Neil Young News: Neil Young Fall 2007 Tour Kicks Off: Concert Reviews

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Neil Young Fall 2007 Tour Kicks Off: Concert Reviews

JUST ANNOUNCED: Neil Young 2008 Europe Summer Concert Tour Date Schedule

Europe Winter 2008 Concert Tour and Reviews

Neil Young Fall 2007 Tour Updates and Concert Reviews:

- New York City - 12/12, 13, 15, 16, 18, & 19/07
- Philadelphia, PA: 12/9 & 10/07
- Wallingford, CT Concert Reviews - 11/7/07
- Boston, MA: Concert Reviews - 12/2, 3 & 6/07
- Buffalo, NY Concert Reviews - 11/30/07
- Massey Hall, Toronto - 11/26, 27, 29/07: Concert Reviews
- St. Louis, MO - 11/18/07: Concert Reviews
- Concert Reviews - Washington, DC - November 15 & 16, 2007
- Concert Reviews - Chicago, IL - 11/12 & 13/07
- Detroit, MI - November 10, 2007: Concert Reviews
- Concert Reports - Minneapolis, MN - November 8, 2007
- Concert Reviews - Denver, CO - 11/5 & 6/07
- Los Angeles - 10/30/07: Concert Reviews
- Photos Portland - 10-22-07
- Portland Concert Reports
- Video: Spokane, WA - October 20, 2007
- Neil Young Tour Kicks Off - Boise, Spokane Reports and Photos
- 2007 Concert Reviews of the Moment
- Tour Dates: Chrome Dreams Continental Tour
- Chrome Dreams II Videos
- Chrome Dreams II Reviews
- Chrome Dreams II history and background on Chrome Dreams I
- Chrome Dreams II Cover Art and tracklisting

See also,
- Sugar Mountain setlists
- Numbers On The Site ~ The Neil Young Tour Statistics
- Tour Map on Rust Radio
- Song Chart of Tour on Rust Radio
- Neil Young Concert Reviews

Also, check the feed links in the middle of the right sidebar for the most up to date info.

Spokane, Washington - 10-20-2007

neil young-spokane-10-20-07.jpg

Photo by David Mouland

From Sugar Mountain setlists (Thanks Tom!):
10-20-2007, INB Performing Arts Center, Spokane, Washington

From Hank To Hendrix / Ambulance Blues / Sad Movies / A Man Needs A Maid / No One Seems To Know / Harvest / Journey Through The Past / Mellow My Mind / Love Art Blues / Love Is A Rose / Heart Of Gold // The Loner / Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere / Dirty Old Man / Spirit Road / Bad Fog Of Loneliness / Winterlong / Oh, Lonesome Me / The Believer / No Hidden Path // Cinnamon Girl / Tonight's The Night

Setlist unchanged except for Campaigner dropped. According to Numbers On The Site ~ The Neil Young Tour Statistics (Thanks Matthias!), the last time "A Man Needs A Maid" was played was 11/24/76 (Late show) at the Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA. Aside from "From Hank To Hendrix" and the new Chrome Dreams songs, all songs are from the '60's and 70's - no '80's, 90's or '00's. Definitely an Archives Volume #1 tour.

neil young-spokane-10-20-07-stage.jpg

Photo by David Mouland

Boise, Idaho - 10-18-2007

Photo by Shawn Raecke

The first reports are rolling in from last night's tour opener in Boise and as expected, the evening surpassed expectations. Here's a clip from Expecting to Fly's report on Rust:

Neil's solo acoustic set: 12 songs. And what a setlist. Mostly stuff from a long time ago, but what a nice group of rarely played gems. I was in heaven during this entire set. I mean, how long has it been since he played A Man Needs A Maid? He played it in the same style he used in '76 with the organ/keyboard thing on top of the piano. It sounded so nice. I thought his voice was a little shaky at the start of the set and got warmed up and better as the show progressed. Highlights were Ambulance Blues, Harvest (frigging Harvest, incredible!!), Sad Movies, AMNAM (I don't think this is a great song, but it was so great to hear after such a long time), Campaigner, Love Art Blues. Really, all of it was great.

