Neil Young touring

Started by pennerblue, August 03, 2010, 12:11:07 AM

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I did a search for "Neil Young" and the forum comes up empty for a few years...what a shame.

I saw him last weekend at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee. A beautiful old, narrow, tall theater seating about 2500.

I'm a huge Neil fan, but a latecomer.  I'm too young to have experienced his seminal early 70s work as a mature individual.  Ironically, I "backed into" him via Pearl Jam in the Grunge glory days. 

I had never seen him before, shying away from 1) huge venues or 2) huge ticket prices.

His Prairie Wind release a few years ago REALLY piqued my interest.  My friend called and wanted to go.  Tix were pricey, but the chance to see Neil SOLO was too much to pass on.

The show was amazing.  Acoustic and electric (the T-shirts say: 'I said solo, "they" said acoustic').  I much preferred the acoustic stuff, but the electric material was surprisingly good for one old guy and either a Les Paul or a Gretsch.  The sparse lighting (mostly dimmed white), the strict rules (no beer sold after he started and no returning to seats during songs) made for a magical evening.  Seriously.  I was leaning forward on the edge of my seat and getting chills/sweating.

He opened the encore with Old Man, and if you didn't know any better you might have thought it was 40 years ago.  He did NOT sound 64 years old, and he did not sound like he had played it a gazillion times.  He ended with a song from his forthcoming release called "Walk with me" which was very powerful.  I think his new release will be a keeper, not sure when it's due.

I'm sure some folks on this forum have seen him many times.  I can say, without reservation, that for me, this concert was well worth the money and ranks amongst the more memorable shows ever.

It's better to burn out, than to fade away.
Three Larries and a Guild and an A&L...and electrics...and a mando

"Your lack of technique can be part of your style. The thing about style is that it's more entertaining, more important and hopefully more intellectual than technique."
Kim Thayil (Soundgarden)


I've seen young about a dozen time's on his and with his bands.With CSN+Y about the same amount of time's.Great song writer.Thanks for sharing.My gigging rig was inspired by him.
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The only time I saw Neil Young was when he and the Squires played a dance at my high school back when I was in grade nine. Seeing as he was just a guy from Winnipeg with a pretty good band, I didn't pay all that much attention (there were girls there, eh) and actually had to be reminded later that that was NY in that band. However, every garage band in town, including mine,  soon started playing the Squires' versions of Oh Susannah and and a song called High Flying Bird. He'd later play solo acoustic at a bar downtown but (back when the drinking age was 21) even fake ID wouldn't get me in.
If he played here and sang, "There's a town in north Ontario", the roof would come down.  

I thought he was scheduled to play Mnpls soon.   

Neil and the Squires. I no longer feel old. Thank you for posting that. Doesn't Randy Bachman sing about The Squires in Prairie Town? And what was the name of Neil's other pre-Buffalo Springfield band? I think it was The Stray Gators. All before he went off to that fateful traffic jam in LA, etc, etc... Any other recollctions of the playlist? "Burned" I think was written by then. "Sugar Mountain" as well, but not really garage band material. "Flying on the Ground is Wrong" maybe. I think I saw him play that once in Toronto (many years later!) when he was doing his country thing with The International Harvesters. Folks were pretty let down by that stuff. And they were right. But that's Neil Young.
Peter
Larrivee L-09
Larrivee RS-2 2010
Larrivee RS-4 1983 "Explorer"

Quote from: madoclake on August 03, 2010, 04:49:56 PM
Neil and the Squires. I no longer feel old. Thank you for posting that. Doesn't Randy Bachman sing about The Squires in Prairie Town? And what was the name of Neil's other pre-Buffalo Springfield band? I think it was The Stray Gators. All before he went off to that fateful traffic jam in LA, etc, etc... Any other recollctions of the playlist? "Burned" I think was written by then. "Sugar Mountain" as well, but not really garage band material. "Flying on the Ground is Wrong" maybe. I think I saw him play that once in Toronto (many years later!) when he was doing his country thing with The International Harvesters. Folks were pretty let down by that stuff. And they were right. But that's Neil Young.

