly *is* this album? The marketing of it—marketing that’s supposed to get us salivating in anticipation—seemed a bit of a muddle, and didn’t care to tell us much.
If there was enthusiasm, it wasn’t necessarily communicated. If there was a compelling story to be told, it wasn’t.
Perhaps that’s because, on the face of it, the story of releasing a live album of a 2023 private show for the billionaire boss of a big business ain’t nearly as compelling as, say, selling tickets on the door to a bar in 1996 California.
(If stories were gold, only one of these would be 24-karat; The opposite story to the one that’s more likely to pay in 24-karat.)
But instead, as with Before And After, we get barely any story at all. It’s an album of new versions of nine of the ten songs from Ragged Glory, with new titles (pffft, big deal — out of habit I’ve stuck to the original titles for the purposes of this column)… and that’s about it.
Bottom line: Keep stripping away the story, and neglect the action that goes into turning that story into a reality, and pretty soon all that will be left is the art shell. A bunch of distorted guitars aren’t worth much, by themselves. The art exists in the *context*.
(As an aside, notice how much attention the “new” lyrics to the superbly-performed version of Cortez the Killer from San Diego 2024 have been attracting. Because the lyrics are originals from the 70s, they seem even more interesting, compared to if they’d been written as an add-on in 2024. Context matters.)
From *Neil’s* point-of-view, one story of F**ckin’ Up is that is he has discovered a way of playing guitar again with less aggro from his arthritis. That’s why he particularly enjoyed this performance. And it’s up to us to decide if that has resulted in not just a less painful performance for the artist, but also a moving one for the audience.
And as with the 2023 Roxy shows, F**kin’ Up (almost) replicates the tracklist of a classic album. This time, Ragged Glory.
I’m not always a huge fan of this approach. Innovation often comes from reconstructing pieces of the past; but sticking *rigidly* to a 30-year-old blueprint doesn’t allow for this sort of forward movement. Over the years, Neil has generally stayed clear of crowd-pleasing classic album set-lists, and I think overall it’s proved to be a wise move.
As uncertain as the future may be, we need to put at least one foot assuredly forward. That doesn’t mean we can’t take the past with us.
How does F**kin’ Up (the album) stack up? I think it gathers steam as it goes. The first few tracks sound like Neil is lobbing musical grenades and, quite thrillingly, it’s not clear if they’re going to land on stage or in the audience. And then it all kicks into gear and captures the essence of Crazy Horse in full fight.
Clear highlights: Love To Burn, Mansion On The Hill, Over and Over. Love And Only Love, too — a sort of hybrid Horse/POTR version that retains the texture of the latter, without much of the excessive noodling or belly flab.
On the other hand, we might justifiably wonder if remaking Ragged Glory without Poncho Sampedro is like remaking Harvest without Ben Keith.
Poncho put the “Crazy” into Crazy Horse. The guts, too. If you like your Crazy Horse to sound like the most thrillingly dangerous rock band in the world, the Poncho line-up remains the only competitor.
He’s the Ray Winstone of Crazy Horse: the guy who brings the hard-rock edge in a way that *seems* to just be part of who he is.
Example: Just listen (go on: press play now) to the way Poncho sings the backing vocals with Ralph on the original Fuckin' Up — or the Weld version. They make it sound punchy, edgy, gleeful, devilish and possessed.
On the new version—as with almost all non-Poncho versions in the last 30 years—it sounds like the backing vocalists themselves are as comatose as the character in the song. Zzzz!
Overall, though, the new album sounds like what you’d expect:
A rough around the edges version of Ragged Glory… played by a band with a combined age of 5017… who’ve barely played three notes together in the last ten years…shaking out some cobwebs… starting to actually play some music together for an extended period…
…and quickly developing back into an elite unit, scarily close to the height of their powers.
But labelling it actively *superior* to the original (or, heaven forbid, Weld) as a complete record might inspire your doctor to prescribe a stomach-pump to get the kool aid out of your system. More pertinently, it might also inspire the ghost of David Briggs to arise and chuck you out of your own house.
