Fresh Wheat - Updated 9/29/03
photo by Buzz Person
A BENEFIT FOR ARTS OUTREACH/Solvang
Neil played Solvang, THE VALLEY MUSIC FESTIVAL, in SANTA YNEZ CA. on 9/28/03. From an excellent concert
review by Joe Ray Skrha:
"I have seen Neil perform over 50 times starting in 1969 and never seen him so talkative and open with his audience. If any of you folks have any of the early CSNY bootlegs from 1969-70, Neil often introduced the song, 'Don't Let It Bring You Down' by saying, "here's a song guaranteed to bring you right down... " Well, he did the same introduction tonight after which he commented, "whenever I hear the record of 1966 ( you mean 69-70 Neil ) or so, I say to my self... you must be one clever guy to think of that... "
"The audience also laughed, at least those who have heard the record too... Before 'Leave The Driving', Neil introduced his guitar Hank as originally being owned by Hank Williams, "the next song is a new one because if Hank was still with us he'd be doing new songs too"... The Greendale songs sounded fresh, strong and much more vibrant than the original acoustic versions from the spring European Tour... "
"Not only did he do sing-along but he also asked for and took requests on several occasions. Neil then asked David to join him on stage to sing a driving version of 'Ohio' with David doing the chant, "one dead in Ohio, two dead in Ohio, three dead in Ohio, four dead in Ohio... . " I believe these two guys have never publicly done this song as a duet before. "
Thanks Joe Ray! More photos of Neil and David Crosby on CPR and the song "Ohio".
Fresh Wheat - Updated 9/26/03
Broken Arrow
- The latest issue of Broken Arrow magazine from the Neil Young Appreciation Society just arrived packed with lots of Greendale tour news and reviews from both Europe 2003 (Unplugged) and North America (Plugged) with Crazy Horse.
Also, an interesting article on Neil & Pegi Young's 25th wedding anniversary.
Neil Young in Japan
- Just as Neil Young's North American tour wraps up comes word of a tour in Japan. According to Lookout Mama, this will be with Crazy Horse and a continuation of the Greendale tour.
11/10 - Osaka, Japan
11/12 - Fukuoka, Japan
11/14 & 15 Tokyo, Japan
Also, on 11/6 in Hong Kong.
More rumors of the tour continuing to Australia. More from Shakey's Garage Tour Dates.
For updates check out Neil Young tour 2003 in Asia page.
Lots of updates from HyperRust Never Sleeps! and Bad News Beat on Human Highway.
Greendale Poll
- And here's a Neil Young Greendale album poll on how Greendale will rate in 10 years relative to classics like Rust Never Sleeps vs the Geffen releases.
Fresh Wheat - Updated 9/24/03
Greendale Tour Ends
The 2003 North American Greendale tour came to an end in Irvine, CA on September 20, 2003. According to Numbers on the Site , a total of 43 shows were performed containing 33 different songs, including the core 10 Greendale songs. The longest show contained 20 songs on July 29, 2003, at Red Rocks Amphitheater, Denver, CO, clocking in over 3 hours.
The Boston Globe on 9/19 pronounced the Greendale tour as "easily one of the top 10 shows of the year".
Fresh Wheat - Updated 9/22/03
Neil Page of the Moment
- Created a new Page of the Moment. I've been trying to update old pages and came across these old album reviews from rust@death back in October, 1994. They're pretty fascinating nearly 10 years later. Here are the Funhouse Neil Young Album Reviews.
Fresh Wheat - Updated 9/18/03
Atlantic City, NJ
- Neil backstage at Atlantic City, NJ 9-13-03, photo by Rusted Sister. For more Atlantic City photos and a show review, see Smugmug - RustedSister : - The Taj 9-13-03
Updated Thrasher's Blog with comments and links on Art & Money.
Fresh Wheat - Updated 9/15/03
Paul Natkin/Photo Reserve Inc. via Farm Aid press page
Farm Aid 2003
Farm Aid 2003 went down in Columbus, OH last week. Some great photos and links on Neil Young photos page.
Milwaukee Review
- Added a concert review from Milwaukee, WI on 6/19/03 by Brian Sleeman from rust@yahoo.
- Updated Greendale page with a DVD review "Young turns bonus video into a main attraction".
The 17th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concert
The 17th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concert will be held on October 25th and 26th, 2003 at the Shoreline Amphitheater in mountain View, CA.
This year's Bridge Concerts will feature Pearl Jam, Incubus, Marianne Faithful, Willie Nelson, Wilco, Counting Crows, CSN and, of course, Neil Young.
Created a new Bridge School Benefit Concerts page. It has concert reviews from 1991 to date. The page is missing a few years so let me know of any old reviews to complete.
