Neil Young News: UPDATED: It is Official! Neil Young Will Play Olympics Closing Ceremonies

Sunday, February 28, 2010

UPDATED: It is Official! Neil Young Will Play Olympics Closing Ceremonies

UPDATE: Full Video of Neil Young at Olympics Closing Ceremonies

Re-Fresh for Updates

Neil Young
"Long May You Run"
Vancouver Olympics Closing Ceremony: Winter Games 2010
PHOTO by Getty

Neil Young performed "Long May You Run" for the Vancouver Olympics Closing Ceremony: Winter Games 2010. Snow drifted down from ceiling as Neil strolled about with harmonica rack and Hank Williams' Martin D-28 guitar.

Following Young's performance, the cauldrons were extinguished and the torch arms retracted.

Many, many 1000's of instant mini-reviews on Twitter indicated that Young's performance was highlight of closing ceremonies. Many felt that what followed Young's performance was a travesty and embarrassment to music fans and Canada's heritage.

A brief video clip of Neil Young Olympics.

Somewhat surprising poll results of what song Neil Young would play at Olympics.

"Long May You Run" -- which was played -- came in 5th with 8%.

"Oh Canada" was voted #1 with 19%, followed by "Four Strong Winds" with 16%. next -- our vote "Rockin' in the Free World" with 8%

The surprise was "This Note's For You" in 3rd with 15%. Can't figure that one? Probably the result of the f'n Freepers cramming the poll. Get a life.

Official Neil Young Tour Page

It is official! Neil Young will play the Olympics Closing ceremonies tonight.

Neil Young's Official Tour Page has just been updated with tonight's date.

So how about all of those rumors we've been hearing about all week?! In the immortal words of Pete Townshend, "We won't get punk'd again."

So what will Neil Young will play the Olympics Closing ceremonies tonight?

What Song Should Neil Young Perform At Olypics Closing Ceremoniesonline surveys

~~Something new. You can enter a new song entry if not already listed in poll.~~ Ok, that doesn't seem to be working. Drop a suggested song in comments & we'll try and add.

I'm a dreamin' man, guess that's my problem.

UPDATE: Massive Twitter traffic on Neil @ Olympics. See right sidebar for live tweets.

UPDATE: Full Video of Neil Young at Olympics Closing Ceremonies

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65 Comments:

At 2/28/2010 12:04:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Q up the DVR!

Thanks Thrasher!
At 2/28/2010 12:04:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Neil at Vancouver 2010 : what a joke. I hope Neil will surprise me, because right now he disappoints me ... and a lot ! I thought Neil was not as Bono, Elton John or Celine Dion.Maybe I was wrong.
Only Crazy Horse can save him now. Get back to the roots of the gawdamn thing. SHIT
At 2/28/2010 12:16:00 PM, Lauri said...: are you kidding me?! Neil is Everywhere so why not at the olympics!
At 2/28/2010 12:24:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Oh simply because Neil is a god of garage rock and roll and not of merchandising, and because Vancouver 2010, clearly, is not a ecological event. Remember This note's for you ? Been a long time.
At 2/28/2010 12:29:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I'd like RITFW but I think it's going to be hoG.

What did you for T-man?

joey p
At 2/28/2010 12:35:00 PM, Thrasher said...: JP:
I'm going with Rockin in Free World. T-ette's says HoG.

I can envision an all-star Canadian blow-out finale with RITFW cranked up to 11 followed by massive fireworks, confetti, balloons, lasers, etc.

Maybe be the debut of a re-formed Crazy Horse for a bonus?

But what the f do we know? We're just a dreamin man...
At 2/28/2010 12:37:00 PM, Joerg said...: If you click the link to Neil's tour page right now you see...nothing
At 2/28/2010 12:54:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Just Singing A Song
At 2/28/2010 01:05:00 PM, Anonymous said...: cortez
At 2/28/2010 02:14:00 PM, Zak Claxton said...: You know what would be the most Neil-esque thing to do? Play a new song no one has ever heard before.

Just a thought. :)
At 2/28/2010 02:36:00 PM, andrea1bianco said...: He'll present a new song.