From Sugar Mountain setlists (Thanks Tom!):

10-18-2007, Velma V. Morrison Center For The Performing Arts, Boise, Idaho
w/ Rick Rosas, Ben Keith & Ralph Molina

From Hank To Hendrix / Ambulance Blues / Sad Movies / A Man Needs A Maid / No One Seems To Know / Harvest / Campaigner / Journey Through The Past / Mellow My Mind / Love Art Blues / Love Is A Rose / Heart Of Gold // The Loner / Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere / Dirty Old Man / Spirit Road / Bad Fog Of Loneliness / Winterlong / Oh, Lonesome Me / The Believer / No Hidden Path // Cinnamon Girl / Tonight's The Night

You know it was a good concert when a review ends this way (from Concert review by Michael Deeds: Neil Young at Morrison Center | Idaho Statesman):

"When bows had been taken and the house lights came on, many fans still seemed confused. Men stood in front of their seats shouting, "Rockin' in the Free World!?"

Photo by Larry Cragg

Much excitement with the Chrome Dreams Continental Tour kicking off tonight in Boise, Idaho.

We'll try and bring you as much coverage as possible. But -- most likely -- we'll get overwhelmed with the flood of concert reviews, photos, setlists, trip reports and other tour fun. Besides, we've got our own roadtrips to make to DC and Philly!

Got Neil? Drop a comment below. Posting links is welcomed but long URL's are truncated. If you have a long URL please use Tiny URL to shorten your web address URL. Thanks!!!

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79 Comments:

At 10/17/2007 10:12:00 PM, expecting2fly said...: Hi Thrasher and all the rest of you TW readers. I flew as a passenger on a flight from San Francisco to Boise today (Oct 17, the day before the tour opener) and Ben Young (Neil's son) and his entourage were on the flight. I spoke briefly to a member of Neil Young's crew. It's happening soon! Can't wait. I'll be there in the 6th row...

Expecting2fly
At 10/18/2007 12:31:00 AM, Dan said...: Hi Thrasher, thanks for all of the valuable info. I wanted to run the following idea by Neil, and was looking for suggestions on how to pass on the message?

Millions of 'Ordinary People' in the US are losing (or are in danger of losing) their homes now due to the current housing crisis and teaser morgage resets.

It might be fitting for Neil to break out his old classic, " This Old House" for the Chrome Dreams tour. He played it during the '85 and '89 tours. Seems appropriate for the times. Looking forward to seeing him in NYC 12/13!
At 10/18/2007 02:46:00 PM, Anonymous said...: has anyone gotten the pre-ordered cd yet from when you ordered tickets??
At 10/18/2007 03:16:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I got a "back ordered" message from Warner Bros. which means no delivery of my two copies prior to Denver shows. Looks like I am in Best Buy next tuesday and won't friends and family be surprised when my two "comp" copies are psuedo regifted for xmas. mark in denver
At 10/18/2007 03:54:00 PM, Thrasher said...: Deleted comment re-posted. At 10/18/2007 11:42:00 AM, Anonymous said...

Thrasher-

Could not get the info without you - can't wait to see the songlist and stoked out of my gord for the Denver shows.
At 10/18/2007 03:56:00 PM, Thrasher said...: The comments relating to sub-prime loans, mortgages, and other housing issues impacting "Ordinary People" have been moved to Neil Young News: Comment of the Moment: "Ordinary People".

This thread is for posts relating to the tour ONLY. Off-topic posts will be related.

Thanks! Enjoy the tour!
At 10/18/2007 04:03:00 PM, Bluenotes fan said...: I'm really hoping we get Ordinary People on this tour. At least once. But probably not since Neil's not touring with horns, :( But it would be cool if he did it acoustic!
At 10/18/2007 04:43:00 PM, Anonymous said...: So what do you think we'll hear? I'm hoping for some of the more rarely played stuff along with the new songs.

