REACTION: Neil Young Rehearsing "Forever Young" Backstage @ BobFest

"My Back Pages" - BobFest - 1992

Bob Dylan and Tom Petty & Neil Young 

(Click photo to enlarge)

Last week, we featured a post  what we thought was rare footage of Neil Young rehearsing backstage at BobFest in  1992.

Neil Young Rehearsing "Forever Young" for BobFest - 1992

(See video footage here)

Well, leave it to the RUSTie Grains (Neil know it alls) to let us know, oh no, Neil Young rehearsing "Forever Young" isn't rare.  It's right there on the Bluray anniversary edition, Track #9 of outtakes.  Well, excuse us?!  We hadn't seen the clip before (or maybe Lord forgive, forgot)  and enjoyed quite a bit.

Enjoyed almost as much as the surprising deluge of comments this unleashed here on TW.

Bob Dylan and Neil Young during finale "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"

Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, October 16, 1992

NOTE: Johnny Cash and June Carter on vocal backup among others

Before getting to TW comments, some background for the non- RUSTie Grains.

Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary tribute was held in Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, on October 16, 1992. Neil said from the stage: "Thanks Bob for BobFest!". This was another star-studded concert featuring numerous legends including Neil Young. Young performed Dylan's songs "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" and "All Along the Watchtower". Many who witnessed the performance feel that Young's rendition of "All Along the Watchtower" was incendiary.

Sinéad O'Connor
Saturday Night Live (SNL) - October 3, 1992

2 weeks prior to BobFest, the infamous Sinéad O'Connor on Saturday Night Live (SNL) incident took place just up the block in NYC. New Yorkers were hot. (BTW, you'll never guess who had prime seats for the event and loved it?!)

As more background, per Wikipedia:

On October 3, 1992, the Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor appeared as the musical guest on the American live television sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). While performing a rendition of Bob Marley's 1976 song "War", she staged a protest against the Catholic Church. O'Connor held a photograph of Pope John Paul II in front of the camera, ripped it up, said "fight the real enemy", and threw the pieces of the photograph onto the floor.

And here's what some folks forget/don't realize. Immediately after Sinead was booed offstage, Neil walks on and burns down the house.

 

Dark to light in a heartbeat. 

 

Regarding comments here on TW, read them for yourself.  We can't even begin to try to summarize. 

Freedom of expression?  Where have we heard this?  As some of us approach 250 years of something like freedom, we do wonder.  And ponder.  And carry on.

Bob Dylan & Neil Young 

Madison Square Garden, New York City - 1992

More on Bob Dylan and Neil Young.

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