Bridge School Benefit Concerts - Reviews, Photos, Links

photo by Tim Mosenfelder - Getty Images

Reports from this year's 19th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concerts are rolling in.

Reviews, photos, feeds & links are posted here.

Bridge School Benefit Concerts - 2005

Paul McCartney & Neil Young at Bridge 2004 Concert
photo by Craig Abaya

Update - 10/31: Reports from this year's Bridge School Benefit Concert 2005 will be posted here.

This weekend is the 19th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concert.

The concerts are scheduled for Saturday, October 29th and Sunday, October 30th, 2005 at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California.

Featured artists scheduled to include:

Crosby Stills, Nash & Young
Dave Matthews (Solo, Sunday only)
John Mellencamp (Saturday only)
Norah Jones
Emmylou Harris
Jerry Lee Lewis
Good Charlotte
Bright Eyes
Los Lobos


Updates on the 2005 International Rust Fest.

More on last year's Bridge School Benefit Concert 2004 with Tegan & Sara, Los Lonely Boys, Sonic Youth, Ben Harper, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eddie Vedder, Tony Bennett, and Paul McCartney and previous year's concerts reviews and photos.

Updates on this year's Bridge School Benefit Concert 2005 will be posted here.


Neil, Pegi & Eddie at Bridge 2004 Concert
photo by Craig Abaya

"Prairie Wind": A Roundup

Postcards from Nashville by Rustie John Duncan - August 2005


Nashville Memories From A Fan: Rustie Karen Barry Schwarz' story "A Prairie Wind Blows Through Nashville": A Neil Young concert review - August 18-19, 2005


Commentary on Nashville Ryman Concerts and "Prairie Wind" CD


Stream entire "Prairie Wind" CD on Neil's Garage


Video of "The Painter" and other music videos from DVD


The debate rages on over the lyrics for "When God Made Me"


Neil Young Albums In Order Review: Prairie Wind


Prairie Wind Companion Interview CD


"The Resurrection of Neil Young": TIME Magazine Interview


NPR Interview with Neil Young on "Prairie Wind"


World Cafe Interview: Inside Neil's Faith


"Prairie Wind" DVD's Easter Egg


Film Director Jonathan Demme on "Prairie Wind"


Neil Performs on Conan O'Brien Show for Entire Week


Neil on Saturday Night Live


Neil Young News : "Heart of Gold": Preview Film Trailer - January 2, 2006


More reviews and analysis of "Prairie Wind".

An Old Man Takes A Look At Neil's Religion

Neil in the shadow of a cross
From the Journey Through The Past Album

In a blog post titled "Old Man Take A Look At My Religion", The Mighty Barrister (10/24/05) takes a few hard shots at Neil's comments on religion in the recent interview on NPR's World Cafe, which we highlighted yesterday. In the interview, Neil revealed some rather personal observations on faith and politics.

And The Mighty Barrister is not happy and displays some rather "un-christian hate-like" behavior. Hmm, the irony.

"What annoys me more than [Prairie Wind's] insipid lyrics and banal melodies is Neil Young's self-righteous spirituality. After saying that everyone is entitled to practice his or her own religion, he attacked the Bush administration on the basis that it is "almost 100% Christian." That would be news to Ari Fleischer, David Frum, Ken Melman, Josh Bolten, Paul Wolfowitz, Elliott Abrams, Michael Chertoff, Matt Schlapp, and a host of other non-Christians filling some of the most important roles in the administration.

His song "When God Made Me" is admittedly a not-so-subtle attack on the Bush administration, and on Christianity in general.

What is it about Christianity that bothers Young? There's "just too much of it" in the White House. How does that harm Neil Young? Because they don't respect his right to worship the way he sees fit to worship.

How many times did Bushhitler and his Christianazi Flying Monkey Swarm of Death descend upon poor old Neil Young and interfere with his right to worship a rock?"

Not really sure what that last bit of nonsense is all about? Talk about paranoia...

But aside from the standard tactic of twisting a quote to suit one's purpose, it looks like The Mighty Barrister has also seen fit to cherry pick a quote out of context.

Now really. It almost seems that The Mighty Barrister is threatened by Neil's faith.

All of the Bush figures cited by MB (Ari Fleischer, David Frum, et al) are NOT cabinet appointees, but republican staffers, contrary to Young's point about Bush's cabinet.

Clearly, The Mighty Barrister has missed Young's point completely regarding the separation of chuch and state.

And how in the world did he conclude that "When God Made Me" is "admittedly a not-so-subtle attack on the Bush administration, and on Christianity in general"?