Maybe Neil going thru his Archives sparked some ideas. How about "Like an Inca". That was supposed to be on CDI.

waiting for the LA show!
At 10/18/2007 07:43:00 PM, Ben said...: I'm sure we'll get OP, I'm just hoping against hope he'll decide to bust out some Chrome Dreams 1 songs.
At 10/18/2007 07:49:00 PM, rossbrew said...: I'll be in the PIT in Spokane for night #2...have no idea what to expect but the atmosphere in Boise tonight will be electric I'm sure...anyone going to spokane? Not sure if I should make Portland or Seattle as I live in Vancouver, BC so it's possible to extend the road trip...if you'll be at Spokane let's say 'Hi!'...can't wait to Rock in the free world!
At 10/18/2007 07:56:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Revolution Blues!
At 10/19/2007 03:34:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Heres the set
acoustic
Sugar Mountain
The Way
Revolution Blues
MELLOW MY MIND
HOMEGROWN
TELL ME WHY
BEUTIFUL BLUEBIRD
BOXCAR
DOWN BY THE RIVER
THE LONER
ELECTRIC

ORDINARY PEOPLE
TONIGHTS THE NIGHT
TRANSFORMER MAN
SPIRIT ROAD
BELEIVER
DIRTY OLD MAN
ARE YOU READY FOR THE COUNTRY
MAN NEEDS A MAID
EXPECTING TO FLY
ENCORE
HEY HEY MY MY
OLD LAUGHING LADY *HEART OF GOLD VERSION
ALBUQUERQUE
At 10/19/2007 06:07:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I saw a very different set list on
sugarmtn.org ????

10-18-2007, Velma V. Morrison Center For The Performing Arts, Boise, Idaho
w/ Rick Rosas, Ben Keith & Ralph Molina
From Hank To Hendrix / Ambulance Blues / Sad Movies / A Man Needs A Maid / No One Seems To Know / Harvest / Campaigner / Journey Through The Past / Mellow My Mind / Love Art Blues / Love Is A Rose / Heart Of Gold // The Loner / Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere / Dirty Old Man / Spirit Road / Bad Fog Of Loneliness / Winterlong / Oh, Lonesome Me / The Believer / No Hidden Path // Cinnamon Girl / Tonight's The Night
At 10/19/2007 09:19:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Love Art Blues?!?! Wow! Can't wait to hear that one. Hope he keeps it in his set. Wonder if he'll be mixing the setlist up?

r
At 10/19/2007 10:10:00 AM, Ben said...: HELL YES MAN Mellow My Mind omg
At 10/19/2007 10:49:00 AM, set list thief said...: Campaigner, Sad Movies, Oh Lonesome Me?! But no Ordinary People...yet.

I'm going to the DC show in a couple weeks. Man, it'll be great!
At 10/19/2007 12:33:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I love the set list ! Nice to see some unexpected, rarely played live songs.
Neil looks quite out of his element playing in a suit ! Maybe he dresses better when he charges
these high prices ! "Heart of Gold "(movie) was a bit of theatre, but this is a regular tour and Neil in a suit is weird !
At 10/19/2007 12:42:00 PM, Carson said...: Man, that set looks amazing! How did the electric set sound? There was much talk of the "new tone" he would be using for the electric set -- did it sound any different? What guitar was he using?
At 10/19/2007 03:05:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Did Pegi Open the show?
At 10/19/2007 05:01:00 PM, motor city momma said...: What a killer set list although I would have traded Heart of Gold and Love Is A Rose for Powderfinger ... but hey, I'm not gonna complain ... can't wait until Detroit show ... thanks for posting ... no word about Pegi? Anthony Crawford? What's up there?

I'm still blown over by the fact he did "Oh Lonesome Me." That must have been fricken amazing ... and don't be so fricken heartless about the folk who lost their homes ... it's sad. Plain and simple.

