Neil Young Greendale Concert Reviews

Greendale at Radio City Music Hall, New York City - March 17, 2004

More Greendale Concert Photos by Thrasher

2004

North America

Greendale Tour 2004 Concert Schedule

See News page for setlist updates.

February 2004

Feb 19: Vancouver (Queen Elizabeth Theatre) Concert Review & Setlist
Feb 20: Portland, OR (Theatre of the Clouds) Concert Review
Feb 23: Sacramento, CA (Memorial Auditorium) Concert Review
Feb 24: Los Angeles (Shrine Theater) Concert Review
Feb 28: Albuquerque (Tingley Coliseum) Concert Review
Feb 29: Colorado Springs (World Arena)Concert Review


March 2004

Mar 2: Milwaukee, WI - Milwaukee Theatre Concert Review
Mar 4 & 5: Chicago (Rosemont Theater) Concert Review
Mar 7: Moline, IL - Mark of the Quad Cities Concert Review
Mar 9: Detroit, Michigan - Fox Theatre Setlist and Concert Photos
Mar 11: Cleveland, OH - CSU Convocation Center
Mar 12: Hershey, PA - Giant Center Setlist and Concert Photos
Mar 14: Camden, NJ - Tweeter Center Concert Photos
Mar 15: Wallingford , CT - Oakdale Theatre
Mar 17, 18 & 20: New York (Radio City Music Hall) Concert Photos and Setlist
Mar 21: Amherst, MA - Mullins Center


Also see Baron's Tour 2004 page, Bad News Beat and Shakey's Garage for updates.

Greendale Tour 2004 Concert Reviews

A collection of Neil Young and Crazy Horse concert reviews and setlists from the 2004 Greendale Tour.

March 17: New York City - Radio City Music Hall



Concert Photos and Setlist for Radio City Music Hall - New York City


Mar 15: Wallingford, CT - Oakdale Theatre

• From Glide Magazine concert review by Shane Handler:
  "Grandpa, the crowd favorite character in Greendale, was played by longtime Young guitar tech Larry Cragg , and seemed to be a dead on natural for lip-synching to Grandpa's lines in the musical, as shown from the big screen behind the stage on the first song, "Falling From Above". The stage props, looking nothing more elaborate than a high school play, featured an old house and a town jail cell, allowing for Young and Crazy Horse to supply the colorful narratives. Although Crazy Horse is perhaps one of the most unpredictable bands - some nights the best band in the world, other nights the most disjointed; it's quite ironic the quartet played the score to a musical, which involves precise timing and little margin for error. Tonight, throughout the ten-song cycle, Young nailed the narratives, keeping the actors unhinged from their roles and keeping the story of the Greens afloat. "

  March 12: Hershey, PA - Giant Center

• From Bad News Beat and Tom at Sugar Mountain .

  Greendale Set
  ---
  11. Hey Hey, My My
  12. All Along The Watchtower
  13. Like A Hurricane
  14. Sedan Delivery
  --- 15. Love And Only Love
  16. Cowgirl In The Sand
  17. Dangerbird
  18. Roll Another Number
  

  03-09-2004, Fox Theatre, Detroit, Michigan

• From Bad News Beat and Tom at Sugar Mountain .

  Greendale Set
  ---
  11. Hey Hey, My My
  12. All Along The Watchtower
  13. Like A Hurricane
  14. Sedan Delivery
  15. Love And Only Love
  ---
  16. Dangerbird
  17. Down By The River
  

  Mar 7: Moline, IL - Mark of the Quad Cities

• From Bad News Beat, a review from Quad-Cities Online Dispatch "Neil Young show melds politics with raw rock" (March 8, 2004) by Sean Leary, Entertainment editor:
  "Proving he's still one of the most unique and vital forces in music, Young thrilled the sold-out (6,500), theater-style setting with a three hours-plus concert of passionate, potent music and multimedia.

  Girded by his rough-and-tumble backing band, Crazy Horse -- drummer Ralph Molina, bassist Billy Talbot and guitarist Frank ``Pancho'' Sampedro -- as well as a host of extras, Young unwound his sprawling musical novel, ``Greendale,'' and scalded through a too-short run of golden oldies.

  Melding rock opera with theater, film and spoken-word performance art, ``Greendale'' dominated more than half the show. However, unlike the newer works of many of his contemporaries, which translate into mass audience bathroom breaks, ``Greendale'' kept fans transfixed.

  Young's performance provided the musical and literary narrative as actors played out a winding tale of small-town America, corruption and commentary on modern society and environmental crisis. The result was an ambitious mix of genres; a rootsy, idealistic fable that captivated the crowd."

  Greendale song listing plus
  11. Hey Hey, My My
  12. All Along The Watchtower
  13. Powderfinger
  14. Love And Only Love
  15. Rockin' In The Free World
  ---
  16. The Old Country Waltz
  17. Roll Another Number
  

  See Sugar Mountain for complete setlist. Thanks Tom!

