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Deer Creek (Indiana), Aug 28, 1996

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--> The Computer Cowboy Review
--> The PHH Review
--> Joe the loner Berkemeier's Review
--> Sean McCorkle's Review
--> Reese Flying Feet Meyers' Review
--> The mayor of nashville Review
--> Sachie Big John Oshima's Mini-Review
--> Scott Edmundson's Exclamation
Also See:
--> The Deer Creek RustFest


The Set List

  1. Hey Hey My My
  2. Pocahontas
  3. Big Time
  4. Slip Away
  5. The Needle and the Damage Done
  6. Heart of Gold
  7. Sugar Mountain
  8. Cinnamon Girl
  9. Fuckin' Up
  10. Cortez The Killer
  11. Music Arcade
  12. Like a Hurricane
    Encores:
  13. Sedan Delivery
  14. Roll Another Number
  15. Cowgirl In The Sand


Full Moon Over The Rust-Belt
Deer Creek (Indiana), August 28, 1996

review by Gary Computer Cowboy Wilson
(Lead-in for this review is in the Deer Creek RustFest report.)

Jewel was really good. Played the tune that's on the radio, of course. One other one that started out like TNATDD, lyrics even started with a "I heard you knocking...". Hope I got that right - I was scoping out t-shirts. Sure somebody will set me straight if I need to be:)

She's an echo.

Neil & Crazy Horse came out thumping. HHMM (ITB) started things off. Everyone's on their feet, going wild. This is a good sign.

Pocahontas up next. I imagined (maybe) that there were a few puzzled looks on that one. Luckily I was well prepared by previous rust reports.

Big Time and Slip Away were up next, with long, passionate jams at the end. I think I can see now how the songs were made - Neil coming up with the basic structure, the Horse feeding back their interpretation. I think it was a great echo of the original album sessions.

Misty Mountain thought Slips Away was LAH. When I corrected him, he protested that they all sound the same. Watch it buddy. That could be heresy!   :)

Neil was wearing an ECHOS t-shirt tonight. Haven't heard that mentioned before - but for sure I haven't been able to read them all.   :)   Anyway, at the risk of beating a dead horse (no way - at this point they are the ones thumping us) the shirt was blank on the front, with the ECHOS poster silkscreened on the back. Pretty stretched out, like maybe he'd been sleeping in it.

Neil did TNATDD. I thought he put a lot into it - I liked it better than the one at Farm Aid. During Heart of Gold I started to think about the stage. Here's Neil, looking like Eddie Vedder, surrounded by candles. Who's echoing who? Maybe it looked like OPL to people lucky enough to make it there, but to me it looked like a Pearl Jam stage. A big chandelier, and it woulda been nailed. Next up was Sugar Mountain. I liked the guitar on that one - not like Live Rust, but good. More passion I think, less emphasis on technique. Not rocket science, huh? I guess in general that's where Neil has been headed for some time.

It works for me. I resonate to it. I echo.

Is it just me, or is *everyone* influenced by Neil? I don't recall ever hearing so many acts pay tribute to him, but maybe I just wasn't paying attention. All those echos of the music, cascading onward through time.

Ok, enough with the echos.

Cinnamon Girl was leviathon. Ok, maybe that's a noun, not an adjective. Left my Webster's at home:) It was big, it lumbered, and the ground shook. A long time favorite, and I think a unique version.

F@#*in Up was next. Pancho gave everyone the finger. Not many answered back, hell I felt pretty self-concious. The crowd around us was pretty laid back. I think Ted and I were the only ones forking them off from back here. Several people down front got it tho:) Were there rusties down there? I didn't check where everyone's seats were.

Cortez. I've always thought of this song as smooth. It was a little crunchy tonight - particularly in one spot. Right after the first verse, Neil was doing something with his guitar. Couldn't tell what - he had his back to me. Hmmm.

Music Arcade - I was prepared for this to be the highlight of the evening. Don't recall "sit down" being in the lyrics on the album. Thanks, asshole. Not what I wanted to hear through the ENTIRE tune. He couldn't see it, and I couldn't hear it. Guess that is fair, in a perverse sorta way.