The album as a whole has this thrilling and liberating “just-the-right-side-of-ramshackle” feel that makes me want to grab a guitar and join in, or perhaps go and bash some trash-can lids together down a back alley at 2:30am. It has that care-free exuberance.
And notice how songs like Over and Over take on new significance when the performers have experienced the sun rise and fall, reliable as clockwork, every day for a further 30+ years since they first performed them in 1990. It feels like a lot of shared time and lots of living, condensed into a few minutes of music.
As with 2023’s Before and After, each song flows into the next with little-or-no pause. An uncharitable view might be that it’s the equivalent of wolfing down a nine-course-meal with no time to digest each one.
And it’s an album that positively *has* to be heard in the context of 2024, not 1990. That’s perhaps where the retitling of the songs comes in. Existing outside the momentum of a full tour, some of these tracks feel like they’re just beyond the performers’ reach; not quite road-worthy, yet. And others just sound like more experienced, more interesting and more battle-hardened versions of themselves.
The songs themselves have a youthful spirit and calloused skin…. character-adding wrinkles around their eyes. That’s no criticism at all. On the contrary.
Mother Earth is the one Ragged Glory song missing from this concert. At this sort of “corporate” gig, this increasingly pertinent (and very beautiful) song makes its point not through its presence, but its absence. And it’s unclear if anybody in the room wanted to really listen to it, anyway.
And incidentally, wouldn’t the last verse of Days That Used To Be prove the perfect lead-in to an overdue live version of 2022’s Chevrolet? It would be one way of bringing one foot of the setlist out of retracing-of-steps of nostalgia, and into the world of possibility in 2024.
One foot forward.
Scotsman.
PS: The first show of the 2024 Crazy Horse tour, which I enjoyed via the various excellent YouTube videos, grabbed me with more conviction than any of the few 2023 shows with the Horse.
Hearing the band come out onstage *firing*, well rehearsed, in-form, and with a “get down to business” attitude—and with *that* version of Cortez The Killer—practically had me jumping up and down with excitement. Bravo, fellas.
Thanks so much Scots. Not really a f* up afterall it seems. Excitement builds as the LOVE EARTH tour rolls east.
As with Before and After,
the songs are presented without much of any break between them, so the
album is unrelenting. This show was one of the first times Neil had
played after having some laser surgery on his hand, and he talked a bit
about how much freer he felt playing guitar. Old Black is wild here!
It’s one of the things I notice first. Ragged Glory
is a tight album, all things considered. His guitar on that original
album soars and locks in the pocket really well. By contrast, Fu##in’ Up is more like the garage band flip side, perhaps reflecting what some of the unselected takes for Ragged Glory may have sounded like.
Like
they did at the Roxy shows, this is actually a five piece. Since Frank
“Poncho” Sampedro retired after the Alchemy tour, the rhythm guitarist
for Crazy Horse has been Nils Lofgren. However, when the Roxy shows were
scheduled, Nils was supposed to be on tour with Bruce Springsteen.
Bruce had to postpone some dates when he came down with COVID, so Nils
was able to join the Roxy show. However, by that time, Neil had already
drafted Micah Nelson*** aka Particle Kid aka Willie Nelson’s son to play
second guitar. Micah had been playing with Neil as part of the Promise
of the Real era, although he was a bit buried under all the noise of
that big band. In Crazy Horse, he is taking a much bigger role.
This
same five piece arrangement applied to the Toronto show, with Nils and
Micah trading off guitar and piano throughout. Of course, Ragged Glory
has no piano on it, so that’s one sonically different aspect to these
songs…I wonder if that’s really why the songs have all been retitled? Oh
yeah, all the songs (except “Farmer John”) have new titles based on
lyrics in the songs. They also have numbers before the songs that don’t
match the track order. Neil has not been forthcoming on any of these
choices. The stream of conscious, but very heartfelt, note that
accompanies the album does not elucidate.
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