XOXOXOXOXO
At 10/19/2007 06:25:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I'm freaking out about that set-list. That is more than I could have ever hoped for. He ends the Massey Hall show with Albuquerque and I'll reach nirvana.

I'm getting so excited for this show.
At 10/19/2007 07:15:00 PM, Too Much Wine Tonight said...: Oh, hon, we're all freaking out ... I'm just turning 50 and it exhausts me to read his tour schedule ... nobody has mentioned that Ordinary People was omitted ... ya think there were more problems than the tuning?? Maybe the NEILS wasn't in the mood to do it???
At 10/19/2007 07:31:00 PM, HE Pennypacker said...: Out of a 23 song set, 18 date back to the 60's & 70's - and this tour is in support of a new album???? I think even Neil knows his last 10 or so years can't compare to the earlier stuff - and by the reaction to the setlist, and so say all of us...
At 10/19/2007 07:33:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Someone tell us how Pegi was!
At 10/19/2007 07:58:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Other than the opening song, Neil didn't perform a single song from the 30 years + period between Campaigner and the 4 new songs - incredible! Early days I guess...
At 10/19/2007 09:24:00 PM, Ben said...: I really want to know if he used Old Black or the dreaded Hagstrom, any word?
At 10/20/2007 10:00:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I'm kinda surprised that Neil played AMNAM while on tour with Pegi? Afterall, that line "I fell in love with the actress" might make her feel uncomforatble. But what a setlist! Amazing selections from deep in the catalog.
At 10/20/2007 02:12:00 PM, Touluse said...: let me make sure I got this straight... If I bought the tickets from the presale site than I get a free CD. But if I bought them directly from the venue online, then I have to go to the store right?
At 10/20/2007 03:38:00 PM, Ordinary Mom said...: I think it's very touching that he did AMNAM ... and why should Pegi care bout that?
At 10/20/2007 04:48:00 PM, Anonymous said...: It looks like one of the Neil tours where he wants to get back in touch with his real fan base......... expensive tickets, small halls, old seldom played tunes. Also, starting off with:
"from Hank to Hendrix, I walk these streets with you....." . A good way to start a tour. Maybe this will be one of those tours where Neil realy plays some of those unexpected songs us die-hards realy wanna hear. I got a feeling he's taking alot of songs on the road. That setlist alone made me buy tickets for a 2nd show....and if the next few set lists are great too, I will surely add a 3rd show.maybe a 4th.....
At 10/20/2007 08:02:00 PM, Ben said...: Ordinary Mom: A Man Needs A Maid is about Neil's first wife, Carrie Snodgress.
At 10/20/2007 08:39:00 PM, Ordinary Mom said...: Yes ... I know ... everybody knows this ... He fell in love with the actress ... blah, blah, blah ... it's still a good song.

Is Pegi's husband jealous because she writes about wanderlust and long lost loves, too?

Did anyone get the set list from Pegi's opening act???
At 10/20/2007 10:13:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Give it a break. Why don't you start a Peggy list? This is a Neil list.
At 10/20/2007 10:36:00 PM, Woman Needs A Maid, too said...: Thrashers blog included stuff about Pegi once upon a time so i thought it would be include somewhere here, too.
At 10/20/2007 10:46:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Ben - Neil and Carrie were never married. Susan Young was Neil's first wife...
At 10/21/2007 01:17:00 AM, Ben said...: Oh, well, whatever.

