Neil Young Concert Review

It's 7.30am here in Nashville and I'm not sure why I'm awake. Last
night finished at about 2am when we started getting a bit obsessive
about some pizza that was being delivered to the hotel and wondering
if the staff shouldn't be a bit more diligent in getting the stuff
up to Neil's room - before realising that it was actually for the
security guards. (we did see the guy who plays Jed in Greendale
though - whose watching the farm?). Time for bed.

But actually I don't think I can sleep because there's so much to
say about last night. I'm going to start with the music and save the
adventure stuff for a second post.

Okay don't tell my union I said this because journalists don't
generally like to admit that sometimes rushing to print (or byte?)
can make you misjudge things, but I'm going to have to corrrect a
few first impressions from yesterday which actually I don't think
any more. Secondly please read the quotes below with caution - I
don't have a tape to work from and I'm trying to remember 3 hours of
stuff from notes written in the dark. They are not exact quotes but
hopefully communicate the spirit of what Neil said. I wouldn't
normally put quotes I wasn't sure of in a ppiece of writing but I'm
hoping the list is smart enough to understand why - it just feels
like Neil even if the words are built from fragmented memory.

1. The Painter
Nice song, catchy. The sentiments are interesting and fit what turns
out to be a very reflective album which I still think is heavily
influenced by the death of his father. "It's a long road behind me
and I miss you now."
2. No Wonder
Neil introduces this by saying that the Ryman used to be a
church. "This song's got a church in it. It also got a little bit of
where I grew up, a little bit of the things happening today and
things that may never happen again." This is the first song I heard
during the rehearsal playback. It sounded good then, it really makes
my heart sing from up on the balcony in the centre.
3. Falling Off the Face of the Earth
Thius is the song I can't get out of my head this morning. Which is
odd because I'm not sure it's the outstanding song on the album. But
it's got one of those Neil choruses (Fa - lling, falling off the
face of the earth, dum dum, dah dahh, dah dah dah, do do do.") where
you kind of hear the vocals and guitar part working together in your
head and the two of them work so well together they just burrow in
and stay there for days.

He introduces this song by saying that he was struggling for ideas
and got home to find a voicemail from a friend in New York just
telling him how much he was thinking about him and how much he loved
him and he basically put the message to song. "But I ain't telling
you who the friend is, cos I don't share writing royalties with no
one."

4. Far From Home
Neil introduces this by saying that his father gave him a ukelele
when he was little boy of about 7. "Or maybe more than that". He
says he kept chickens. His father would come and play the ukelele to
him and sing. The song still sounds like a honky tonkish Stringman
to me. Really love this song. Has the line "Bury me on the prairie"
in it.
5. It's A Dream
Introducues this by saying. "I wonder what Hank would think if he
walked out of here now and into Tootsies and saw the Gaylord
Entertainment Center. I wonder." The GLEC is a huge modern arena
built smack next to Nashville's Broadway where all the little bars
with bands in every corner are. The song has a lovely line about a
memory with nowehere to stay. This one has stuck in my head too.

6. Prairie Wind
Neil introduces this one by talking about the death of his father,
He says that Scott suffered from dementia. He told a story about how
his cousin was in a car with Scott and the police pulled up behind
them and Scott said "Cop.". "So he can't be that bad can he?", the
cousin told Neil.
7. Here For You
Neil introduces this by saying (from memory) "I'm an empty nester. I
didn't know what one of them was until now but I do now. I used to
write a lot of love songs about young girls. I was in love with a
lot of young women. Especially in the Buffalo Springfield days. But
this is a different kind of love song." The song is about Amber
leaving home and going to college and it's a sweet sentiment that
veers towards being a bit saccharine and literal. It's about not
holding on but heing "Here for you". It's a pretty song but not the
best on the album.

