Neil Crazy Horse MSG 96

TICKETS TORN IN HALF:August 19,1996-NEIL CRAZY w/CRAZY HORSE@Madison Square GardenNeil w/ Horse are playing at Jones Beach, a closer venue, a few night later but I opt for MSG because nothing beats that place in “arena” rock. Tonight Neil w/Crazy Horse are on their BROKEN ARROW tour which will be the fodder for the video/cd/etc THE YEAR OF THE HORSE. YOUTUBE.COM has the entire footage of MSG available for viewing.

HEY,HEY,MY,MY

POCAHONTAS

BIG TIME

SLIP AWAY

THE NEEDLE AND THE DAMAGE DONE

HEART OF GOLD

SUGAR MOUNTAIN

CINNAMON GIRL

FUCKIN’ UP

CORTEZ THE KILLER

MUSIC ARCADE

LIKE A HURRICANE

SEDAN DELIVERY

PRISONERS OF ROCK N’ ROLL

TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT

 

Neil Young’s Appeal Crosses Generations At Energetic Show

 

By Frank Scheck, Special to The Christian Science Monitor SEPTEMBER 6, 1996

NEW YORK — Neil Young may be a critics’ darling, but the tumultuous audience response to the blistering show he and Crazy Horse put on at Madison Square Garden made it clear that audiences adore him, too. The crowd, which largely consisted of people too young to walk when he started his career, knew that Young is the real goods, the godfather of grunge, and that the years haven’t dimmed his rock-and-roll passion.

The anomaly is that Young and his cohorts put on what could be considered a greatest-hits show, with many of the selections dating back two decades or more, but he totally avoids the stigma of being an oldies act. A vital artist who still releases an album a year (or more) of passionate, powerful music, Young is a shining example that a rock legend doesn’t have to burn out or fade away.

That was demonstrated by the first song, a version of “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)” that was just as powerful as it was during the “Rust Never Sleeps” period. The crowd was instantly galvanized and stayed that way during a two-hour set.

Young and Crazy Horse ranged through their entire career, performing incendiary versions of classics and lesser-known titles like “Cinnamon Girl,” “Sedan Delivery,” the 10-minute long “Cortez the Killer,” “Tonight’s the Night,” the appropriately themed “Prisoners of Rock and Roll,” as well as several cuts from the new “Broken Arrow” release. As Young played the guitar, his body language was nearly as compelling as the sounds he was making. During the lengthy guitar instrumentals that punctuated most of the songs, he and Poncho Sampedro (guitar) and Billy Talbot (bass) would stand in a circle playing to one another.

Young, looking suitably grungy in baggy shorts and a dingy T-shirt, also played a compelling solo acoustic set, consisting of such classics as “Sugar Mountain” and “Heart of Gold.”

The highlight was the show-ending “Like a Hurricane,” which ended in frenzy of guitar fury in which Young made his instrument produce a sound like the rumble of a hurricane; then, with a theatrical flourish, he tore every string of the guitar, practically destroying it in the process. It was a bit of shtick that would have made a punk rocker three decades his junior envious.

The show is a good deal for the dollar, with such strong opening acts as The Afghan Whigs and the singer Jewel.