  Mar 4: Chicago - Rosemont Theater

• From Chicago Tribune review "Rocker Young stumbles in mythical `Greendale'" by Kevin McKeough (March 6, 2004):
  "Was it the show bill that included an extended family tree and elaborate biographies of the characters? Was it the actress performing an interpretive dance during the second song? Was it the shortage of actual melodies?

  Neil Young's performance of his latest CD, "Greendale," at the Rosemont Theatre on Thursday night, the first show of a two-night stand, was self-indulgent and silly in so many ways that it's difficult to pick one that exemplifies the show's failings. Still, Young may have topped them all when he took an extra minute in the more than 90-minute set to discuss how one character made breakfast.

  "These biscuits were cooked in bacon grease with a little bit of honey," he explained to the capacity crowd.

  If 'Greendale' is a hopelessly flawed project, in its own way it also illustrates what has kept Young compelling and vital when most of his peers from the classic rock era have settled into predictable ruts.

  No matter how off-the-wall his ideas may be, he has always pursued them wholeheartedly. He remains one of rock's most intuitive artists, following his muse wherever it leads him, and his artistic wrong turns and dead ends are part of the same creative process that has yielded his greatest songs."

• From bh on BNB word of a review in the Daily Herald by Mark Guarino:
  " 'Greendale' shows Young is as restless as ever, still committed to challenging himself and his audience in the spirit of celebrating change over complacency.

  The three-hour show - which included an encore hour of old songs - was the finest synergy of rock music and theater in recent memory. Parts "Prairie Home Companion," "Our Town" and high school musical, the show encapsulated the many intertwined levels of anxiety most Americans living in small towns have dealt with since Sept. 11."

  Mar 2: Milwaukee, WI - Milwaukee Theatre

  photo by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

• From Milwaukee Journal Sentinel review "Young's music sustains, from new concepts to old hits", By KEVIN JOHN BOZELKA (March 3, 2004):
  "Early on in the extravaganza, an audience member close to the stage apparently was growing bored with Young's introductions to each song.

  "Let's go!" implored the restless fan.

  "Don't tell me, 'Let's go,' " Young fired back. "I'll take as long as I want!" And with that retort, he delivered a show that was a lovely summation of the spirit of his career.

  Feb 29: Colorado Springs (World Arena)

  photo by Expecting To Fly

• From Expecting To Fly, as posted on both rust@yahoo and Human Highway , a review with a tale of a souvenir guitar string from Old Black on which Neil Young with Crazy Horse played Hey Hey, My My / Powderfinger / Love And Only Love / Like A Hurricane // Cinnamon Girl / Fuckin' Up.

  Check out Expecting To Fly's full review of Colorado Springs concert and setlist.

  Feb 24: Los Angeles - Shrine Theater

• From John over on rust, a review by music insider and influencer Bob Lefsetz:
  "During the second or third number of "Greendale", a billboard flashed onto the giant screen behind the band. It said "Support Our War". And on top, it said CLEAR CHANNEL! Clear Channel promoted tonight's concert. BUT NEIL YOUNG DIDN'T GIVE A FUCK!

  Today's acts are meaningless. They're corporate tools who'll do whatever they're told. I always thought the artist LED!

  But no more. The artist IS led. Like a dog. Around the world. And then put to sleep prematurely when he ages a bit, or stops bringing in the revenue. And then there is the AFRAID posse. People like Sheryl Crow. Madonna. Courtney Love. They're so fearful of appearing old that they get plastic surgery.

  If THEY'RE not authentic, how in the hell can their MUSIC BE! And if their music ISN'T, how in the hell do they expect anybody to BELIEVE!

  That's the crisis. There's no artistry left in the rock world.

  Except for very few. Most notably Neil Young."

  Whoa, Bob, so did you like the show?! Anyways, Lefsetz is a force to be reckoned with in the industry and his opinions are not to be trifled with. Check out his understated opinion on Greendale.

  Feb 23: Sacramento, CA - Memorial Auditorium

  

• Well, folks, a monster front row report of the Sacramento show posted on RUST by Bob the Writer, aka Robert Clark Young. Rusties were entranced by the dozen posts of full color commentary in Bob's inimitable prose. The gig will certainly be long remembered as a highlight of the 2004 Greendale tour logging in at 3 hours with 20 songs.

  It doesn't get much more vivid than this. Full coverage of catching Ralph's drumstick, interviewing a Mountainette, and the Greendale stage up close and personal.