My friend in Spokane says Neil IS using Old Black for the electric portions.
At 10/21/2007 02:32:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Gee, sorry for picking you up on an obvious error. Whatever...
At 10/21/2007 02:10:00 PM, Dale said...: It looks like the second set was identical, minus Campaigner. I really hope it's not out of the lineup permenantly.
At 10/21/2007 03:03:00 PM, Ben said...: Anonymous: Yeah, I wasn't trying to be sarcastic or something I just meant, yeah, okay, whatever. That's the problem with the internet I guess, it's hard to pick up on tone.
At 10/21/2007 10:42:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Just curious... does anyone know whats going on with Billy Talbot? It seems like Neil has switched over to Rick Rosas for a lot of stuff. I love Rick but want to make sure Crazy Horse is still holding it together.
At 10/21/2007 11:14:00 PM, Pld enough to be your mother said...: Hey Ben, thanks for letting some of know about "old black."
At 10/22/2007 01:10:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Does anyone know what the Chrome Dreams II DVD consists of?
At 10/22/2007 03:49:00 PM, Jurij said...: Well there is high def. stereo on it and the video are the colages that you can see on neils myspace page. Nothing much really if you don't own a highdef stereo...
At 10/22/2007 04:34:00 PM, Anonymous said...: yeah, I was kind of sad to see that Campaigner was off the second list -- seems he wanted to make the whole show a "Chrome Dreams I and II" - well, kind of... play songs that only rusties would know (word for word)... would have been nice to hear Stringman... and This Old house would be a great touch (especially since he doesn't seem to want to ressurect Ordinary People on tour).. Sorry Chili and Pegi bashers - this album's an immediate classic, and this tour is / will be, amazing - going to the first show in DC, Row L... No Hidden Path ROCKS (Neil channels Cream in an homage to Down by the River / Cowgirl... hope the band is up to it once they've played a few shows..
At 10/22/2007 04:38:00 PM, Anonymous said...: why leave it at Pegi ? What about Astrid? How about Ralph on back-up vocals? Okay, Neil relies on people he KNOWS and LOVES to be there to sing with him -- yes, it's too bad Nicollete Larsen died young, but give the guy a friggin' break, will ya? I think your cold bowl of chilli needs to be heated and stirred, it's getting stale and is developing an unsavory crust.
At 10/22/2007 06:31:00 PM, Anonymous said...: If Pegi played a county fair, I'd listen.
At 10/22/2007 06:54:00 PM, Anonymous said...: where are the reviews? any links?
At 10/22/2007 08:25:00 PM, You can quote me on that said...: Don't fucking mess with Astrid. She's a classically trained musician who actually knows how to compose, write lyrics, and experiment. I can't wait for her new album release which she put on hold for a biography she wrote about her brother.

And from what I heard from Pegi's most staunchest critic, someone who whined endlessly about her album. he said "she was solid" in Spokane.
At 10/22/2007 10:09:00 PM, Andy said...: did they have posters at the show?

if so what did they look like?
At 10/23/2007 03:27:00 AM, Kurt said...: A quick note from the Portland show tonight. Setlist was changed up some from the first two shows. After the Gold Ruch was added to the acoustic set. Also, Hurricane replaced TTN in the encore. Great show all around. No Hidden Path was epic and the crowd ate it up.
At 10/23/2007 09:36:00 AM, set list thief said...: The Portland show is up on DIME if there are any torrenters out there.
At 10/23/2007 12:33:00 PM, Mark said...: The Portland show was excellent. The acoustics in the hall were perfect (were I was seated). I took my daughter (her first Neil show) and she told me she would remember the night for the rest of her life (which obviously made me happy). I agree with the comment on the No Hidden Path's version being epic. It's rare a new song gets a standing ovation from an audience and this did. I thought Spirit Road rocked as well. I thought the new material, for the most part, to be superb. The acoustic/electric setup was enjoyable. It gives the person attending a pretty good insight into how varied and different Neil's artistry really is. For my own money, I prefer him with Crazy Horse but any live notes from Neil will do. My only criticism would be not to play Bad Fog and Winterlong back to back. But that's a minor complaint.

I have not received the 'comp' CD yet.

