Young revisits 1971, classics, at Massey Hall
I don't think anybody could have truly predicted what kind of show they would be seeing when Neil Young brought his Chrome Dreams tour to Massey Hall for the first of three sold out dates.
The legendary Canadian folk/rock icon, playing in a venue he last played in 1971, could easily be touted as the hottest ticket of last year in the city of Toronto. I had three offers to sell my tickets from fans, not scalpers; and from first hand experience, the scalpers were selling pairs for over $1,000 on this night. The degree of desperation for last minute buyers to this immediately sold out gig was like nothing I had ever witnessed.
I settled into my front row Gallery seats after the end of Pegi Young's (Neil's wife) set, and observed the setting voraciously. It was as if I had stepped into a time warp as I entered the theatre doors of Massey Hall. This rustic and very alive venue was the spitting image of the 70's. Young's equipment, guitars, pianos and amps were all vintage and clearly weathered hell, each spotlight had an operator to manually change the coloured foils.
Young made his way onstage serenely to a thunderous applause that lasted several minutes before he even sat down and picked up a guitar, which was an awe-inspiring moment to say the least. After 40 years, Young's demeanor and resolve remain the same, and he continues to inspire without compromising his integrity. This moment of applause was a testament not only to his ethics and persona, but also to his lasting power in this business, not to mention the Canadian musicians that could be seen in the audience including songwriter Dallas Green.
But enough about his legacy already.
Young started his set surrounded by several beat-up guitars conveniently positioned upright onstage, and began a solo acoustic onslaught that would put Bob Dylan to shame. “From Hank To Hendrix” opened what would become a stunning and entrancing solo performance, as Young swayed spastically like a distraught Jackyl. His 1967 album Harvest (recently voted top Canadian album of all time) would highlight this part of the show. The synth-infused “A Man Need's A Maid” and the laid-back country-esque “Harvest” showcased the 62-year-old's versatility. His voice may not be what it was back in 1969 and he appeared to be frail, but his haunting vibrato and ever-so calculated distance from the vocal microphone sent chills out to the audience, comprised generally of leather clad bald guys, tie-die Jerry Garcia look-a-likes and young kids experiencing a Neil Young show for the first time live in a venue worthy of his presence.
It was evident in between songs that Young was not following a setlist. He often looked confused while choosing guitars, obviously pondering on his next move. This would be a great time to throw in a tasteless joke about his brain surgery two years ago, but I think I'll leave that up to the imagination.
Every time the applause ended in between songs, another fan would shout something like “Welcome Home Neil” or “Thunder Bay's in the house” for example, which Young candidly joked about before telling a brief yet passionate tale about his grandmother. After a beautiful acoustic rendition of “Cowgirl In The Sand,” he entranced a silently mesmerized audience with his strongest vocal performance of the night, Harvest's “Old Man” and then left the stage for a set change and break.
He was led back out onto the stage by a painter in a red suit, which cleared up any questions I had about the random paintings near the back of the stage. This man would bring out a different mural for every song; pieces that he had clearly worked on for the entire tour, and he would continue to add to them throughout the second half of the set.
This part of the show was dedicated fully to Young's electric rock songs, and brought an entirely different theme to the evening. The fragile, emotional man playing the acoustic guitar was instantly transformed into a wild untamed rock guitar player. His band, which included his wife singing backup vocals, performed flawlessly, giving Young the freedom to go off on a tangent whenever he felt it necessary. As he tore through hits like “The Loner” and “Dirty Old Man” he maneuvered onstage as if his guitar weighed 100 pounds and strummed violently as if he was playing one of his many acoustic guitars.
The backup vocals during “Spirit Road” and “Oh, Lonesome Me,” particularly those of keyboardist Rick Rosas, built a wall of sound if you will, that shook the very foundation of that old theatre. The electric portion of the show later climaxed as Young took the audience on a spastic, unpredictable guitar solo journey during the 20 minute rendition of “No Hidden Path”, as even his band mates looked on in a state of awe. After an encore of crowd-pleasers “Cinnamon Girl” and “Like A Hurricane” the band took their bows and departed from the stage leaving Massey Hall in a state of disbelief, much like Young must have done when he played the same venue in 1971. This was the perfect venue to see the aging star and chances are he will never play there, or to a crowd that intimate, in Toronto again. If you want a taste of what I heard, pick up his recently released album Neil Young - Live At Massey Hall in 1971, possibility the best live album I've ever heard.