Andrea."So Tired"
At 2/28/2010 02:58:00 PM, doc said...: Thrash, I'd love it to be RITFW too

coz that would epitomize what it's all about

Depends... if he's gunna whip out ol black and go full on electric?... or...Solo acoustic?!

For the sheer anthemic value, what about ...Neil with "surprise Equines"...YEP YOU GUESSED IT....

THE HORSE! ..doin' ORDINARY PEOPLE!!....

in all their ragged glory!..with all the other guest artists backing on the chorus.... now that would be...

GOLD!!! GOLD!! GOLD!!!

excited doc
At 2/28/2010 02:59:00 PM, Carson said...: Give the guy a break. He's a hockey fan! If I could get tickets to the gold medal game this afternoon, just by playing a song or two, I'd be doing the same thing.
At 2/28/2010 03:07:00 PM, Anonymous said...: You're all still beating the Horse dead. It ain't gonna happen. This is about Neil Young the Canadian, not Neil Young the jockey horse rider.

....he's probably gonna write a long letter...........all the way to his Canadian Prairie Home..

I'll be tuned in for ANYHTING

- Not Rotten Johnny

(anon 12:04-this jokes for YOU)
At 2/28/2010 03:11:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Not RITFW, it's too American.
At 2/28/2010 03:15:00 PM, Anonymous said...: So, Neil's tour page is empty.
At 2/28/2010 03:16:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Not FSW, Lightfoot and Tyson played Alberta Bound and Four Strong Winds in Calgary in '88.
At 2/28/2010 03:27:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Neil's tour page is not empty. It has become interactive... When you arrive there you see nothing. Simply refresh the page and you will see were NY play.
At 2/28/2010 03:31:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Word has it that the son of one of Canada's famous hockey writers will play at closing ceremonies.
At 2/28/2010 04:02:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Heart of Gold + Rockin' in the Free World
At 2/28/2010 04:16:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I tried refreshing the page but still nothing.
At 2/28/2010 04:18:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Never mind. Firefox doesn't show anything but explorer does. Weird.
At 2/28/2010 04:30:00 PM, Anonymous said...: In Firefox, go to the tour page, right click, and then select "Play".

The tour dates will now show.

God knows why this happens, I discovered it last week.

:-)
At 2/28/2010 04:42:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Canada scores!
At 2/28/2010 04:45:00 PM, The Rocket said...: What's next? Will Neil sign up for a month long engagement at a casino in Las Vegas like his hero Elvis "The King" Presley? I'm Wonderin..
At 2/28/2010 04:56:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Next time Neil will play for Coca Cola ! Neil, this time you lose.
At 2/28/2010 05:02:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Question:
What's the difference between a Las Vegas casino and a Crazy Horse fan?
Answer:
There's no difference. They both want NY to play some old tricks for them.
At 2/28/2010 05:33:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Too bad there is no one named 'Stills' on Team Canada, with Crosby and Nash in the Game and Neil Young in the audience!
At 2/28/2010 05:38:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I think Comes a Time.
-tell me lies later
At 2/28/2010 05:39:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Journey Through the Past
At 2/28/2010 05:52:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Boy, again with Neil Young the sell out. It's probably not worth commenting on, except to say that if that's your take, you obviously don't know WTF you're talking about. I'm thinking RITFW, but who knows? I'd love something from the new album, too, but then we'd have to listen to more braying that he's just promoting his new album, or some other asinine thing from people who can't think past their belly button. Whatever it is, I'll be glad to hear it, that is if I can somehow remember one of the central things that defines Neil: "Just do what you want. Don't listen to anyone else."

Greg M (A Friend Of Yours)
At 2/28/2010 06:45:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Goin' Back.

tj
At 2/28/2010 07:35:00 PM, John Smith said...: In Firefox, go to the tour page, right click, and then select "Play".

The tour dates will now show.

Where is Firefox?
At 2/28/2010 08:24:00 PM, Anonymous said...: if not HofG, I"m guessing 'helpless'

old sound man
At 2/28/2010 09:16:00 PM, doc said...: NEWSFLASH!!!..VANCOUVER DAILY HEADLINE...