If there are still tickets in the town near you and you haven't made a decision - for someone how has seen Neil live over decades of shows - this show was excellent and though the price may be stiff - it's worth it.
At 10/23/2007 12:42:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I sure wish he'd play "Thrasher" and " Don't be denied". 2 great songs I haven't seen him play "thrasher" live since the 70's and "Denied" I think he played in 82 ?
Anyone know if he's ever played them live since ?
2 great songs that he's gotta know his hard core fans love to hear !
I guess the great set lists I've seen on this tours' begining , make me think about the possibilities.
Can't wait for Dec 13,16,18 !
I gotta stop before I buy more shows !!!
At 10/23/2007 01:12:00 PM, Eric said...: Has anybody received their free cd yet? They were supposed to ship before the tour kicked off. Any feedback would be appreciated.
At 10/23/2007 01:14:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Yes, I got 3 of them yesterday !
At 10/23/2007 01:22:00 PM, Eric said...: Thanks for the response, "anonymous". I order my single ticket (which is supposed to earn me a cd) and the lady on the phone took my e-mail address which she said would be used somehow in my getting a free cd. Other than that, I've heard nothing. Is there something I need to do?
At 10/23/2007 01:51:00 PM, Anonymous said...: The Spokane Show was fantastic. Pegi sang with a strong voice and the crowd really gave her a lot of love. I swear that Neil played No Hidden Path for 30 minutes- it was great. For the encore, before TTN was played the sinclaver was lowered (the one from way back, still has the bird on it). It was plugged in, but no Hurricane. Was the sinclaver used in the Porland show during Hurricane?
After the show, I noticed about fifty people standing out in the cold around a few busses. I got closer and noticed that there was one with a Florida license plate with ZUMA. The security guard said that Neil was already on the bus, so many people left. I got to meet Ben Keith and thank him for his performance and said I really liked his work over the years. Then Pegi came out and gave the small group (about 12 of us by that point)a smile. Then Neil came out. The crowd got to thank him and he gave us a wave. The bus backed out and Neil and Pegi waved to us before they started on their late dinner.
At 10/23/2007 02:25:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Like A Hurricane? If this is played in Detroit, I honestly think I will cry. Please, please play this in Detroit. Can't wait either way!
At 10/23/2007 02:31:00 PM, Anonymous said...: At the Spokane show Neil used Old Black, a Gold Top Gibson Les Paul,a White Falcon, and a Gibson Les Paul Special (I think, it had a flat top). Ben Keith played a nice old Telecaster.
Larry Craig played an electirc sitar on Pegi's set. It was nice to see Larry Craig out on the stage, playing, and tuning up Neil's guitars. The electric set was amazing!!!
At 10/23/2007 02:48:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Eric
After my ticket purchases, I had recieved E mails with a code # and a link to reprise records. I had to go to the Reprise site, enter my #, name and shipping info.
One of my E mails had went into my spam folder.Might wanna check that, and if no luck, start making phone calls .
At 10/23/2007 03:21:00 PM, Eric said...: Thanks again, anon...I was afraid of that. I have since called the ticket company, and they really cared! Don't know who to call from here. Ah well, I'll just shell out my $11.99. God knows I've bought everything else he's released - I was just kind of digging the novelty of a freebie. The concert ticket was a little pricey, but this is Neil, after all. Time to move on with my life!
At 10/23/2007 04:00:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Sorry to see that Neil dropped
" Journey Thru the Past" and replaced it with "Goldrush" last night.

I'd much rather hear JTTP as I've seen Neil do ATG sooooooo many times.

