Neil Young News: Calgary, Canada Concert Reviews - 10/19/08

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Calgary, Canada Concert Reviews - 10/19/08

Photo by Joshua Sawka, Regina Leader-Post

Young puts on an electric performance by Christopher Tessmer, The Leader-Post

The Calgary Sun - Sound and fury: Iconic rocker keeps sold-out crowd spellbound By RICK OVERWATER

Review: It doesn't get any better than Neil Young by Heath McCoy, Calgary Herald

Neil Young will be performing tonight at Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Got a report? Drop a comment below. No registration required.

Check Sugar Mountain for setlist updates. Also, see Grid Chart on Rust Radio.

Also, see Neil Young 2008 Fall North American Tour and Concert Reviews and the right, middle sidebar for continuous real time RSS feed updates.

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22 Comments:

At 10/20/2008 02:35:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Same set list as Regina, I believe. No Cortez. A great show. What was notable for me was how happy Neil seemed to be. He spoke to the crowd several times (saying thanks etc), and when introducing the band he had a brief story about meeting Ben Keith when he performed on the Johnny Cash show. Compared to the other times I've seen him (twice on the Weld tour with CH, once with Booker T. & the MGs, and once with CH in 96) he was positively chatty tonight. And he was smiling a lot for the final bows and waves. I'm glad to see that he still enjoying himself and performing so well.

- Derek
At 10/20/2008 02:46:00 AM, Anonymous said...: The setlist is great but I am getting a little worried. I am going to both San Diego and L.A. I really hope there is some variation between the shows. Just a couple of unique songs in each show would make me really happy.
At 10/20/2008 07:01:00 AM, Luca said...: Happy for North America Neil fans who finally can see a great tour, but...
No one is putting the concerts recordings on Dimeadozen or similar sites???
At 10/20/2008 10:52:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Neil Young in Regina was great. A classic star, whose music transcends the generations. A great display of energy from the showman.
Typical Neil drinking from the bottle whose label came off. Not sure if the youth in the crowd picked up on it, but it is nice to see an artist, who refuses to sellout to the corporate world.

You can bet, Neil is always welcome back to these "flatlands"

Keep on Rocking in the free World!!
At 10/20/2008 12:18:00 PM, Anonymous said...: " refuses to sellout to the corporate world."

Yet, he charges $ 40 for T-shirts in the lobby and over $ 250 a ticket in some venues.

Neil is great live, but I have long realized that Neil HAS sold out long ago on some levels
At 10/20/2008 12:46:00 PM, bullmark said...: Neil was in Calgary and conquered the audience; generally audiences are pretty easily pleased by 63 old geezers or rock “icons” on their greatest hits tour.

He seemed to be going through the paces for about half the show (fourth on in six days) coming alive in the acoustic portion (Old Man appropriately enough was very good) and he really came alive with the last 2 songs (Cowgirl in the Sand and Rockin’ in a Free World) giving a little glimpse of the damage this dinosaur can cause with his guitar and amp.

Neil closed with the Beatles’ Day in the Life and gingerly pulled the strings off of old Blackie like he did three previous times on the tour so far.

It was a nice, happy Neil last night with his wife Peg by his side, not the bipolar-Tonight's the-Night-Weld-era Neil, the father of grunge, the godfather of garage rock --- you get the feeling that particular character’s gone for good and perhaps the music and the passion too. He is 63 after all.

On stage all night was a painter working on several canvases behind the drum dais: also there was a phone. We never quite made the connection.
At 10/20/2008 01:38:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I thing to say the Tonights the nights- Weld Neil is gone is to make a prediction without any fact or reason. Who knows what the next album is going to be like.
At 10/20/2008 02:11:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Why would someone wanna re-create binges of cheeseburgers and tequilla while dealing with the relevancy of life and the loss of those around him? Get real! People grow. People also grow up.
At 10/20/2008 02:56:00 PM, Anonymous said...: When did Neil start replicating set lists like this? I remember reading that he wouldn't even give a set to his crew until showtime, but these days he seems to be sticking to the same tunes with few substitutions.
At 10/20/2008 04:51:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Great show last night in Calgary.
Good variety of songs, my faves were "Everybody Knows" and the whole acoustic portion of the show. Anyone know if "Sea Change" and "When World Collides" have been released yet? I agree with Derek in thats the most interactive I've seen NY since the Intl Harvesters tour in 1984.
-TB
At 10/20/2008 07:27:00 PM, WILL THE REAL NEIL YOUNG PLEASE STAND UP...PLEASE STAND UP! said...: No those songs haven’t been released yet. I’m sure they will be part of the next album of new music Neil puts out. I agree with the dude who mentioned the whole re-creating the tonight’s the night Neil. First of all...Neil was dealing with LOSS, those ghosts of people he lost.. Period! To say 'oh I think that Neil is gone' just shows us how much you know...The 'tonight’s the night Neil' as you put it wasn’t a persona. It was Neil. The 'God-father of Grunge Neil’ (as you say) ISNT NEIL! It was a label some shit-head writer gave him! At certain points Neil has taken on personas.... such as the shocking pinks guy etc. But the examples you mention are not acts...the Neil you saw last night was the SAME NEIL as the NEIL in the 1990's unless someone switched that NEIL with another NEIL..But where did that other NEIL GO? Boy this is getting confusing!
REALAITY CHECK MAN! Neil Young is 63 years old! And doing pretty fucking well for that age! Stop trying to lump the man in with some strange ideas you've conjured up about the Neil of the 1970's and the Neil of the 90's? How about the Neil from last night? Wasn’t THAT NEIL good enough for you?
NEIL WHERE HAVE YOU GONE NEIL? DID WE LEAVE YOU BACK IN 90's? Or on the Tonight’s the night Tour? NNNNEEEEEIIILLL???????
GOD! WAKE UP AND BE THANKFUL THAT NEIL MOTHER-FUCKING YOUNG IS STILL AROUND AND TOURING! AND STILL RELEVANT!!! AT 63!!! I LOVE THIS NEIL! IT’S THE ONLY NEIL WE HAVE!
At 10/20/2008 07:37:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Does neil normally mic the crowd? there were omni directional mics on the left and rigth side of the stage pointed towards the audience.
At 10/20/2008 07:42:00 PM, Anonymous said...: "you get the feeling that particular character’s gone for good and perhaps the music and the passion too"