Fresh Wheat - Updated 9/12/03
Johnny Cash:1932 - 2003
Well, I started something new called Thrasher's Blog. It's a Neil Young blog and more. I've got some posts on the passing of the musical giant Johnny Cash. May he rest in peace with June.
Fresh Wheat - Updated 9/10/03
AP PHOTO/ Tobin Grimshaw ................ Photo by REUTERS/Mike Cassese
Greendale Film Premiere
Greendale premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on 9/6/03. When asked about the film, Neil commented in an AP story in Washington Post:
"They're all just characters that just bubbled up to the top," Young said in an interview backstage after performing the "Greendale" songs at a Toronto concert Thursday night. "A couple of songs with the same characters kept unraveling, then a third one, and I kind of had to keep going."
- From Mark is Cranky a review of the Manchester, NH 9/9/03 show:
"Neil Young brought his full-on stage show of Greendale to the Verizon Wireless Arena last night. I was impressed. I'm not a big fan of musical theatre, concept albums, rock operas, etc. But somehow this was different. Neil Young always gets cut a fair amount of slack in my book because he's willing to take so many chances, even when there's more than a tiny chance of a 'faceplant'."
Entire review at Blogcritics.org: Neil Young - Greendale Live.
Fresh Wheat - Updated 9/7/03
Scranton Review
I attended last night's Greendale show in Scranton, PA and had a blast. Definitely my favorite show of the tour so far. It was great seeing lots of friends and making some new ones along the way. Here's a review of the Scranton concert.
Aspen Review
- Just added Jonathan Neal's great Aspen, 08/31/03 concert review from Rust:
One of the greatest things about this show is that Neil
seems to expand upon the story and his lyrics - in ways
that strike the strongest chord inside of me. For example,
after "Devil's Sidewalk," the back view screen displayed a
billboard that read: "Clear Channel - Support Our War." It
just brings back the absolute insanity that happened when
the Dixie Chicks actually had the audacity to QUESTION our
appointed President about unleashing hell around the
world. How unpatriotic! And then Clear Channel
blacklisted them! I can't think of anything more American
than questioning the government. And now it has come to
the point where people feel the need to apologize for doing
so.
- More Neil Young Concert Reviews on the Rockin in the Free World page.
Fresh Wheat - Updated 9/4/03
More Greendale Reviews
The Greendale reviews keep rolling in. bh and the folks over on Bad News Beat have gathered a bunch together including reviews from: The Vancouver Sun, The Boston Globe, The Oregonian, The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Times, The NJ Star-Ledger, USA Today, The Winnipeg Sun, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Philadelphia Enquirer and more.
Here's a Greendale Album review search link on BNB.
- Read more Greendale reviews on MetaCritic. Reviews from Pop Matters, The Onion, and Dot Music.
- Keith Phipps writes in The Onion:
Greendale even closes on a note of fiery hopefulness: As the youngest Green finds a way to connect with her parents' hippie idealism in "Be The Rain," the song points to what makes Young so important, even when he fails. He looks to the past for inspiration, but he keeps a keen eye trained on the future, too.
- Adam Webb writes in Dot Music:
On paper this sounds more eccentric and interesting than it really is. Unfortunately the attacks on the ills of modern society become increasingly directionless and scattered and eventually come over like an old man shaking his fist against the sky. That Young hides behind his characters means we are never sure of his true beliefs. Certainly, this is not the revealing insight into getting old that Dylan's 'Time Out Of Mind' was. Ultimately it feels like having a long-winded lecture from your elderly uncle.
We should laud Young for taking such risks at this stage of his career but 'Greendale' sounds like the sort of small town you spend your whole life running from. Or the place you go to retire.
- Read more Greendale reviews on This Note's For You page.
- Greendale album sales news from the National Post on Bad News Beat:
Neil Young has stormed on to the Billboard charts this week, taking five of
the top 10 spots on the Top Internet Album Sales tally. Young's new album
with band Crazy Horse, Greendale, debuts at No. 3 on the Internet chart,
No. 10 on European Top 100 Albums and No. 22 on The Billboard 200.
Meanwhile, reissues of four of Young's catalogue albums, On the Beach,
American Stars N' Bars, Hawks & Doves and Re-Ac-Tor debut on the Internet
chart at Nos. 1, 7, 8 and 10, respectively.
More on Greendale album sales.
Fresh Wheat - Updated 9/3/03
Here's a humorous KFOG radio Neil Young interview from 8/29/03 with Greg McQuaid. Discusses Greendale and Clear Channel.
News photo by Axel Siederman, AP
See August 2003 news for more on Neil Young's Greendale.
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