Someone talk to Neil and tell him enough is enough with Goldrush !!!
At 10/23/2007 06:15:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I don't think Neil played Don't Be Denied in 1982. He did play it throughout the 1983 tours (acoustic), and then again with the Horse in '97 at those two warm up shows before the HORDE tour. Haven't collected many shows in the last 7 or so years though, so he may have slipped it in since then... Pretty sure Thrasher hasn't been done since 1978...
At 10/23/2007 08:08:00 PM, Anonymous said...: thanks !
At 10/23/2007 11:27:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Spokane show notes...
Pegi was flat, songs were almost identical. Band was terrific (especially the backup singer/guitarist) and the sitar was a nice touch. "Ambulance Blues" was the highlight of the first set. "No Hidden Path" is an instant Neil classic, no doubt about it (as it is on the CD/DVD set which I picked up today... the DVD audio is unreal!) The big disappointment was the finale. Cinnamon Girl was fine, but Tonight's the Night sucked big time, and I think that performance is why you folks in Oregon got Hurricane instead. Am I jealous? Hell, yes!
At 10/24/2007 01:12:00 AM, Joe said...: I was driving through downtown Spokane on Friday night. When I came to a light across from the Davenport Hotel I saw a roll of buses parked at the curb. I told my wife those must be Neil's. As the light turned green and I proceeded the Florida plates with the word ZUMA stood out on the last bus. I could not wait until the next night to see Neil in Spokane. His show was outstanding. I prefered not to know what the set list was and be surprised at what songs he chose to do. Were there songs that he did not play that I would have liked to have heard? Sure, but instead of whining about that I am grateful that he booked a show in a place where I was able to see him. The only disappointing thing about the show was that it did not go on for another two or three hours, but then maybe I should have my Dreams Chromed too. I did get my CD in the mail today and the songs sound better all the time. Thanks Neil.

Joe in Spokane
At 10/24/2007 03:18:00 AM, Anonymous said...: My quick two cents (leaving the setlist to others) on the Seattle show, which ended just a bit ago:

Neil's voice was mostly great. Hearing him, even when he doesn't quite nail it, is like going to church. Guitar playing was mostly on, and the sound was was quite good in what is otherwise an odd venue. There was some good Neil banter with the goofballs hollering from the crowd (I'll let somebody else recount it.)

Setlist was full of infrequently heard gems and a couple new ones (same as PDX, I think). Overall, it was Neil doing his Neil thing, and that's always good.

However (and I say this with a lot of love), I think the man might have been phoning it in a bit. Maybe he was tired from Portland. I'd like to hear from people who were at the previous shows as well as Seattle, to hear how the shows compared. I enjoyed the setlist, but it was such a mishmash that it never really gelled. I think pure Horse shows or pure acoustic shows work better. To my ear and eye, the show never really took off, despite commendable efforts during "No Hidden Path" and a couple others (and damn, how I was wishing for the Horse during those songs, even though Rosas/Keith/Molina were more than serviceable). After "Hurricane," the band seemed ready to continue, but Neil waved them off and had them take bows. (I was close enough to read Neil's lips, and I think he told Rick Rosas that he was "getting hot up there" or something like that. Rosas sort of rolled his eyes in disappointment and relucantly took off his bass. Neil really looked beat. He looked every one of his 61 years, and I've never seen him look that way before.

For any other performer, this show would have been one for the books. For Neil, it was just pretty good. Anybody else have that experience?
At 10/24/2007 01:24:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Notes from Seattle...

Neil does look like he's getting tired these days. Like the previous Seattle reviewer, I think the band was ready to play more at the end, and Neil nixed it. I recall the Weld tour with Crazy Horse, and back then it was the band who were ready for a break and Neil just kept going and going...that said, Rick, Ben and Ralph all sounded great (especially harmony vox), and everyone was in great form throughout. Neil did his typical grimacing and body heave during some of the jammier parts in electric songs, so he's still got it, albeit for only one set as opposed to all night.

So the setlist appears to mirror Portland's...

The WaMu theater, while new, is basically a cement box. Heard some disapointing reviews from earlier concerts there, but this was my first time at WaMu, and had no complaints with the sound except for the Hurricane closer...house sound seemed to get louder during that song and I got a sense of overall distortion as this happened (like Rick's bass and even "fuzzy" sounding drums) so perhaps the house sound crew are still working it out. During the acoustic set Neil's guitar and vox were a little low in the mix, and his harmonica overpowered all. That needs to be turned down.

