Nate Brinson's Review

The show details.

The set list

Early Solo Accoustic Set
(no set)

Late Crazy Horse Set


1. Hey Hey, My My
2. Crime In The City
3. Hippie Dream
4. Big Time
5. From Hank To Hendrix
6. The Needle And The Damage Done
7. Slip Away
8. Tonight's The Night
9. Sedan Delivery
10. Piece Of Crap     [encore]
11. Mansion On The Hill     [encore]

Wow, my first Neil concert and I was not disappointed. Just absolutely wonderful.

I got there at 2:00, not expecting an early acoustic set, but not about to let my guard down. When I walked over to the Lionel exhibit, I knew there would be no early set since he was right there working. Yep, there he was. Looked like an ordinary guy, just setting up this huge train set. (He called one of the little men "Farmer John.") Saw the whole family, including Ben. The train set was great, with cameras mounted at several places on the track, and one on the engine. There were six monitors, and the results were realy cool.

Now to the music...

Medesky, Martin and Wood: I admit I didn't hear much of them, mainly because I was checking out the train.

Toad the Wet Sprocket: I really never liked them, and was unimpressed. It sounded like I was listening to the radio. Pure bubble gum.

Squirel Nut Zippers: Different, kind of interesting. Still not my cup of tea.

Leftover Salmon: These guys were kinda cool. It was '60s jam rock with country mixed in. One song called The River's Rising was excellent.

Big Head Todd and the Monsters: The guys were neither monsters nor did the lead singer have a big head. Oh well. It was sorta bland, except for some good soloing.

Ben Folds Five: Ugh. Listened to a couple songs and couldn't take it anymore. The New York Times called them "glorious punk for sissies." I totally agree. I guess there was still some bubble gum left after Toad the Wet Sprocket.

Primus: I was curious to see these guys. But now I'm a believer. These guys were tremendous. I haven't heard them that much, but they got me up and jumping around really quickly. That's a tough task when you're talking about me. There was a mosh pit going on in the lawn. I thought about joining it, but at 6 feet, 170 pounds, I don't stand a chance in there with the big boys.

Morphine: Since it was only 30 minutes until Neil and the Horse, I chose to avoid going to the second stage.

NEIL: First of all, great stage setup. The candles in the night make a great effect. Neil is a complete animal on stage, and was really into it, along with the rest of the Horse. I loved when Neil, Pancho, and Billy stood two feet apart, and started jamming. Awesome. Neil saw the person giving sign language and told the the hearing impaired to just put their feet on the ground, and those in wheelchairs to just put their hands on the wheels. He'll make them feel it.

Now the setlist..

Hey Hey, My My - As opposed to all the other bands, no weird guy introduced Neil. He just broke right into it. It felt as if a dinosaur came rumbling through. Unbelievabe opener. The crowd was immediatly into it.

Crime in the City - At first I thought I was listening to Weld with the two opening numbers. Great version. The crowd got a kick out of the line "Before I ever learned to talk, I forgot what to say."

Hippie Dream - The Horse really made this great.

Big Time - Before this, Neil finally spoke. "How ya doin' out there?" He went on to thank us for coming, saying that's as nice as he can be. He said this song goes out to an old friend. What a great rendition. It's like two different songs. One a nice melodic tune, the other an all out hard pounding rocker.

Hank to Hendrix - Beautiful.

Needle and the Damage Done - Still sends chills down my spine.

Slip Away - Psychedelic. Absolutly wonderful

Tonight's the Night - I don't know how there could possibly be a better rendition of this. Really long too, but I welcomed the length since Neil was on.

Sedan Delivery - Always a fun song. The boys had the "Gotta get away" and "No one knows" thing going.

Encore - Yes there was an encore to my surprise...

Piece of Crap - Even more fun than Sedan Delivery. It's great to hear thousands of people yelling "Piece of Crap" in unison.

Mansion on the Hill - Makes the one on Ragged Glory seem boring in comparison. At the end of the song, Neil messed up the timing on "Psychidelic music fills the air." Oh well, he's entitled to mistakes.

Well that's it. My legs are sore from jumping around, but I'll live. Neil was wearing a Lionel conductor hat backwards, and I thought about buying one. I then came to the sobering conclusion that only Neil Young could make that look good, and I'm no Neil Young. One more thing; I'll be more than happy if I have half the energy Neil has when I'm in my fifties. It was fun, and talk to you later...

(more to be added when I can... --RE*AC*TOR)