Phew bullmark! have you taken cover yet...!
The Neil I saw in Europe was I agree doing something the same as I'd seen many times before - yes he was blowing me away!, being awesome and jaw droppingly great...I seriously don't think he thinks about his age, I think he just does it.
He can be frustrating sometimes but always refreshing, that's why I'll always pay what it takes because there isn't much in the way of performers
around who can touch him, young or old.
At 10/20/2008 07:58:00 PM, Anonymous said...: AMEN BROTHER!!! SCREW BULLMARK's BULLSHIT!!!
At 10/20/2008 08:43:00 PM, Greg McGarvey said...: Testify, 'REAL NEIL YOUNG.' :D
At 10/20/2008 11:34:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Bullmark, man, ya gotta understand. There ain't no room for honesty in the zombie cult of Neil. But when they pass the plate, fill it high, brother, fill it high. Just keep your mouth shut if ya ain't singin those hosannas.
At 10/21/2008 08:57:00 AM, Anonymous said...: no...thats not it at all. He's speaking his mind, and I'm speaking mine...You can eat a turd sandwich as well....
At 10/21/2008 09:08:00 AM, Thrasher said...: C'mon folks. Let's agree to disagree in a respectful fashion.
At 10/21/2008 09:23:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I'm diggin these responses over which Neil is gonna show!

Well, I'll tell ya that last Nov. 30 in Buffalo ALL the Neils showed up. From the reverant troubador opening with From Hank to Hendrix to the gun toting rebel like(think Revolution Blues) personna on Ambulance Blues to the absolutely deranged guitar freak on No Hidden Path for 20+ minutes where he was in a trance scratching the floor with his feet like some back alley tiger-cat as he whaled old black, twitching and moving as if he was possessed.

Stay open to the possibilities. If YOUR Neil doesn't show, go home and put the vinyl on and turn it up, he's still in there.
At 10/21/2008 11:23:00 AM, Crade said...: I was pretty damn pleased to hear Neil would come out to where I could see him. I didn't know which Neil would come out to play, but all the albums out since his Aneurism have been somewhat subdued, and I didn't expect he could bring that kind of energy to the stage anymore.

After Sunday's concert, I was struck by the fact that Neil might be the only rock legend we have left that is still doing new things worth listening to and hasn't completely faded to rehashing old crap.

But then, I didn't go watch all his other concerts expecting this one to be different. I didn't know or care that the set list was the same as in Regina, nor did I care that he didn't play Cortez..
I didn't go to here Cortez, I went to hear whatever the hell Neil wanted to play because I knew he wouldn't dissapoint.

I will admit I was saddened that the T-Shirt was expensive. Then again, I was also sad that I needed a stupid t-shirt to remind me that I had once seen Neil live because it might be the last time he really brings it.
At 10/21/2008 02:50:00 PM, David said...: WOW. What can I say? A totally beefed up setlist since the last time I seen Neil Young back in October 2007 in Spokane.

Neil and the boys were in fine form. Neil was grinning from ear to ear on several occasions and they all seemed to be having a great time onstage and were incredibly relaxed up there. The crowd was insane. I was up front down on the floor and the crowd was singing along big time with Neil.

I just loved how Neil ripped the strings off Old Black at the end of the show and just let the feedback rip. WOW.

The setlist was the same as Regina but for this lifelong fan (of almost 30 years!) the setlist was a dream come true. Love and Only Love was a great starter and I loved all the new tunes.

Keep on rockin in the free world!

Cheers!
Dave "the NFLD'er"
Edmonton, AB Canada
At 10/22/2008 01:47:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I just saw Neil Sunday night in Calgary and am heading to Vancouver tongiht to watch him again. Im only 21 but this will be my fourth time and i hope not the last. Neil puts on an amazing show, so full of energy and amazingness. I dont care if he plays the exact same set list in Van, im just happy to see him again doing what he does best...rockin hard and having a good time.

Neil is a legend, the greatest Canadian artist i wreckon and he can do whatever he wants on stage, its his stage, not ours and he can rip it any way he wants.

Neil is the man.

- Graham.

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