Great feedback jam. Has to be LAH. Yes, it is:) Never one of my top ten, I'll admit. Neil has been doing something special with this one, tho and Deer Creek wasn't disappointed. I especially liked what Molina was doing towards the end of the end jam. Talbot was tearing at his bass, Pancho was just leaning on the keyboard with both arms holding down the keys. Neil broke the strings, just when it looked like old black was going to take flight, the hardhat guy took it away from Neil. He picked up the big candle, poured out the wax, then slammed it to the floor.

That was the end of the show. The band came back to take a bow, threw water on the crowd instead. Dan's pretty sure that meant something.

Encore 1 - Sedan Delivery. Brent says he emphasized Sacred Roots again. I can't verify that - I didn't notice it, but I wasn't really listening for it.

Roll Another Number started off appropriately mellow, I really like the solos he did in this. It was a nice closer, expecially with such a mellow crowd.

Crowd is still clapping, lights come on. People start streaming out. Here in the heartland, house lights up *always* means time to go. I stayed.

And I'm glad I did.

Cowgirl In The Sand! One of the tunes that captured me (if he'd played DBTR, he'd have hit all three). It was too short - maybe Neil was rushed by the 11:00 curfew. Just as I was really rolling with the guitar, it was over. *sigh* I liked the sound on his guitar - I really fell in love with that as a kid. I've done a lot of Neil shows - I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've actually seen this one.

Hoosiers moo! Get these folks in a crowd, all of us trying to get to our cars, they're mooing like cattle. Pretty realistic.   :)   Couple of baaaa's too, must have been the folks from Kentucky...

Gary Wilson
the Computer Cowboy


Deer Creek (Indiana), Aug 28, 1996

review by PHH

I don't think I'm a "Rustie", but I've followed Neil since Springfield days (probably makes me twice as old as you guys...damn it) and attended the show at Deer Creek August 28, 1996. I didn't take notes, but here is a brief rundown.

The first opening act, whose name escapes me, was quite mediocre, though I see why Neil selected them. Walls of sound with brief moments of melodic slow paced heavy guitar riffs - think of Mazy Starr on qualudes.

Jewell was the second opening act and was much better received by the audience of 20,000. She has a very likeable personality and talked with the audience throughout her set. At one point between songs a technition was on stage adjusting her microphone as she was talking to the crowd and accidentally bumped into her. Instead of ignoring him she said "Great Scott, I'm sorry", it was refreshing to see she also is well mannered & polite.

On to Neil. Neil & the Horse were very tight and were obviously having fun. Although all the songs were very good, Cortez seemed a little slower than usual, which gave it a strangly mystical feel. This seemed appropriate. I was especially impressed with the rendering of Music Arcade, which had Neil strumming his accoustic guitar with his thumb, sans pick. The effect made this song sound more "folkie" than Sugar Mountain, which is probably Neil's ultimate song in the genre.

As reported here in other reviews, Frank gave the crowd the finger during Fuckin Up, laughing and obviously having fun. Billy Talbot gave a "fist up salute" to the crowd several times while beaming, obviously enjoying the reception of the capacity crowd, which remained on its collective feet from the first note of Hey Hey... through the last note of Cowgirl in the Sand. In other words, Neil's entire set.

The last song of the regular set was Like a hurricane, which was spectacular. At the end of the song, the whole band created a wall of sound/feedback by literally beating the shit out of their respective instruments. This finale' of feedback lasted several minutes, with Neil ripping the strings off of old Black, then flogging the guitar body with the broken strings, coaxing more sound out of it. He then drug the guitar by its neck across the stage, creating even more sound and handed it off to a roady. Neil then walked over to one of the ten lit candles and carried it back to center stage and poured the wax accumulated in it (still lit) all over his foot switches. He then poured the rest of his beer (standard Bud long neck) into the mess (this time it looked like it was NEAR the foot switch, not on it). All the while Crazy Horse kept up the barrage of sound. Neil finally blew out the candle and the song came to an end.

After a few minutes Neil & the Horse again took the stage, each with a couple of Evian water bottles (full) and walked to the edge of center stage and first poured the water onto the crowd, then tosed the empty plastic bottles out to the crowd. Neil was beaming, which I have only seen one time before, and that was at the Bridge School benefit concert in '89.