A very close analysis of the lyrics reveals nothing of the sort. There's been quite a bit of debate about the lyrics and here's what commenter Togu posted about "When God Made Me" lyrics:

"This is an incredible song because of what Neil achieves with the lyrics and music combined. It is a warm melody and rendition, so you can't say that Neil is out to argue. The song is disarming because of its plaintive melody and questioning. It makes you ask: can God who is so great and so gracious really be as limiting as we humans often make him out to be?

The song also celebrates the incredible diversity of persons that God created and the wonderful gifts God gave to each person and asks what those gifts are meant to be used for. It also asks why don't we cherish these gifts in the way they were meant to be used?

I'm a Christian myself and I'm sorry to see how some feel the need to peg this as a Christian or non-Christian song. Listen to the music first and let its honest questions move you."

Blogger Dave Faulkner offers a much healthier and even handed comment from the Christian community on the song. His comments come in the context of similar comments that Neil made in an interview in Word Magazine:

"Rather than dismiss Young due to those apparently strange views it would be better to look seriously at what he says. Of course as a Christian I don't believe that the doctrine of God making humankind in his image is about conceit or arrogance: it's an act of pure grace and it should not make us careless with the rest of creation. But the problem is, that is precisely the way it has been taken for centuries and we now have an environmental problem.

We need to hold this together with Young's statement that 'We're all here together, we're all nature', except that I would just change that last word from 'nature' to 'creation'."

So Stop hating. Start participating.

Randomly Blogged - Wilco, My Morning Jacket, EKTIN

Wilco's "Kicking Television" recorded live at Vic Theatre in Chicago. Preview of 4 songs from new live CD, including "Airline to Heaven"




America's Greatest Living Rock Band? - My Morning Jacket on Cover of HARP


Over on the blog a flower called nowhere, some thoughts on what Neil's music conjures:

"Neil Young is like a perfect pair of jeans or an old flannel shirt that just fits right.

Neil Young is like going home and Crazy Horse is like muscle memory and a 16 year old kid is in his first car, a 1967 Pontiac convertible drinking beer and smoking pot and listening to Decade (the triple cassette compilation) and the kid is stoned and losing himself inside those rusty sloppy guitar lines that hang like a a distorted fog of noise in your soul and that loping clomping Crazy Horse rhythm that leaves yawning cavernous spaces for the stoned mind to insert meaning and impressions and to visualize a framework of a life."

Word Magazine Interview With Neil Young

From the November issue of Word Magazine, interviewer Robert Sandall asks Neil Young whether he is a Christian?

YOUNG: "I don't know. I don't think so. I certainly don't say, don't be a Christian. Everybody needs something to hang their hat on. But I really don't buy into any particular story. The Indians had something going on with their 'great spirit' as a term for God. They were more concerned with the trees, the grasslands, the animals and a sense of balance. It's a pagan thing and there's nothing bad about paganism. It only became bad because of the insecurity of the church. That song is about the self-righteousness that makes certain people think God created man in his own image. What a conceited idea! What about the squirrel? What happened to him? We're all here together, we're all nature. One big thing."

More on the reaction to "Prairie Wind"'s "When God Made Me". Also, see interviews with Neil Young.

World Cafe Interview: Inside Neil's Faith

Last week on NPR's World Cafe, Neil Young was interviewed on the new "Prairie Wind" CD. In the interview with World Cafe's David Dye, Neil revealed some rather personal observations on faith and politics.

And long time readers of Thrasher's Wheat know that we have a particular fondness for the collision of politics and religion.

The question was a lead-in to "Prairie Wind"'s "When God Made Me", a song with lyrics that have provoked a wide range of reaction.

Here's a partial transcript:

YOUNG: "I think religion and freedom of religion and people’s relationship with God is something that should not be hijacked by any certain political party.

The Founding Fathers of this country, there were only a couple of them that were religiously-based or were God-fearing. And now, in the Bush cabinet, you have almost, like, a hundred percent Christian. I just think it’s out of balance. I respect their religion, I respect the way they feel, I respect everything about the way they want to worship, I respect their right to do whatever they want.

But, I just want to be respected for my right and have my relationship with God, and I don’t want any political party to be accused of not being faith-based or to be anti-faith because they don’t happen to agree with some Christian ethics or some Christian ways of life.