"CROSBY SCORES..WHILE YOUNG WATCHES!"

IF YA MISSED THE VIDEO...

JUST WAIT FOR THE STILLS...don't be killed in the NASH to get'm!

doc
At 2/28/2010 09:22:00 PM, Anonymous said...: the answer to what he plays is in here :)

http://www.theprovince.com/entertainment/Second+wave+Canadian+stars+perform+closing+ceremony+spoilers/2625140/story.html
At 2/28/2010 09:40:00 PM, Tony said...: Neil Rocks! No matter what.
At 2/28/2010 11:03:00 PM, Anonymous said...: blind river, 1963? I thought it was '62...

asg
At 2/28/2010 11:26:00 PM, doc said...: Well, before the link...Who picked it?

Like every other 'Neiler',I didn't really care what he played!

The fact that he was invited to play as a born Canadian is such an honour to his heritage...and...a testament to his legend status, reflected at such a prestigous
event.

Personally, I would have thought a grand finale on electric, doin' some more 'anthemic', iconic number would have had a bigger impact, although I do see the significance of the tune he selected.

Hey...a bigger audience than the days playin' the coffee shops in Ontario just the same!

LONG MAY YOU RUN NEIL!!..long may you run.

doc
At 3/01/2010 01:09:00 AM, Mr Henry said...: I used to tell Neil about the apple trees and the nice house and the beautiful life that would await us in Omemee. I must have made the point rather strongly.
Scott Young
from "Where We Came From"
Neil and Me

Thanks Neil for giving such a warm and human performance to close out the best Winter Olympics ever. You are the master.

Thanks for all the amazing athletes and their families and friends. Especially thanks to the Canada and USA hockey teams for playing a game for the ages. God bless Brendan Burke. Favorite single scene...when they showed Joanie Rochette. Time fades away....
At 3/01/2010 03:38:00 AM, doc said...: So AVERAGE LAVIGNE gets to sing two songs..and Neil one?..go figure!!

Doc

P.s. AVRIL FANS if your readin this

What are you doin' here on the wheat? lol
At 3/01/2010 04:20:00 AM, Anonymous said...: CANADA - 3
USA - 2

NEIL - LONG MAY YOU RUN
At 3/01/2010 05:04:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Well, it was
back in Blind River in 1962
When I last saw you alive
But we missed that shift
on the long decline
Long may you run.

1963?
At 3/01/2010 05:48:00 AM, doc said...: Yeah Anonymous, this ALWAYS happens when ya get a "Neil" impersonator tryin' to sing Neil.

Fallon, I thought you'd KNOW the lyrics to LMYR..otherwise a good impression! lol

dic
At 3/01/2010 06:56:00 AM, Liza said...: I just saw Neil on German TV and I'm deeply moved. Scott and Rassy would have been so proud of their son.
Why 1963? I don't know either...

Love, Liza
At 3/01/2010 06:58:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I must be the only one who thinks not playing After the Gold Rush was a huge missed opportunity. The song is beautiful, nostalgic, Canadian - and it would have fit the occasion in so many ways.

A few: Canada - all-time Gold Medal champs.

Kim Yu-Na - the new "Queen" of ladies figure skating.

Plus, Young already played "Long May You Run" weeks earlier - and more fittingly - at Conan's last show.
At 3/01/2010 07:53:00 AM, SONY said...: The citizen of the planet playing to his audience, now that's cool! How big was that audience across the globe?

I think he said a few years back, "it's a solo gig" so when I saw him with the floor to himself it made perfect sense to me. Can you imagine how he felt?

Has there been any bigger? or as big? Elvis, Lennon, Dylan?

Everybody's alone! He's in a league of his own.

Happy = being a Neil Young fan!
At 3/01/2010 08:23:00 AM, Anonymous said...: (ps., Doc, was that you I saw outside the Sydney Opera House in Full Moon?.....just wondering)

SONY
At 3/01/2010 08:58:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I'm guessing that's the largest world-wide audience Neil has ever played in front of.

I can't imagine anything being close.

He did LiveAid, he did the Oscars, he did a 9-11 tribute........but i doubt any come close to last night.

