Neil Young Has A "Rough Night" In Detroit

A Personal Note by Neil
(via Neil Young Archives Times-Contrarian)

In a startlingly candid and heart wrenching post on NYA Times-Contrarian, Neil Young writes that it was a "rough night" in Detroit this week.

Neil writes:

In Detroit, we had something going against that. It was the fourth of July holiday and some folks were celebrating, already high when they arrived at the show. Because it was a holiday, I could see it coming. They were focused on their celebration, kind of like a festival.

Any subtle solo performance of songs is very challenged under those conditions. Of course, if I had a band, I could just blast out the show and rock on. So I came away from Detroit a bit mentally bruised and battered, yet still happy that so many people enjoyed the performance that I had tried to give them, even though they were somewhat short changed by circumstance.

Tuesday night's solo concert at Fox Theatre, Detroit, July 3, 2018 was live streamed for Neil fans around the world and what should have been an evening of pure delight became something disturbing on many levels. Apparently disturbing to such an extent that Neil himself was moved to express his frustration with his fans and their behavior. Neil chalks up the rowdy fans behavior for being on the eve of the 4th of July and those getting a jump on the holiday. We think Neil is being very generous here because this could have happened in just about any other city, on any given night of the week.

Neil goes into describing losing his focus and omitting stories he wanted to tell. Obviously, this candid assessment of the evening is deeply troubling that it has all come to this. We here at Thrasher's Wheat tried to do what we could to avoid the situation with our posting last week on Neil Young Concert Etiquette: Chapter #28.


When Neil Young is Playing, You Shut the Fuck Up
As we discussed at length in our Neil Young concert etiquette post, we have been chronicling this boorish behavior repeatedly, over and over, through the years. And, yet -- still -- there are so many who only care about themselves while caring little about their fellow fans. But, really, who exactly are these offenders? Can they really be rusties? (We'll get to our theories later).

From "My my, hey hey, Neil Young fans an unruly bunch" | Detroit News by Adam Graham:

To be fair, at Neil Young it was a case of a few ruining it for everyone, which is often the case in many disturbances, be it at a concert or a public gathering of any sort. And those few are either too ignorant, too belligerent or too male to empathize with others or realize the effect they're having on everyone else. And too often it's the few who dictate things for the many.

Neil Young knows his name, yelling "NEIL!" or "UNCLE NEIL!" isn't going to cause any grand epiphany for him. He knows you love him, that's why you paid to come see the show. And he knows his songs, shouting "MY MY, HEY HEYYY!" isn't going to remind him that he sings a song called "My My, Hey Hey" and get him to play it for you.

So once that is established, what is the point of continuing to yell out? Is it the thirst for a reply? And is getting some acknowledgment worth ruining the experience for so many concertgoers around you?

By attending a concert, like any public gathering, you enter into a social contract. The same way you wouldn't sit down at a restaurant and scream the chef's name after biting into the pasta primavera, you shouldn't shout out things at a concert if it's not that kind of show. Read the room and act accordingly. At an arena rock concert, all bets are off, the louder you are the better. But if a concert is a quiet acoustic gathering, keep the loudmouth comments to yourself for the sake of those around you.

"When Neil Young is Playing, You Shut the Fuck Up"
John from Idaho in Chicago, June 30

We attended both of the Chicago shows this past weekend, and while the misbehavior was there, it didn't seem to phase Neil whatsoever and he just rolled through it. Not so with the Detroit audience which clearly rattled Neil and through him off his game. Now we've been to a lot of Neil Young concerts -- including the infamous "Shut up asshole!" 1999 concert -- and long ago resigned ourselves to the nature of the beast.

And we've certainly opined at length on the subject of concert etiquette over the years:

• Sitting vs Standing
• Texting
• Smart Phone Etiquette.
• Shouted requests. Clapping and singing. Incessant photos and videos and flashes.
For The Turnstiles: The Price of Neil Young
• God Save The Neil Young Fans (& Thrasher's Wheat)

So what to do?

Someone shared with us a suggestion that instead of screening fans for contraband, Security could focus on screening out rude behavior. Or how about this? Recall that in recent years, reserved seats for Crazy Horse concerts were placed behind the GA section, in order to allow fans to rock on the rail. How about the inverse for solo concerts? Imagine all the folks who want to talk, drink, act rowdy, etc at a solo concert to be seated in a glass box section where they can make all the noise that they want?

Well, the answer is blowin' in the wind... (or The Unbearable Lightness of Being Neil Young) ...

Neil Young Mocking Audience Texters
Bridgeport, CT - 12/4/12
(Click photo to enlarge)

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