Neil's comments between songs were pretty funny. Not going to go into all of them here, but suffice to say that he must get tired of the yahoos who yell and whistle and catcall during his songs...I know I do. Between acoustic songs you should yell all you want, but during the song why can't people shut the fuck up? In any case, once or twice Neil tried to distinguish what people were shouting (cupped hand over ear, stopped walking toward piano, leaned out toward audience, asked "huh?")...but after Goldrush (I think) some idiot yelled out "Play Hurricane!" and Neil quipped "ya, great idea...here's the segue" and then made a bunch of storm sounds with his mouth and had his hands up over his head with fingers wiggling simulating rainfall...the audience cracked up and Neil rolled his eyes...funny!

WaMu theater security were employing a policy of seating people between songs...unfortunately this more often resulted in seeing the backs of people standing up to let these fuckers in while half of the next song was playing...the WaMu floor is not sloped, so if this occurs you get to see the t-shirts of a dozen people milling about in front of you while the song plays on...bummer. Kudos to WaMu security & staff though for allowing people to rush the stage during Spirit Road...about 20% of the people did this, and security only wanted people to keep the aisles clear, so just basically squished them into whatever rows they were standing by.

As for Pegi's set, the strength of her music lies in her backing band. As a friend said last night, if we were at Bumbershoot and heard her singing without knowing who it was, we would not have stopped to listen. Only two really listenable songs, and again, I think the band carried her. I applaud her for trying to make a name for herself...I just hope her sophomore album and songs reflect her growth as a singer/songwriter.

Overall a really good show, not a superb one. I think Neil played it conservative in some ways, but it was grwat to see a mix of acoustic and electric songs, many of them from the 70's era. Catch him on tour if you can, it's $$ well spent.
At 10/25/2007 02:46:00 PM, Eric said...: Well, I got hosed. My son even works for Tickets West, and when I told him I never heard anything about my free cd, ho checked and found no way to help me. Anybody have any ideas?
At 10/31/2007 01:58:00 PM, Dan said...: LA show -- looks like Campaigner back in the mix!
At 11/04/2007 08:59:00 PM, Jane Morrison said...: NEIL PLEASE COME TO GREENVILLE SOUTH CAROLINA.LISTWN TO YOU ALL THE TIME.
At 11/06/2007 10:28:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Souds like the shows are rockin' Are posters available at the shows? If so are there cardboard tubes to carry them in? Just curious as I haven't seen any on e-bay yet... attending show in Detroit this week.
At 11/08/2007 02:46:00 AM, Thomas said...: Neil was great 11-2-07 at Nokia LA.I have listened to his music for 40 years and finally got to see him live, wow. his acoustic set amazing, his electric unbelievable. i have never seen a lead guitarist do what he did. clapton is fast, hendrix was a trip, townsend hot, Neil took off to Venus-I was happy in the moment!!!!
At 11/09/2007 03:22:00 AM, Anonymous said...: 11-8-07 Minneapolis:
Neil was perfect! Great set list! Not so much coversation with the audience- I think they were yelling and hooting too much. All in all, Neil and the band were in perfect harmony. A+
At 11/13/2007 01:12:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I have been following Neil for over 30 years and Im going to The D.C. show Friday night... From what I have read ..It should be an incredible show.. Ive got fantastic seats and look forward to totally immersing myself in the music of my favorite song writer and guitar hero... - B.C.
At 11/20/2007 06:36:00 PM, Anonymous said...: im pretty young, but i got neil young tikets, and im expecting geat show :)
At 11/30/2007 11:57:00 AM, peteyboy said...: Can anyone tell me how long the entire show runs including Pegi's set and the encore? I have to work Dec 9, the night of the show I have tickets for, so I need to make some arrangements.
Thanks, Peteyboy
At 12/08/2007 01:03:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I wonder if I ever gonna get the chance of seeing Neil Young preform here in Sweden, Europe before I get old and die (I am already old enough = 44 years)

"The old man"
At 2/18/2008 01:08:00 PM, RubyInTheDust said...: waah I'm so excited I'm gonna see Neil on friday in vienna. muoohahaaa... wish he'd play helpless though.. BUT if he plays AMNAM I'll start crying and get all hysterical I suppose... Lol