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Show Reviews
C S N Y
Tour Of America   
Updated: . Bookmark:
http://HyperRust.org/Tour2002/?R6
United Center
Chicago, Illinois, Feb. 17, 2002

Jump down to...
--> TS's quick early report
--> Geoff M's review and rant
(more reviews coming)
Also See:
--> The show details.


The Confirmed Set List
    First Set
  1. Carry On/Questions
  2. Pre-Road Downs
  3. Goin' Home   [currently unreleased Neil song]
  4. Military Madness
  5. Wooden Ships
  6. Feed The People
  7. You're My Girl   [Neil song new this tour]
  8. I Used To Be A King
  9. Down By The River
  10. For What It's Worth
  11. Southern Cross
  12. Almost Cut My Hair
  13. Cinnamon Girl
    Second Set
  14. Helplessly Hoping
  15. Our House
  16. Old Man
  17. Guinnevere
  18. Dream For Him
  19. Harvest Moon
  20. Ole Man Trouble
  21. Half Your Angels
  22. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
    [7th Inning Stretch]
  23. Let's Roll   [currently unreleased Neil song]
  24. Long Time Gone
  25. Two Old Friends   [Neil song new this tour]
  26. Woodstock
  27. Rockin' In The Free World
    Encore
  28. Teach Your Children
  29. Eight Miles High


United Center
Chicago, Illinois, Feb. 17, 2002

quick early report by TS

We got Down By The River!
It's late, so here are a few comments...

Music started at 8:10 and ended at 11:40. Based on what has been written about earlier shows, the boys hit their stride tonight. Everyone was into it -- Stills and Young jammed on many. During RITFW, Nash backed away at one point and Crosby just stood there and didn't dare get any closer.

Also, as has been written, Carry On with Questions added is much better than in 2000. Booker T and Smokey Potts are a great addition. The best rhythm section I have heard CSNY with to date. Neil's lead guitar on Military Madness was explosive, literally reminded me of Shots. We got two "How ya doin'?"s.

Stills' voice held it together for Southern Cross and SJBE. Guinnevere was lovely. I don't know why the concert idiots decide to hoot and holler during this tune.

Well, I best get these tired eyes to bed. Tomorrow is already here. If you are going to see CSNY this tour you really have something to look forward to.

TS
"this much madness is too much sorrow"


United Center
Chicago, Illinois, Feb. 17, 2002

review and rant by Geoff M

Just got back form my trip to Chi. The show was a great time, but I am not without my cynical gripes as usual. First a quick song by song review, and then I'll get cooking...

  1. Carry On/Questions -- Not thrilling, but most were digging it. Fine opener.

  2. Pre Road Downs -- Good, but not too much crowd enthusiasm.

  3. Going Home -- Slower than Euro versions i think. Good, no one cared though, and I was stifled by lame old people sitting behind me who would not let me rock out to Neil. [More on that later.] This was an excellent song and I'm glad I got to hear it.

  4. Military Madness -- Not a big Nash fan. Song is poignant but no thrill for me.

  5. Wooden Ships -- Well done, psychedelic jamish.

  6. Feed the People -- This is why CSN can't get a record deal without Neil. C'mon Stephen, could it be more obvious? "Feed the children, let the peace begin" or whatever. You need to look at some better songwriters and take some notes. Hey, how 'bout Neil? The guy on your left!

  7. You're My Girl -- Neil sounded good, song did not thrill my young (youth) rock n' roll mentality. Older folks had to relate to it though, and I'm sure it will grow on me like all good Neil songs do. Very 50's like, as expected, not my favorite Neil style.

  8. I Used To Be A King -- Whatever Nash, I know you have fans there that loved this, but not me. I'm sleeping...now!

  9. Down by the River ! -- Yeah, I'm awake, I'm really fu--in' awake now! I was sleeping until now, really, the whole time. I mean Goin' Home was great but nowhere near as intense as this. It saved me. Honestly in retrospect now, the songs up to this point were okay, but at the time I wanted to go home crying. Thank you Neil for pulling this out for us. Like the rest of Neil's old songs last night, nothing out of the ordinary, but the life of the show for sure. He thrashed, he ripped, and I finally could get my own Neil dance on in the middle of the aisle. Rock and Roll! I was blown!

  10. For What It's Worth -- Well done, very enjoyable, respect to Stills...

  11. Southern Cross -- Also good, but over-rated track in my opinion. But well done again by stills. His voice gave out at some point in one of these early songs, but it came back okay at this point.

  12. Almost Cut My Hair -- Crosby Rocked, Neil thrashes again. Great performance. I now again have been reminded that Crosby is the best of the three. What was I thinking about Stills!? Crosby had great energy, his voice sounded great! Neil was really goin at it, and I was flailing like Neil once again!

  13. Cinnamon Girl -- Really good. I was thinking that these run of the mill Neil songs (only because they are played A LOT) would not get me, but because the rest of the performances were just so-so in comparison to Neil's talent, they ripped. Neils' rockin, he keeps on comin' back -- I'm lovin' it! Anyone who says that anyone but Neil dominated the show thus far (and throughout) is crazy. He has made the first set!

        (intermission)

  14. Helplessly Hoping -- Sweet, song, hats off to Nash, finally... respect...

  15. Our House -- Can't stand it, sorry, I'm sure it was performed well for most...

  16. Old Man -- Thank you Neil, truly one of your best. Even beyond its popular appeal. Sweet, sweet, sweet.

  17. Guinevere -- More respect for Nash, and Crosby. The best performance by both of them (except ACMH by Cros) so far. Really sweet. Great DARK song IMHO.