The legendary Canadian folk/rock icon, playing in a venue he last played in 1971, could easily be touted as the hottest ticket of last year in the city of Toronto. I had three offers to sell my tickets from fans, not scalpers; and from first hand experience, the scalpers were selling pairs for over $1,000 on this night. The degree of desperation for last minute buyers to this immediately sold out gig was like nothing I had ever witnessed.
I settled into my front row Gallery seats after the end of Pegi Young's (Neil's wife) set, and observed the setting voraciously. It was as if I had stepped into a time warp as I entered the theatre doors of Massey Hall. This rustic and very alive venue was the spitting image of the 70's. Young's equipment, guitars, pianos and amps were all vintage and clearly weathered hell, each spotlight had an operator to manually change the coloured foils.
Young made his way onstage serenely to a thunderous applause that lasted several minutes before he even sat down and picked up a guitar, which was an awe-inspiring moment to say the least. After 40 years, Young's demeanor and resolve remain the same, and he continues to inspire without compromising his integrity. This moment of applause was a testament not only to his ethics and persona, but also to his lasting power in this business, not to mention the Canadian musicians that could be seen in the audience including songwriter Dallas Green.
But enough about his legacy already.
Young started his set surrounded by several beat-up guitars conveniently positioned upright onstage, and began a solo acoustic onslaught that would put Bob Dylan to shame. “From Hank To Hendrix” opened what would become a stunning and entrancing solo performance, as Young swayed spastically like a distraught Jackyl. His 1967 album Harvest (recently voted top Canadian album of all time) would highlight this part of the show. The synth-infused “A Man Need's A Maid” and the laid-back country-esque “Harvest” showcased the 62-year-old's versatility. His voice may not be what it was back in 1969 and he appeared to be frail, but his haunting vibrato and ever-so calculated distance from the vocal microphone sent chills out to the audience, comprised generally of leather clad bald guys, tie-die Jerry Garcia look-a-likes and young kids experiencing a Neil Young show for the first time live in a venue worthy of his presence.
It was evident in between songs that Young was not following a setlist. He often looked confused while choosing guitars, obviously pondering on his next move. This would be a great time to throw in a tasteless joke about his brain surgery two years ago, but I think I'll leave that up to the imagination.
Every time the applause ended in between songs, another fan would shout something like “Welcome Home Neil” or “Thunder Bay's in the house” for example, which Young candidly joked about before telling a brief yet passionate tale about his grandmother. After a beautiful acoustic rendition of “Cowgirl In The Sand,” he entranced a silently mesmerized audience with his strongest vocal performance of the night, Harvest's “Old Man” and then left the stage for a set change and break.
He was led back out onto the stage by a painter in a red suit, which cleared up any questions I had about the random paintings near the back of the stage. This man would bring out a different mural for every song; pieces that he had clearly worked on for the entire tour, and he would continue to add to them throughout the second half of the set.
This part of the show was dedicated fully to Young's electric rock songs, and brought an entirely different theme to the evening. The fragile, emotional man playing the acoustic guitar was instantly transformed into a wild untamed rock guitar player. His band, which included his wife singing backup vocals, performed flawlessly, giving Young the freedom to go off on a tangent whenever he felt it necessary. As he tore through hits like “The Loner” and “Dirty Old Man” he maneuvered onstage as if his guitar weighed 100 pounds and strummed violently as if he was playing one of his many acoustic guitars.
The backup vocals during “Spirit Road” and “Oh, Lonesome Me,” particularly those of keyboardist Rick Rosas, built a wall of sound if you will, that shook the very foundation of that old theatre. The electric portion of the show later climaxed as Young took the audience on a spastic, unpredictable guitar solo journey during the 20 minute rendition of “No Hidden Path”, as even his band mates looked on in a state of awe. After an encore of crowd-pleasers “Cinnamon Girl” and “Like A Hurricane” the band took their bows and departed from the stage leaving Massey Hall in a state of disbelief, much like Young must have done when he played the same venue in 1971. This was the perfect venue to see the aging star and chances are he will never play there, or to a crowd that intimate, in Toronto again. If you want a taste of what I heard, pick up his recently released album Neil Young - Live At Massey Hall in 1971, possibility the best live album I've ever heard.