As the story goes, he wrote Sugar Mountain at the Victoria Hotel while he was doing his acoustic gigging in Fort William. Neither exist anymore. FW is now part of Thunder Bay, Ontario (where I live) and The Vic is long gone. They also say that Omemee, Ontario is "the town" but even Neil must surely know that 60 miles from Toronto is not  northern Ontario, by a long shot.   :laughin:  

Neil YOUNG - I is a Fanboy - luved all his creations even trans and country - they were all good

Now Duck - anything north outside of Toronto is Northern Ont for those residing in Big Smoke  :bgrin:
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Quote from: JOYCEfromNS on August 03, 2010, 06:20:06 PM
Neil YOUNG - I is a Fanboy - luved all his creations even trans and country - they were all good

Now Duck - anything north outside of Toronto is Northern Ont for those residing in Big Smoke  :bgrin:

Great guitarist and songwriter, geographical nitwit. Two outta three ain't bad.   :winkin:

Quote from: ducktrapper on August 03, 2010, 06:14:17 PM
As the story goes, he wrote Sugar Mountain at the Victoria Hotel while he was doing his acoustic gigging in Fort William. Neither exist anymore. FW is now part of Thunder Bay, Ontario (where I live) and The Vic is long gone. They also say that Omemee, Ontario is "the town" but even Neil must surely know that 60 miles from Toronto is not  northern Ontario, by a long shot.   :laughin:  

Yep. Omemee isn't even north of Highway 7 (which runs through town). People commute to Toronto from much further. Which is a problem; because it certainly does require a bit of double-think to play "Helpless" around a camp fire and keep out thoughts of the GTA, MLSE, BMW commuters and the Go Train. I get around it by just conflating Neil Young songs. I borrow from Long May You Run and prefer to think that Neil actually had Blind River in mind - which really does have a long hill just outside of town that could finish off a weak transmission - and "POOF". No more geographical problem.

Who knows what Omemee might have looked like in the fifties anyways.....Probably felt like you were a million miles away from anything interesting. Maybe looking back from California Neil actually has Toronto itself in mind as the town "north...Ontario" where so many changes took place in his life. If you listen close he doesn't actually sing "There is a town in North Ontario". He sings "There is a town/north/Ontario".

Then again who cares....Just strum and sing. Half the folks aren't even listening anyway and the other half want you to play The Eagles.

Peter
Larrivee L-09
Larrivee RS-2 2010
Larrivee RS-4 1983 "Explorer"

Quote from: JOYCEfromNS on August 03, 2010, 06:20:06 PM
Neil YOUNG - I is a Fanboy - luved all his creations even trans and country - they were all good

Now Duck - anything north outside of Toronto is Northern Ont for those residing in Big Smoke  :bgrin:

Hey Joyce. Trans. Wow. Now we are going back in time. I remember when that came out.  I was in the radio business.  They sent us a promotional copy. The last song was called "Like an Inca". It was a long song (about 8 minutes) - kind of like Cortez the Killer but not so intense. Hyperrust doesn't list the song or chords. I've never actually heard it since then. Do you know the song? It isn't Inca Queen. That's a different song. Wouldn't mind hearing it again. It really stood out on a mostly electronic song list. David Wilcox does a really good cover of "Transformer Man" on one of those Neil Young tribute CDs.

I actually saw the Trans tour. Pretty different (of course). Neil played most of the show solo acoustic and piano. It was ridiculously good. But looking back I think he intentionally played hits. And he played them all. "Helpless", "Ohio", "Old Man", "Heart of Gold", "After the Goldrush", "Don't Be Denied". Gave us too much. Put us right in the middle of the road for over an hour. He did the Trans songs using a drum machine and other effects. The stage was a post-apocalyptic kind of set up. Neil had a huge television on a 15 foot stand over his right shoulder. Fuzzy images and stuff would appear every now and then - including Neil walking around back stage talking to folks then coming back out again. It was like a parody of something, but you weren't sure what. The Greendale tour (which I really liked) had a similar atmosphere.