Christianity can be respected just like Muslim religions, like Jewish religion, just like any other religion. Your relationship with God is about your relationship with God. When you go to Heaven, or wherever you go, you... it’s between you and God. It’s not between, it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t, you know, I could be called a pagan, I suppose, but if you go back far enough, you’ll find that pagans really are people who believe in the Earth, they’re people who believe in the harmony of nature. They’re like the Indians, they’re like the Great Spirit, they believe in the Great Spirit, and it was the insecurity of Christianity that turned paganism into a negative term.

And, if you go back to the roots of these things, and see where they came from, you know, I respect everyone’s right to do whatever they want to do, but I think that, this particular administration, and in the country this time, and it’s only a temporary thing – I have faith in that – but, ah, I think they’ve just hijacked people’s right for freedom of religion and, they’ve confused the separation of church and state. Prayer meetings in the White House, um, all the time, you know, all of these things.

There’s nothing wrong with having a prayer meeting, but, and obviously there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having a prayer meeting, I wouldn’t, you know, be against that under any circumstances, but it’s a little bit too focused in one place, and it seems to be that, that, you know, Christianity has taken a turn here, attendance is down in churches, there’s a disbelief, it, it’s been hijacked, I feel like something is totally out of whack, and I think we’re going to get it back, I think there’s going to be a rebound, it’s a pendulum, and but the way it’s going right now, there’s just too much of it, you know, I’d like my kids to grow up free, to live the way they want to live and to worship their own, worship the way they want to worship without pressure in the United States of America."

The interview took place shortly after the Nashville concerts in August 2005.

More interviews with Neil Young.

Neil: "There is another 'Hurricane' in me"

Reflecting after the August concerts at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, Neil Young gave his thoughts on his next musical direction.

In an upcoming interview in HARP Magazine by veteran rock reporter Jaan Uhelszki, Neil makes a comment that should bring a grin to any fan's face.

YOUNG: "I'd say there is another Hurricane" in me, but I'm not really planning for anything like that, but I do know it'll be there. I just feel comfortable with the musicians that I'm playing with now, but I know Crazy Horse is always out there, and that's another ride completely. That's a much rougher ride."

The complete interview will be on the cover of the upcoming December issue of HARP Magazine.

Thanks Jaan!

Hurricane Wilma's Eye Heads Towards Florida
Although, with Wilma bearing down on Florida at the moment, and the terrible hurricanes that have hit since making these comments in August, in retrospect, comparisons to being "Like A Hurricane" may not come across as the best metaphor.

Hunker down tonight and good luck south Florida.

Postcards from Nashville: A Concert Odyssey

Last August, Rusties around the world were riveted by a series of posts on the amazing concerts at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.

The following series reveals the pure ethic of a Neil Young fan: "Don't Be Denied!"

Thrasher's Wheat presents Rustie John Duncan's exhaustive tales from Nashville in 10 parts - Postcards from Nashville: A Concert Odyssey.

Thanks John!

"Quintessential Neil Young": Review of Prairie Wind

A good review of Neil Young's Prairie Wind over on Leap in the Dark. Fellow Blogcritic Gypsyman blogs:

"His newest release, Prairie Wind, is quintessential Neil Young.

Thoughtful, introspective and replete with the vivid imagery that has made his songs famous.

There has long been something poignant about Mr. Young's work, perhaps it's that almost forlorn falsetto that tinges even the most cheerful song with sadness, that speaks directly to the heart of the listener. Even his highly personal songs, and Prairie Wind is his most personal is ages, capture universal truths that speak to most people."

In a Glide Magazine review by Tim Newby:

"The addition of Emmy Lou Harris’s pure country voice on “Far From Home,” “This Old Guitar” and “No Wonder” give the album a stamp of approval with her sweet authentic Nashville sound. It seems to find the soul of rural American, in much the way that The Band did on their first two albums and begs to ask the question, “Why do Canadians seem to play ‘Americana’ music better than Americans?” While some questions require much thought and deep pondering, this is not one of those questions. In this case one should just be thankfully that it was time for Neil Young to release another masterpiece."

Over on The East Carolinian, critic Gary McCabe delivers this lofty quote:

"Aside from Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan, Neil Young is arguably the greatest American-born rock 'n' roll star in history."

I suppose that the critic meant North-American-born as Neil was born in Canada.

More reviews and analysis of "Prairie Wind".

Randomly Blogged: Son Volt: 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C. - Oct. 21

Awesome concert last night!

Son Volt at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. on October 21 - webcast link, photos, review, setlist.

On The Wit of the Staircase, Neil Young Is My Co-Pilot: Screenwriting In Los Angeles - "On The Beach is the greatest album ever created about Los Angeles that is not by Steely Dan." Also, more about On The Beach.