  Check out Bob's Sacramento concert review.

  photo by JS Online: Young's music sustains, from new concepts to old hits:

• From Sacramento Bee concert review "Young takes fans on trip to 'Greendale'" by Chris Macias on a 3 hour show:
  "After 'Greendale's' 10-song cycle, Young and Crazy Horse kicked into another 10 songs that focused on greatest hits ('Cinnamon Girl,' 'Powderfinger,' 'Cortez the Killer'). This is where the show really cut loose. Set to Crazy Horse's rugged rhythms, Young's guitar howled and stomped as he shook the notes from his strings.

  In all, Young's 'Greendale' show pushed the three-hour mark. The concert also pushed the limits of theatricality in rock 'n' roll and, like the end of 'Greendale' itself, emerged triumphant."

  Feb 20: Portland, OR - Theatre of the Clouds

  

  Portland photo by Rick "Rockin on the Porch" on Rusted Sister's gallery

• From Oregonian review "Neil Young casts spell with rock opera event" by JEFF BAKER:
  "If the story is simple, the music is both simple and subtle.

  The Crazy Horse rhythm section of drummer Ralph Molina and bass player Billy Talbot held a steady beat while Young squeezed solos out of Old Black, his favorite guitar. His lyrics moved easily from the point of view of each of his characters: Earl Green pondered his life in a hotel room as Young sang 'Bandit' on acoustic guitar; the policeman's widow talked to his gravestone in the beautiful 'Carmichael'; Grandma wondered where her husband was as Young played an organ solo on 'Bringing Down Dinner.'

  The overall effect was magical and uplifting, so much so that by the time the stage filled for the finale, the rousing environmental anthem 'Be the Rain,' the audience was standing and roaring its belief in Young's vision."

  Greendale song listing plus
  11. All Along The Watchtower
  12. Powderfinger
  13. Dangerbird
  14. Hey Hey, My My
  --- 15. Don't Cry No Tears
  16. Rockin' In The Free World
  

  Thanks to Tom at Sugar Mountain for Portland setlists.

  Feb 19: Vancouver - Queen Elizabeth Theatre

  See News page for Vancouver setlist.

• From Vancouver Province review "Greendale keeps it simple - Neil Young's movie and concert sing of renewed ideals" by Glen Schaefer:
  "The first date of Neil Young's Greendale tour started off last night with Young stopping mid-way through the first song, the wistful "Falling From Above," as he knocked a sheaf of papers from a stand below his microphone.

  'I never look at these papers, but if I don't see them I panic, ' he laconically told a sympathetic Queen E crowd. Greying pony-tails were equally divided between men and women.

  Papers re-arranged, Young resumed singing lyrics that included the line "I won't retire, but I might retread."

  It was actually a fitting start to the tour, with its simply painted sets, essententially a staged retelling of Young's new movie. By show's end, with a stage full of young dancers air-punching to the idealistic strains of "Be the Rain," Young's message about renewed ideals and grassroots idealism had won over the shouts from the back seats for his older stuff."

  The Vancouver Province critic Glen Schaefer concludes:

  "Greendale is another dispatch from an artist who's gone from Woodstock to country to grunge and all the arenas in between. And it's good to hear from Young -- occasionally profound, almost by accident -- that he's still passionate, still opinionated, still doing all right."

• But clearly, folks are still going to hear a "typical" Neil Young and Crazy Horse concert. Ed posted on Thrasher's Wheat commentary page:
  "I only wish I'd read these comments before wasting over $100 on a concert that I basically hated. Where were the Neil Young songs I've loved ever since the Sixties and Seventies? Maybe he played a few of them towards the end, but by that time it was too late and I had left. Ninety minutes or so of that Greendale garbage was all I could take. "

  Sadly for those fans, Neil Young has moved on from the 60's & 70's? Or has he really? Is not Greendale as passionate and relevant to it's time as the song "Ohio" was in 1970 in the wake of the Kent State tragedy?

  When asked about challenging his audience at the Toronto premeire of Greendale in September 2003, Neil Young responded:

  ''To me it's refreshing to go out on stage, play 10 new songs and survive,' he said. 'If you don't do what people expect they get very pissed off with you.' '"

  From Bad News Beat a review from Vancouver Sun by Kerry Gold refers to the concert as "the Waltons gone Broadway":

  "Young is a throwback to a time when artists dared to name the enemy, and as a result, his fans are busy erecting his monument right now."

  So here's a poll about whether an artist "owes" his audience anything. (Note: You may see an error message after voting but your vote is being tabulated properly. Weird code.)

  My friends, help Thrasher out here. Help me to understand why it is that if you love Neil's music you hate Greendale? Discuss, please.

  ---

• See Greendale Tour 2003 Concerts
• Read more commentary on Neil Young's Greendale. The critical controversy both pro and con.

• Read more reviews about the Greendale CD on Greendale Album Reviews page.

  

  "You can make a difference if you really try." - Be The Rain

Neil Young's Greendale

Concert Reviews of Neil Young

Neil Young