Concert Review of Moment: Montreal, Quebec, 12/1/08

The Concert Review of Moment is from Neil Young in Montreal, Quebec from Wendy:

Let me preface this by saying that one of the watershed moments of my life was the day I bought my first Neil Young record, way back in 1979, when I was a 17 year old kid. There was something about the man and his music that immediately resonated within me. I quickly became a die-hard Neil fan, and I'm proud to say that, even after all these years, I still am.

Sadly, this is the only the third time I've seen him in concert, but I think that even if I had seen Neil perform a hundred times before, this would still rank as his best show ever. Yes, the face is older and the hair is grey (sigh), but he rocks like a man half his age. He didn't say a whole lot all night, preferring instead to let his music do the talking. And that it did! He opened with blistering renditions of "Love and Only Love" and "Hey Hey, My My", which were followed by "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere", sweet relief after such a powerful start to the show. After "Powderfinger" and "Spirit Road" came "Cortez the Killer", which has to be one of his most majestic songs. Performed live, it's both hypnotic and thundering, and I was completely blown away by the intensity of it. Just for a minute, I noticed Neil's face looked about twenty years younger! Talk about a bittersweet moment!

It was heartening seeing so many young people in the audience, which I guess means that Neil was right: "rock and roll will never die". The whole audience sang along to many of the songs, and they gave him several standing ovations throughout the night. They even cheered when he brought out the harmonica. At one point, during "Rockin' in the Free World", the whole place was shaking! I was there with a friend who had never seen Neil perform live before, and he was blown away too. It was nice to see the new songs so well-received, and I couldn't help but wonder when they'll be released (soon?!). My favourite song of the night? It'd have to be a toss-up between "Rockin' in the Free World" and "Cortez", although, frankly, they're ALL my favourites! I just wish that writing came easier to me, and I could express myself better. Let's just say that Christmas came early for me this year.

Musically, this was an amazing year for me. First CSN came to town in July (another amazing show!), and now Neil. And if that wasn't special enough, I can say that I've seen--and felt--Neil Young playing "A Day in the Life"! Does it get any better than that? Oh wait, it does! Sugar Mountain comes out today, and it sounds like the Archives are finally going to be released!

Thank you, Neil, for all the joy you've brought me over the past three decades, and for last night's show, one of THE best nights of my entire life!

Wendy from Montreal

More concert reviews of Neil Young in Montreal, Quebec, 12/1/08.