8. This Old Guitar
This is one of those songs where you have to hear the intro to
really get the point of doing the song and especially doing it on a
Nashville album, so I'll do my best with Neil's story. I've done it
n quotes so you get a flavour for the tale but these aren't Neil's
exact words. And I'm doing this from memory so please forgive me if
this is not the whole exact tale verbatim.... "I like Willie
Nelson's guitar. (applause) I bought this guitar off Tub Taylor -
it's Hank's old guitar. (applause) I lent it to Bob Dylan once. We
were sharing a tour bus and I just left it for him on his bed in the
bus with a note saying "enjoy it". And he used it for a while... I
think Hank was playing this guitar the last time he played here in
1951, I think it was 1951, anyway I know he got fired. Anyway I'm
glad to bring the guitar home (looks to the heavens)." Something
like that. Soo the song is about the acoustic guitar that used to
belong to Hank Williams. But I think it's also about how musician's
don't own the music, they just pass through it ..you'll get the full
accurate version when a tape surfaces I'm sure.

The song itself sounds very much like a retread of Harvest Moon but
is different enough to be worth listening to.

9. He Was The King
Well who would have predicted the return of the Shocking Pinks. The
Prairie Wind backdrop disappears and a huge almost Daliesque mural
of guitars and quavers comes up as the backdrop. Neil tells a story
of ringing up Graceland and asking for permission to use a pohot of
Elvis from the 50s on the album sleevenotes and Elvis' people not
getting back to him. So we used a pink motel and and 195? Chevvy
instead. He's in there somewhere." The song is everything that the
Pinks coud have been but weren't for me (Mike loves the Pinks so
don't tell him I said this) - a rocking joyous but complex enough
song. But it does sit a bit oddly with the more reflective stuff on
the album. In fact the first 6 tracks hold most of the sentiment of
Prairie Wind and 7 onwards feel like he really veered away from
Greendale 2 and a narrative straitjacket (someone posted a really
good refutation of my Greendale 2 notion and I think I probably
agree with them now - though I believe the songwriting and lyrical
tone is still close on Tracks 1-6.)

10. When God Made Me
I didn't like this song from listening to the Live8 version on my
computer. But live it was genuinely moving. Neil introduces it by
saying that (and I can't remember the whole spiel) "This really is a
church. I don't think people should sing songs about war in church.
They shouldn't be singing the Star Spangled Banner. It's a fine song
but, in my personal opinion, it just doesn't belong in church. When
I go to church, if I go to church, I don't want to hear that. I'm
from Canada.'

---
11. I Am A Child
12. Heart Of Gold
13. Old Man
14. The Needle And The Damage Done
15. Comes A Time
16. Four Strong Winds
17. Old King
18. Harvest Moon
19. One Of The Days

The joy of this set really is the chance to hear these songs with
full arrangements. Highlight Comes a Time. And Old Man. And Harvest
Moon. And I am a Child. And the finale One of these Days - when I
counted 37 musicians on stage. All of it was special if the truth be
told. And I'm normally the first to hope for something unusual and
unique but on this occasion I was so entranced that it didn't really
cross my mind. Still if he wants to play On The Beach with a
startling new string and horn arrangement tonight I won't be
complaining.

Anyway, to sum up. I love Prairie Wind and actually I'm relieved it
doesn't get the full concept album treatment. It's reflective but
not melancholic (another correction from yesterday's reaction),
nostalgic but full of hope and love, sad in a beautiful way like a
memory of good times gone. It's influenced by his unavoidable sense
of mortality (he included tributes to Rufus T, Nicolette L, and a
couple of others and looked to the heavens more than once) but it
isn't dragged into miserable introspection. I've heard the album
twice now and I can't wait to hear it again. I'm always so desparate
for new Neil stuff to be good I'm not sure my judgment is too sound
right now but hell, it's the only one I've got. Our best chance of
tickets tonight is a thing called the 105 Rock Hummer - but that's
for part 4b...

JD

Postcards from Nashville - A Concert Odyssey

August 18-19, 2005 - Grand Ol Opry - Ryman Auditorium

Nashville, Tennessee

by John Duncan

Part #4