The band, and by now it was a band, not just Neil and the band, played Sedan Delivery and Roll Another Number, after which they again left the stage. After a few seconds the house lights came up and the roar of the crowd began to subside. People were beginning to file out when the band again took the stage, house lights still glaring. Perhaps it was the rising full moon, clearly visible to the band, but they hadn't had enough yet. Next came a very clean version of Cowgirl in the Sand, which was flawless.


Deer Creek (Indiana), Aug 28, 1996

review by Joe the loner Berkemeier

Last night's concert was the greatest musical experience of my 19 years. From the moment Neil started HHMM he was ON.

I made it to Ted' Excellent Rustfest a little bit before five and found the party in high gear already. By the time we left for the show, there were at least 40 people and everybody was rockin'. I met so many Rusties that I was struggling to keep track (and I'm pitiful with names to begin with): Jeff, several Joe's, Ken, Angie, Tom H. (who brought along his brother who looks just like him), Galen, Chris, and some more whose names I'm forgetting.

Someone whose name I forgot showed up with some shirts that had a picture of Neil and said Canadian Freeloaders Society. He sold the whole batch almost immediately. I saw the MORE BARN! shirts; now I HAVE to have one! Ted had a raffle and gave away a framed poster of Neil, and a Crazy Horse CD (I think Left For Dead), which was cool.

Finally, the time to leave for the show came and we all piled into cars and took off for the show. Got there to find Spiritualized wailing away on stage; they were OK. Jewel played a good but long opening set; we were getting worried about her cutting into Neil's time before curfew.

Neil was incredible. The only downer was the setlist, which didn't have any surprises until CITS, which was incredible. (Did my grovel a couple of days ago to play that song get through? Nah..... :) Was hoping they would play The Loner -- oh well... Got to flip off Pancho (who still has the Hendrix shirt on) during F$%&'in Up -- seemed like we were the only people doing it. Did anyone else notice Ralph playing Slip Away with a mallet? During Hurricane, Neil was trying to get feedback from taking the torn off guitar strings and whipping the pickups with them. The whole show was incredible.

My only complaint was with the sound. From where we were (30 feet from the board) we couldn't make out the vocals that well. Volume-wise, it only got bad during Hurricane, and even that wasn't that bad. It was loud for a outdoor show; my ears can still feel it this morning. BTW, saw an audience mic at the board; dunno if this is standard procedure for miking crowd noise or if Neil's into the audience-DAT thing now.

Headed back to Ted's afterwards, where his wife (Mrs. Ted) whipped up some damn good burgers and had "10 tons" of potato salad. Ted got a huge bonfire going with some gasoline (!), so soon we were all around the bonfire watching Ted's friend Lloyd and three others play some acoustic Neil. I had to get going after two or three songs because I had to get back to Purdue, so someone else will have to report on that. If anyone else needs copies of the "Neil at Purdue 1978" packet I put together, let me know and I'll mail it to you.

All in all, great fun and a damn good time. See some of you at Tinley Park; see the rest of you down the road.

the loner

p.s. After bouncing around all night, I finally caught a whiff of myself before CITS. Now I know what Neil means by "Smell The Horse"!


Deer Creek (Indiana), Aug 28, 1996

review by Sean McCorkle

Hello Everybody,

I couldn't get to sleep last night. I was so excited after last night's show. The setlist was predictable, well unleast til the end. Neil was in a great mood, despite only saying a total of 9 words all night:

"Thank you"
"It's good to be here"

and "Crazy Horse".

Here are the highlights...

A solid HHMM always gets the crowd going. Pocahontas was played well, though the crowd didn't recognize the song til the vocals started. Big Time was awesome. Longest ending solo I have heard so far on the tour. My brother really enjoyed that one.

I went with my brother (it was his first Neil show) and my 11 yr. old son. Decked out in his 1993 Booker T & The MG's tour shirt and his brand new Neil & Crazy Horse hat.