What do you think?
At 3/01/2010 10:04:00 AM, MARIAN M. said...: Neil Young is truly a National Treasure, and I was thrilled to hear him sing last night at the close of the Olympics!!!!!

Long may you run!

Marian M.
At 3/01/2010 10:53:00 AM, Todd said...: Alone, in black, under the torch that died out as he ended? That was unbelievably cool! The funny thing is, how many of the athletes, let alone audience in general, had any idea about the song. A beautiful elegy..... to a car.
At 3/01/2010 11:45:00 AM, Anonymous said...: The Olympics were cool, but how about that new BD-Live download that showed up over the weekend??

Got to love this Archives set on Blu-ray!!
At 3/01/2010 12:17:00 PM, Zak Claxton said...: Fuckin' Shakey. He did it again.

Just when people mistakenly assume the eco-friendly car is out of gas, he revs it up and with a whisper, roars over the entire Olympic closing ceremonies. After the hours of phoniness, the children lip-syncing to auto-tuned tracks (all of whom will be forgotten in a matter of months, or perhaps a few years if they're really lucky), Neil fires up the ultimate number for the road. I feel bad about not expecting him to fly. I should have known better.

What's something every athlete has in common? They run. From snowboarders to ice skaters to bobsled team leaders, they run, and the longer they run, the longer they live their dreams. While "Long May you Run" may seem on the surface to be a simple homage to a long-dead hearse, in our hearts we know what it really means.

Forget all the extraneous stuff. Forget the merchandising, the corporate sponsors. Instead, keep in mind the young people who are wrapping up the dreams that they've been preparing for as long as they can remember. Keep in mind that due to the very nature of athleticism, the skill will diminish long before they're ready. The knees will inevitably be injured, the muscle tone will diminish. And the desire to win, so strong in youth, will eventually give way to more mundane hopes and wishes.

What can you hope for such a person? What can you offer that applies to each of them on an equal level? Only Neil Young has the answer: "Long May You Run". Neil wasn't singing to the prime minister, nor the head of the IOC. He wasn't singing to you or me, watching on TV at home. He was singing to every one of those athletes who made it to the culmination of the dream, and yet have so long to continue on. All they want to do is to be able to keep running. Watch their reaction as Old Neil strums his even older Martin guitar. Watch as the message sinks in and hits home. And then acknowledge Neil Young, not only as the greatest singer or songwriter of our time, but as the ultimate communicator spanning multiple generations, one who chooses a message that's perfect for the occasion. We all should have known he'd come through, and that his very choice to appear at such an event was done for a reason that was much bigger than being on the world's biggest stage. He sang to those who most deserved to hear him, and imbued all of them with something they can take home that in some ways is more vital that the shiny medals round their necks.

Long may he run.
At 3/01/2010 12:31:00 PM, Anonymous said...: One word sums up Canada's invitation
to Neil Young appearing at the Olympics..."Appreciated". No "sorry" or "oops", we didn't invite you.
The performance was all it should have been.
I'm just glad he wasn't wearing a mountie uniform!
At 3/01/2010 12:48:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Canada put on a great Olympics! Right up there with Lillehammer (which was fantastic). The Canadians have such great self-depricating humor. They are like Minnesotans in that way - a nation of witty Garrison Keilors, but with their own brand of experiences. Very quirky and real. In that context, Neil Young is the quinessential Canadian, even after all those years in California.

Is it any wonder that the north country has produced such people as Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and Bob Dylan?

But, okay, now. I have had my full serving of Long May You Run. I'm ready for the next thing.
At 3/01/2010 12:50:00 PM, Anonymous said...: You made us canucks proud Neil, very fitting song, after the gold rush would not have been canadian, we know we swept the gold podium, no need to bloat about it in song. LMYR was perfect.