  18. Dream for Him -- best song from Looking Forward other than Neils'. Well done acoustic version, liked it better than last tour. Well done, again, Crosby. You surprised me for no good reason -- what was I thinkin?

  19. Harvest Moon -- Do we need another version? No. Was it still one of the best performances of the night? YES! If this happened in the middle of a Neil show I would have been more disappointed. Now I would have rather had some sweeter Neil tune off the beaten path, but it was sweet, and ladies, I cried. The only time Neil pulled out the harmonica, and that saddened me almost as much as this tear jerking song did. And, on a personal note: for all rusties who were in high school/college inspired by early Neil, this was the turn on album for me in college. It turned me on to Neil, and it turned me on to simpler things. THIS RECORD WAS TRULY THE ONLY ONE OF THE 90S TO HAVE A TRUE SIMPLE HIPPIE PERSPECTIVE. Inspiring. Again saved by a Neil.

  20. Ole Man Trouble -- If this was Booker's song, you should have let him play it. And oh yea, at his own show some other time. Yeah a good blues tune, but nothing special.

  21. Half Your Angels -- meh.

  22. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes -- Best stills performance of the night. It was great and long and rockin'. I danced like the kids used to and Stills broke out a sweet acoustic solo on stage alone. Respect for stills...

        (7th inning stretch)

  23. Let's Roll -- Great. Neil rocked on it a bit, sounded better than I have been able to hear it thus far.

  24. Long Time Gone -- Another ripper. One of three or four Non-Neil songs dominated by Neil. It was either on this or Woodstock or both that Neil really broke out that Ragged Glory (as heard on Euro Tour) ripping sound to the table. Great, great, great.

  25. Two Old Friends -- I think this is a fine Neil song that will grow on me by leaps and bounds. Again Neil pulls out his sweet and strange high old voice for us and it sounds excellent. When he sang "in my heart, in my old black heart" I was stunned. Sounded beautiful.

  26. Woodstock -- Jamming. Neil dominated and ripped hard again. I can only say it so many times.

  27. Rockin' In The Free World -- Better than the Crazy Horse version at Farm Aid, IMHO. Neil did not hang with that final verse as usual, his poor voice just can't do it. CSN held that verse though, and overall an excellent version and faster than other recent ones I can remember. I have to say though, i am very cynical about this once meaningful song being turned into some sort of banner cry for the USA. Am I wrong? (More later maybe...)

        (encore)

  28. Teach Your Children -- Yeah, okay fine. Sorry folks, I will give respect where respect is due, but to me: cliché.

  29. Eight Miles High -- Great finisher. I got down on the floor and was able to see that Neil painful expression in the flesh from the left side of stage. The message of this song and the whole night: NEIL, NEIL, NEIL, NEIL!
Okay, I think I got a longer rant in me:

Let's see about the show... Now, I am a youngster among Rusties and definitely for this CSNY crowd at 26, so I may be in a minority here. I have a feeling it was more a Chicago/CSN crowd thing that made what I am about to say true: The crowd, with the exception of a few, blew chunks.

If I were those guys up there and saw some of the pathetic reactions while they played their songs, I would have stopped playing. What happened to the Time Fades Away album cover crowd? Oh yeah, CSN was there. Neil got the only inspired reactions for sure. It's a rock n' roll show, and if I want to stand up and rock or dance at ANY time, I do not want to be told to sit down!

Going Home almost got ruined for me by assholes who would not stop bitching to the point verging on violence, until I sat down. I was pissed, and I felt like the hippie dream was gone. I mean people, these are old hippie rock n' rollers, and at one time they provoked emotion from you all, what happened?!

This got a bit better as the night went on and people accepted that I was going to have a good time regardless of their bitching. There were other old folks rockin', so I'm not trying to label it a young/old issue, but geez. Can I dare to say as an x-Chicagoan, that so many of you are just pricks! Sorry, I will move on...

What else, what else.... Neil looked good. He looked coolest on that blues Booker song when he stood in the background with his head tilted so low with his country hat and his dark clothes on. A truly menacing figure. Did not see too much of his eyes under the shadow of his hat the whole night. He had a few comments, but nothing too thrilling. A coupla good "How Ya Doin'?"s.

I thought the sound for this venue was really pretty good. Even better when you cup your hands around the back of your ears. Damaging, but most enjoyable! I had fun surfing around the floor unwarranted and dodging security who were only half inspired to stop me. Had fun doing the Neil dance to some older folks' extreme enjoyment. Eight Miles High, what a great performance.

Okay, I guess that's all I have but since I'm here I got to mention something about the true meaning of RITFW...

To me, Rocking In The Free World speaks to the worst of our American society. It tells us that as a civilization we ABUSE our freedom. Thus the line "Keep on Rockin' in the Free World", as in sarcasm. We avert our eyes from the homeless and drug addicted, and our leadership only offers cute slogans to mend the tears. That is the main message from this protest song. Now, by that token I still consider it to be a very patriotic song...

...Not "wave your flag on your 50,000 dollar SUV" patriotism, but REAL patriotism. Like "hello, our country's fu--ed from within and we need to change it" patriotism. Like the original patriots (only they were F-ed from external forces)! Okay I'm defiantly bordering on a political mess, but my question is this: Is RITFW being misrepresented by the band and Neil, and by the audience, or am I missing the real message?

To me, this is not a post 9-11 rally song, like "R-O-C-K in the U-S-A!" This is a critical look at our society, and calls for introspection, not babbling patriotism like I feel it has been displayed here.

Okay, that's it for me. Send all of your hate mail to me if you need to. Loved the show, and overall enjoyed CSN too. But as the last word: NEIL AND ONLY NEIL WILL ENDURE!

Geoff

Yes, that was me with the doves.1


(reviews coming...)