Then for the encore Neil plays his cards. We think he's gonna send us into the night with "Til the Morning Comes" or "Clancy" and wouldn't that be great and cosy. But instead he swtiches to solo electric, turns the volume and the distortion and the lights up to ELEVEN and plays stuff from Re-ac-tor (punk basically) and hits everyone on the head with a hammer. The paint peels off the walls. Scattered applause only.

Then for the second encore he would walk back out with a band (after playing solo all night long) called The Shocking Pinks (remember that?) and play rockabilly songs in a cheap pink and white tuxedo - unless (and this is my favourite part) he didn't like the audience reaction to the punk electric - in which case he would skip over bringing out the Shocking Pinks at all and just give them the night off. Imagine that. I guess they just sat around and played cards wondering (no pun intended!) if the Shocking Pinks were going on stage tonight. And that is exactly what happened at the old Maple Leaf gardens in February, 1983.

I still have the t-shirt. There is only one Neil Young.
Peter
Larrivee L-09
Larrivee RS-2 2010
Larrivee RS-4 1983 "Explorer"

   NY is an interesting person. I bought a greatest hits CD recently and enjoyed Helpless and many others. Not a big fan of the later electric sound. Sugar Mountain is a classic. I'd like to see him in a small coffee shop like the one in Ann Arbor where he first recorded that tune. (or so the story goes)

I'm loving these stories folks...please don't stop.

So who's planning on buying his new release?
Three Larries and a Guild and an A&L...and electrics...and a mando

"Your lack of technique can be part of your style. The thing about style is that it's more entertaining, more important and hopefully more intellectual than technique."
Kim Thayil (Soundgarden)


There's the rub. The last one I actually liked was Prairie Wind. I've bought them all though.

Quote from: ducktrapper on August 05, 2010, 07:33:49 AM
There's the rub. The last one I actually liked was Prairie Wind. I've bought them all though.

I agree. Just buy them. Maybe it will be great. Maybe it won't. Same as the concerts.
Peter
Larrivee L-09
Larrivee RS-2 2010
Larrivee RS-4 1983 "Explorer"

Quote from: madoclake on August 05, 2010, 09:00:00 AM
I agree. Just buy them. Maybe it will be great. Maybe it won't. Same as the concerts.

Right. New Dylan, new Young, new Steve Earle. I always give them a chance. I've loved the new Dylan stuff,t Neil hasn't been doing it for me and although I've come to kind of dislike Earle on a personal level, I love "Townes" completely. 

Agree again about Neil. Lots of contemplation about The Last Train Ride. With good reason. He had a close call. It just leads to a different focus in his songs. I like him better when he's got that edge. But I'll keep listening and buying...

Peter
Larrivee L-09
Larrivee RS-2 2010
Larrivee RS-4 1983 "Explorer"

Watched the Live at Massey Hall (1972?) DVD last night...again.

WOW!

Perhaps his pinnacle???
Three Larries and a Guild and an A&L...and electrics...and a mando

"Your lack of technique can be part of your style. The thing about style is that it's more entertaining, more important and hopefully more intellectual than technique."
Kim Thayil (Soundgarden)


His makeup and fashion team have really nailed that crazy old farmer look.
L-03 Italian Spruce

Quote from: hadden on August 07, 2010, 08:54:03 AM
His makeup and fashion team have really nailed that crazy old farmer look.
What make up and fashion team? :tongue:

I've been lucky to see NY almost every year at the Bridge Benefit. But have been dying to see him on his own for quite a few years. So when he was coming to The Fox theater in Oakland. I was ecstatic,until I saw the $199 ticket price. I just could not stomach forking out $400 for me and the misses. Not sure why, but this years concert prices are ridiculous, not only Neil's shows
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