Anyway, Slip Away was next. I still can't get into this song. The next 3 were the acoustic regulars. And then, what followed was pure heaven for your's truly. CG, then a great Fuckin Up, complete with the now regular feature of Poncho giving us the finger and us returning the favor. Then my all time favorite song Cortez. Great version. Nobody in rock hits a better POWER CHORD than our man.

The usual Music Arcade was next and then Like A Hurricane. This went on for about 13-14 minutes. The ending lasting longer than the recently circulated BBC tape. This song shakes the ground. Neil, in the good mood he was in toward the end of the song, picks up the big candle like he is worshiping it. Looks at it, dances with it and then pours the wax on the stage before he finally blows it out. My brother who has seen over 125 concerts in his life said he had never seen nor heard anything like that before. He was now seeing what I have seen in Neil all these years. Neil won him over.

The encores came and went as usual with solid versions of Sedan Delivery and Roll Another Number. The house lights went up and I got dejected, but was happy that I'd seen a great show, anyway. I turned to see who was shaking my brothers hand and then I heard The crowd cheer...

Neil came back out. He startes tuning and hitting notes. It sounded like he was going to play Change Your Mind, then I started to recognize it. Cowgirl In The Sand! I LOST IT!!!! After the first solo, I literally got choked up. Awesome. Never heard it done better. A+++++.

Neil is better than ever folks. His voice was strong last night and he played with great intensity. I can't wait for the rest of you to see him. Now I've got to find a way to Tinley Park.

Shawn McCorkle - Just Riding My Llama


Deer Creek (Indiana), Aug 28, 1996

review by Reese Flying Feet Meyers

My wife, Mickey, and I drove a couple of hours south to Indianapolis on Wednesday, August 28 for the show at Deer Creek. As we arrived at Deer Creek, dusk was settling and a full moon was rising on a warm summer evening. We went to meet some old friends as Jewel opened up with a very nice set. After talking with Gus and the boys from Maxwell through the Jewel set, the lights went up and Mickey and I made our way back to our seats as the stage was prepared. I became restless as I could hear the sound of hoofbeats in the distance fast approaching. The moonlight was beating down. Where were they?

Then the stagelights went down as the herd stampeded onto the stage. Neil was wearing a pair of baggy khaki shorts that fell just below his knees. Black socks and shoes and a dark T-shirt. Pancho had one of those Jimi Hendrix shirts which made it look as if Jimi was looking down on Pancho's guitar as he was playing. The band immediately jumped into Hey Hey with the guitar blasts punctuated by bright white and brilliant red strobes. At times the herd ran together. Often, though, they recklessly lurched around the stage, charging at each other.

Without a break they moved into a great electric version of Pocahontas. I thought about the artwork of Neil's that was for sale in a booth earlier showing the Indian character from Zuma who looked to be flipping off the modern world. The crowd sung along on the Marlon Brando lines. After that, Slip Away was next in line. What a beautiful tune.

The herd split up for three songs as Neil performed Needle and the Damage Done with a special wavering emphasis on "oohhh oohh, the DAMAGE done". The obligatory Heart of Gold followed, and then a great Sugar Mountain on which the crowd sang along so loudly that Neil just played his guitar and smiled for awhile.

More hoofbeats... The other three horses charged out of a side canyon and were on the stage again...

The initial blasts of Cinnamon Girl blew me back in my seat as the lights again punctuated the assault. My ears were bleeding but I had a huge grin on my face. The band wandered in and out of the song, Neil Indian-dancing around on stage, Billy wailing on the bass, Ralph pounding messages out on the toms, and Pancho watching Neil's lead.

When the opening beats and guitar phrases of Fuckin' Up broke, cold chills ran down my spine. I looked up at the full moon which seemed to be laughing at me. After this tune, Neil and the boys launched into some mixed up jam out of which emerged a killer version of Cortez. The stage was drenched in an eerie red light. What a killer.

The herd split again as Neil did an acoustic version of Music Arcade. My buddy Gus really identifies with this song. Not the sidewalk but Main Street...