Concert Photos Roundup: My Morning Jacket, Pearl Jam, Son Volt, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Rolling Stones

On Rock Snob Blog, Trans Versus Harvest. How's that for a match-up?

On Vinyl Mine, a MP3 download of a cover of Neil Young's "Ohio" by Gorch Fock. Also, more about the song "Ohio" and lyrics analysis.

MP3: Neil Talks about the Archives

From the Prairie Wind Companion CD interview. Here's a MP3 download of Neil Young discussing plans for the long awaited Archives Box Set. For your podcast pleasure.

Prairie Wind Companion CD

A one hour radio program of an interview with Neil Young on CD called Companion contains extensive insight into Prairie Wind's recording, as well as, much other interesting stuff. In the interview by JODY DENBERG, Neil is asked about the Martin guitar that belonged to Hank Williams.

NEIL YOUNG: Yeah. I bought it from, uh, uh, off a friend of mine Grant Boatwright (sp?) put me together with, uh, this fellow Tut Taylor (sp?) he had an old, uh, collection of guitars. And, uh, I went down there and there it was, and he took it out of the back and brought it out and I bought it. I couldn't believe that I could buy it. That I, you know, but I did. And now I have it. And, you know, I've got it for a while and I'm taking care of it.


This Old Guitar - Hank Williams Martin D-28
JODY DENBERG: But you're generous with it. You've lent it to some of your friends?

NEIL YOUNG: You know, Bob Dylan was using my bus. He, he didn't have his own tour bus yet. And he was just getting into using buses, and, uh, so I let him use mine and, uh, when I gave it to him I, I told him that, uh, Hank was in the back and that if he wanted to use Hank, that Hank would be there for him. And so I don't know what he did with it, but he had it with him for a long time. And I don't know what he wrote or what he did, but I know, you know, something must have happened back there.

From the complete interview transcript on Whisperin & Hollerin.


More Neil Young interviews and Neil Young's "Prairie Wind" reviews. Also, Neil Young's true "Companion": "The wisest person I've ever met".

Stop Sniffin' That Smokin' Gun: "Mideast Vacation" MP3

Over on An Aquarium Drunkard, a MP3 download of "Mideast Vacation" from the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California during the Rusted Out Garage Tour with Crazy Horse on November 21, 1986. And some commentary on the eerily prophetic lyrics.

For your iPod.

Thanks Satisfied '75!

Neil Young Albums In Order Review: Prairie Wind

Another chapter in the "Album's In Order" reviews by esteemed Rustologist Expecting to Fly has been posted. From Expecting to Fly's review of "Prairie Wind":

"Prairie Wind is instantly recognizable as a Neil Young album but it has many unique qualities. I'm so glad that this far down the road, he is making albums that expand the horizons of his most distinguished catalog."

More of the "Prairie Wind" review and the entire series of Neil Young "Album's In Order" reviews.

Many thanks e2f!!

"Prairie Wind" DVD's Easter Egg

Thanks to an enterprising poster (Peter D.) over on the Dutch Neil Young fanclub forum and re-posted by Joost "I am a child" on Yahoo! Groups Rust who has discovered an "Easter Egg" on the Prairie Wind DVD.

OK, so what's an "Easter Egg"? Mostly referred to as secret computer program trick, like scrolling the developer credits for Windows, Easter Egg programs are usually a total geek-fest. Such bonus tricks are somewhat similar to hidden tracks on a CD.

Anyways, here's how to launch the "Prairie Wind" DVD's easter egg. Insert DVD into your computer drive, select biography, select Neil's bio, and move your cursor over the Neil biography. An icon of an old-fashioned transistor radio will appear. If you click it there is an interview with Neil discussing his equipment and important musical influences. The interview is about 20 minutes long.

Speaking of surprises, according to Billboard, Neil Young's "Prairie Wind" earns his highest sales week since 1995's collaboration with Pearl Jam, "Mirror Ball." It was at No. 11 with 72,000 units in sales. "Mirror Ball" started with 98,000 copies at No. 5 and has sold 475,000.

More on why "Prairie Wind" sales are such a strong surprise.

Wallpaper for Your Desktop

Recently received an email from Drew over on Without a Knife about Neil desktop wallpaper for downloading. Check it out.

Also, take a listen to some of Drew's acoustic demos and live recordings which are available for PodCast download and stream.

Thanks, Drew!