Thanks Neil
dug
At 3/01/2010 12:59:00 PM, Joe said...: I would have enjoyed "Four Strong Winds" more (and think it would have fit the situation better), but it was a good performance by Neil and I'm glad he did it.
At 3/01/2010 01:08:00 PM, yourisaforever said...: I loved the song he chose, as any as he would, as always so appropiate, I put my mobile to wake me up, (in the middle of the night in Europe) to see him again live, but now I can't see the video again as I'm not from the Usa...sad! I liked him perform solo on the ground, not on the stage as the other "stars"... he's the Universe all toghether!
Isa
At 3/01/2010 03:50:00 PM, doc said...: Yep, That was me Sony!...but it was OK.....It was a Harvest Moon! lol

doc
At 3/01/2010 03:57:00 PM, andrea1bianco said...: Neil really deserves all these acknowledgments. It's also a good publicity for Neil and naturally I'm happy for him.I know that these performances, tv shows and so on have a big emotional impact on many people. Not on me, anyway.I'm not a big fan of these great things. I don't think that there is much art in these exhibitions. Anyway, I don't even watch the television.I have found more passion on the Neil heartfelt words in the last BD live, dedicated to the dead companions(dated 21 january, meaningfully).I think that LMYR is also for all these people and Johnson in particular. Just an opinion, anyway.

Andrea."So Tired"
At 3/02/2010 07:53:00 AM, doc said...: Anonymous 6:58,

"After the Gold Rush"...hmmm that's inneresting you bring that song up.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you got me thinking.(no,don't correct me yet!)...

I've never really heard Neil do this at any of his "live" recent concerts.

Is it that Neil's "early seventies Neil" voice...high beautiful and piercing on ATGR, is not as reachable today?

Like a red wine maturing with age, his voice's taste and texture are changing.

Dreamin man, HOG... beautiful sounds end emotions conveyed through Neil's voice in song....

Sugar Mountain, Massey Hall..that touch of innocence in his voice that sadly might never be reached today ,live, as Neil ages gracefully and sings with a maturity and contentment, that we too, as fans, are aging with ourselves.

Yeah, After the Goldrush (the song) IS from another era ,another time.

I love nostalga, I love that period from the seventies, and I'm glad I experienced these days first hand....but I also love, with anticipation, the unpredictibility and spontaneity of Neil's musical direction today.

As I've said on a previous post..what other artist with such an incredible and changing musical career spanning some 50 yrs, is producing and inspiring us with music that spans every generation?

line'm up baby..coz I can't think of any like Neil!

doc
At 3/02/2010 01:05:00 PM, Anonymous said...: After The Gold Rush last played live 2008-03-14 - 718 days
At 3/02/2010 03:22:00 PM, Keith Burris said...: Last night I saw Jonathan Demme's new movie on Neil -- Neil Young Trunk Show. I went from Hartford to Boston to see it. I cannot wait for everyone to see it. It will knock your socks off. Absolutely amazing. A bookend to Prairie Wind, but an opposite, not a matching one. It is raw and visceral and full of the power (I don't know what other word to use) of N.Y.'s music.

Power and soulfulness.

His voice is in great shape. His "reading," his inflections and changes in phrasing are masterful. His guitar playing is unworldly. He's totally at home and in the groove and at the peak of his powers. And the concert shows the range of his emotion and vision. There is so much there that most people just grab bits of it. I'm a huge fan and I came away thinking, "Is it possible I have underestimated this man?"

The genius of Demme is that he puts you right in Young's world. If someone says, "why do you love Neil Young?" you can just hand them this DVD. They will either watch with mouth agape and join us or be totally befuddled.

Last but not least: The SOUND quality is 4 stars. You hear the best versions of those songs you will ever hear, unless you were at the concert. I heard substantially the same concert in Boston a few days later in 2007 and I felt I was taken back to that place .

Magic, magic music making. This film is a gift from above.

--Keith C. Burris
At 3/02/2010 04:33:00 PM, doc said...: Well, there you go Anonymous!

I didn't know or never heard this!..

although that doesn't surprise me..I'll rescind everything I just said..coz after reading Keith's comments which I fully endorse,
I too am loving this quality of Neil's voice.

My only point I was making was these songs, with his voice changing, take on a new interpretation which is never really a bad thing when it comes to Neil..

Although its a bit of a worry when he forgets his own lyrics! lol, tic

thanks doc
At 3/03/2010 10:59:00 AM, Anonymous said...: That was not Hank Williams' Martin D-28 guitar. It was a Martin D-18.