I first saw Neil Young in January of 1971 at the Music Hall in Boston (on the tour that would ultimately be memorialized in the recent archival release, Live At Massey Hall 1971), and I have seen him in numerous incarnations in the subsequent three and a half decades. I am an unabashed admirer, as Young is an artist who has remained relevant throughout that time, producing new music today as notable as "Mr. Soul," "Down By The River," or "Ohio." Few others - perhaps only Bob Dylan - can claim a career of such length, breadth, and quality.
Tuesday night's show was a remarkable two and a half hours at the new Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, across from the Staples Center. The ironic contrast of the spanking new concert hall with Young's low-tech, almost antique, staging and equipment was not lost. His first set featured Young solo, on guitar, harmoica, and keyboards, with songs ranging from the familiar ("A Man Needs A Maid," "Old Man") to the obscure ("Ambulance Blues") and unreleased ("Sad Movies," "Love Art Blues"). After a short break, he returned with a full band featuring musicians from two of his most frequent backing bands, Crazy Horse and the Stray Gators. One review of this show described Young as playing electric guitar like he was carving granite, and this set gave him ample opportyunity to display this technique. He included tracks from his most recent release, Chrome Dreams II (in classic Neil Young fashion, the sequel to an album that was never issued!), with the closing number, the record's ravishing 20+ minute "No Hidden Path," a particular standout.
Mid-1970s Los Angeles was the scene of a particularly bleak part of Young's life, captured in albums like Tonight's The Night and On The Beach. Throughout this evening, Yound referenced those days, honoring Hollywood's Studio Instruments Rental - where much of that era's debauchery took place - and ended with a withering "Tonight's The Night." A great show, by a rare performer who has survived and evolved.
The set list:
- Hank To Hendrix Harvest Moon (1992)
- Ambulance Blues On The Beach (1974)
- Sad Movies (aka Day And Night We Walk These Aisles) Unreleased (circa 1976)
- A Man Needs A Maid Harvest (1972)
- No One Seems To Know (aka Don’t Say You Win, Don’t Say You Lose) Unreleased (circa 1976)
- Harvest Harvest (1972)
- Campaigner Decade (1977)
- After The Goldrush After The Goldrush (1970)
- Mellow My Mind Tonight’s The Night (1975)
- Love Art Blues Unreleased (circa 1974, Homegrown album)
- Love Is A Rose Decade (1977)
- Old Man Harvest (1972)
- The Loner Neil Young (1969)
- Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969)
- Dirty Old Man Chrome Dreams II (2007)
- Spirit Road Chrome Dreams II (2007)
- Bad Fog Of Loneliness Live At Massey Hall 1971
- Winterlong Decade (1977)
- Oh, Lonesome Me After The Goldrush (1970)
- The Believer Chrome Dreams II (2007)
- No Hidden Path Chrome Dreams II (2007)
- Cinnamon Girl Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969)
- Tonight’s The Night Tonight’s The Night (1975)