Randomly Blogged - Webcast of My Morning Jacket and Kathleen Edwards, Blog Updates

Webcast of My Morning Jacket and Kathleen Edwards on NPR This Monday

The Right Left Story posts "America Thanks Neil Young" and has a bunch of great links like The Last Waltz "Helpless", Neil Young and Phish at Farm Aid (19 minutes), Neil In Berlin 2001, Neil Young's 9/11 cover of Lennon's "IMAGINE"

Heidi The Way Under Dog blog is Totally On The Neil Young Beat. And that's a good thing!

Moustache Blog asks: "Neil Young and Chris Rock and WTF?" Also, some Neil trivia and a MP3 download of "No Wonder"

*New!* Check the right sidebar for a new Google RSS feed of blogs citing Neil Young. See below the Kozick poster of High Bear for the 1993 Neil/Pearl Jam concert. --> --> -->

"The Resurrection of Neil Young": TIME Magazine Interview

illustration by Brad Holland

Wait a second.

Why "The Resurrection of Neil Young"? Is TIME Magazine suggesting that Neil went away or something? Or that he's come back to life?

So just now getting around to reading the TIME Magazine Interview with Neil Young in the October 3, 2005 issue.

Lots of insight into the recent "Prairie Wind" CD and some good questions by interviewer Josh Tyrangiel.

Here's one of my favorite quotes from the interview (which did not appear in the printed edition) when Neil is asked who is the best musician he has ever seen?

"YOUNG: Bob Dylan, I'll never be Bob Dylan. He's the master. If I'd like to be anyone, it's him. And he's a great writer, true to his music and done what he feels is the right thing to do for years and years and years. He's great. He's the one I look to. I'm always interested in what he's doing now, or did last, or did a long time ago that I didn't find out about. The guy has written some of the greatest poetry and put it to music in a way that it touched me, and other people have done that, but not so consistently or as intensely. Like me, he waits around and keeps going, and he knows that he doesn't have the muse all the time, but he knows that it'll come back and it'll visit him and he'll have his moment."

Quite timely given that there is a resurrection of Bob Dylan going on now too. Oh wait. Did Dylan go away too?

Regardless, it's always fun to look at the crossing paths of Bob & Neil.

Thanks Lauren!

Randomly Blogged - My Morning Jacket's New CD "Z"

My Morning Jacket's New CD "Z" - download links, reviews and photos

Pete Townshend and Neil Young

Now here's another interesting musical intersection: Pete Townshend and Neil Young.

This is from Pete Townshend's blog Pete's Diary.

"Neil Young is in London. He is most welcome as a true ambassador of America (despite his Canadian passport). He is such an inspiration to people like me who sometimes feel I have lost my way in rock 'n' roll. He takes huge chances sometimes in his creative projects, the biggest risk probably being when he chooses to go out on tour with Crosby, Stills and Nash, bless their collected genius.

For me, to go out with Roger under the Who brand is not a risk. I find it easy. I find it natural. I don't have to think. I don't have to work at feeling good or even. I know who I am and those who buy tickets know what to expect most of the time. Lately I have begun to really enjoy it, I hope not because it such a slick gig: there are always some difficult times to savour on every tour.

I suppose what happens whenever you put creative people together in 'bands' is that you get strength at one level, weakness on another.

Neil manages the two strands of his career in a way I admire and try hard to emulate.

I don't want to be like Sting (though I do think he's a master craftsman in his work) and leave the band entirely behind as he did with Police. It was a clean divorce and he's never gone back. Neither do I want to be like AC/DC, God bless them forever and a day, who just keep working the same seam of gold and don't seem to stop for breath."

Pete's blog entry continues with some other thoughts on Pete and Neil's lives. Townshend seems to indicate that Neil has gone to Europe, but for what purpose is not known.

Maybe this is Pete's way of saying "Thanks Neil for getting me out of jam". You may recall that last summer, Neil and Pete had an interesting intersection by way of Michael Moore. More on the The Who's Pete Townshend's collaborations with Neil Young.

As if the world needed anymore examples of Neil Young's artistic integrity and influence.

Photo Of The Moment - Shakey in the Driver's Seat

Well, it's that time of the month when we try and do a little housekeeping.

So here's Thrasher's Wheat Neil Young Photo Of The Moment. OK, so it's a publicity shot that we've seen a few times already and undoubtably will see a lot more of. But here's a larger high- resolution un-cropped publicity photo from Reprise.

On the other hand, the shot is iconic. Neil in the driver's seat seems appro and symbolic of his secure place in rock & rolll history.

And speaking of moments, the Neil Page of the Moment is Karen Barry Schwarz's story "A Prairie Wind Blows Through Nashville" from the Ryman concerts in August.

Lastly, check out the Link of the Moment for some good Neil surfin'.