Then the herd charged back on stage as an incredible storm of feedback, white noise, flashing strobes, and note dust rocked the whole of central Indiana. I have never experienced anything like this mesmerizing blast and stood frozen in awe as Neil pulled incredible sounds from his guitar which seemed in synch with the flashing strobes. Billy was on his knees, pounding on his bass and Pancho was standing at the electric piano, wavering back and forth. Ralph's drums pounded erratic beats, tempest-tossed. After what must have been 5 minutes, Neil's guitar wailed out the opening lines of Hurricane to bring the herd together. They wound their way through this song for at least 20 minutes and got caught up in the storm again.

Neil shook the last strains of feedback from his guitar and left the stage with the Horse. After a short break they came back on the lit stage, took a well deserved bow, pulled some water bottles out from behind their backs and threw water into the front rows, laughing. They reassembled and quickly went into Sedan Delivery. The old man in white clothes had been tending to the instruments all evening. The familiar strains of Roll Another Number took me back to some good times and great memories (if only I could remember).

Finally, a great extended version of Cowgirl in the Sand, and the the band waved as the hoofbeats disappeared into the night. We left the music center stunned and smiling. Thanks once again to Neil and Crazy Horse.

Reese with Flyin' Feet in Indiana


Deer Creek (Indiana), Aug 28, 1996

review by the mayor of nashville

the mayor here again. i just want to add a brief review.

1. the show was stellar -- marc allan, pop music/concert reviewer for the indianpolis star, gave the show 4 stars (top rating) and called it the best concert at deer creek this summer! i concur.

2. slip away just knocks me out.

3. cortez was fabulous -- 12 minutes of mournful melancholy -- dancin' across the water!!

4. like a hurricane could have been subtitled billy spies the cockroaches and takes over stomp patrol. Or maybe billy says "i can beat my bass harder than you can beat your drums, ralph", then neil says "i can beat my guitar harder than either of you can beat your instruments", then ralph says "oh, yeah?! well, i'll outlast all of you". this was awesome -- 18 minutes of sonic pandemonium -- it provided my first whole body shake of the night -- in fact, my glasses were vibrating right off my nose!! wow!

5. neil followed it up with some wacky hot-wax pouring ritual, from the most mondo candle i've ever seen someone try to carry. from my vantage point (sect. e, row k), it looked like he was pouring the wax right onto his effects panel. is that right? i mean "is that correct?"

6. before the first encore, the band came out, greeted the audience arm in arm, then proceeded to splash water from plastic bottles, all over the front center 5 or so rows -- quite amusing to those of us further removed.

'til rust do us part, your humble servant,

the mayor of nashville

p.s. the rustfest was terrific. i only made it to the pre-show fest, but ted did a great job. met many rustoids, saw many MORE BARN! and canadian freeloader society tee-shirts, took many pix (ted should have some on his home page by now). let's see, there was ted, ginger (mrs. still the searcher), joe and joe's brother from phoenix, galen clavio and his friend jason, arnie and friends from chicago, joe (loner) b. and his friend from northwestern, gregg and david from siu, numerous others, the professor and maryanne, here on gilligan's isle.


Deer Creek (Indiana), Aug 28, 1996

mini-review by Sachie Big John Oshima

Neil didn't rock the entire free world Wednesday night, but he sure came close! He started the show with an electric set that included Pocahontas - a special treat, indeed. Then by highlighting a short acoustic set with Sugar Mountain, he really got the crowd going.

But when the Horse came back on stage and Neil issued forth the familar chords of Cinnamon Girl, nothing short of bedlam ensued. And except for a brief (yet sublime) Music Arcade the barrage on Old Black continued uninterrupted until the shows completion.

The climax for me, and I'm sure all die-hard fans, was the final encore - an extended version of Cowgirl In The Sand. Neil's great performance may have been spurred on by the full moon (that Jewel had pointed out) rising high above the park. Or by the fact that a nowhere-near capacity crowd of only apx. 9000 showed up. But whatever the reason, it was undoubtably a classic concert. Indianapolis' own local rock critic gave Neil's performance four stars and called it the best show at Deer Creek this summer.

Big John

P.S. I hope the Rust crew had a great time at the post-concert bonfire.


Deer Creek (Indiana), Aug 28, 1996

exclamation by Scott Edmundson

Oh my...

NY @ Deer Creek...
WOW! YES!! NEIL!!!
You are the man.
Next stop, Polaris...

Scott


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