Neil Young And Crazy Horse @ The Plenary, Melbourne (13/03/2013)
Neil not-so-Young-anymore? Well, how wrong could you be! On Wednesday night, the 67 year-old godfather of grunge, along with Crazy Horse, put younger rock bands to shame with a phenomenal three hour set at The Plenary.
As the four rockers turned their three-minute melodic gems into epic 10-25 minute jams, audience members were taken away – (unfortunately some of them all the way out the door), but for the most part, to their own musical reverie. Those who got up and left filled the airwaves the next day, complaining of indulgence and not enough of the classics – but what do you expect a once-in-a-lifetime intimate fan show? It was a chance to hear material not played often in the band’s setlists.
The godfather of grunge did not disappoint the rest as he played with the distortion through the gigantic Fender Bassman amps set around the stage. Amongst the exaggerated amplifiers ran his roadies – all dressed up like Albert Einstein, and one even sitting at a little wooden desk to the side of the stage observing the entire show. A ghostly floating keyboard and an organ with a phantom player also graced the stage at times.
As the cases over the amps lifted, the mad scientists gathered around, and then finally on walked Neil Young. With their hands over the hearts, they stood for the Australian National Anthem before beginning the night with an extended Love and Only Love.
As the tunes rolled on, Neil Young maintained the stamina, shredding through such songs as Born in Ontario, Powderfinger, Walk Like a Giant and My My, Hey Hey. The highlights of the night though, were Cinnamon Girl, and a surprising but very welcome inclusion of the phenomenal epic, Cortez the Killer.
Elsewhere in the set, we were treated to a truly stunning acoustic performance of Heart of Gold and the warmly welcomed encore track, Like A Hurricane, which itself was a twenty minute-plus performance in it’s own right.
If you’re holding tickets to his upcoming shows, hold that pleasure of seeing this living legend and all his grungy grandeur close. If you’re expecting a mellow night of classic Neil Young, give the tickets to someone who won’t complain – because this concert was one to tell your kids about, and what a pleasure it was to have been a part of it!
Rebecca Costanzo
As the four rockers turned their three-minute melodic gems into epic 10-25 minute jams, audience members were taken away – (unfortunately some of them all the way out the door), but for the most part, to their own musical reverie. Those who got up and left filled the airwaves the next day, complaining of indulgence and not enough of the classics – but what do you expect a once-in-a-lifetime intimate fan show? It was a chance to hear material not played often in the band’s setlists.
The godfather of grunge did not disappoint the rest as he played with the distortion through the gigantic Fender Bassman amps set around the stage. Amongst the exaggerated amplifiers ran his roadies – all dressed up like Albert Einstein, and one even sitting at a little wooden desk to the side of the stage observing the entire show. A ghostly floating keyboard and an organ with a phantom player also graced the stage at times.
As the cases over the amps lifted, the mad scientists gathered around, and then finally on walked Neil Young. With their hands over the hearts, they stood for the Australian National Anthem before beginning the night with an extended Love and Only Love.
As the tunes rolled on, Neil Young maintained the stamina, shredding through such songs as Born in Ontario, Powderfinger, Walk Like a Giant and My My, Hey Hey. The highlights of the night though, were Cinnamon Girl, and a surprising but very welcome inclusion of the phenomenal epic, Cortez the Killer.
Elsewhere in the set, we were treated to a truly stunning acoustic performance of Heart of Gold and the warmly welcomed encore track, Like A Hurricane, which itself was a twenty minute-plus performance in it’s own right.
If you’re holding tickets to his upcoming shows, hold that pleasure of seeing this living legend and all his grungy grandeur close. If you’re expecting a mellow night of classic Neil Young, give the tickets to someone who won’t complain – because this concert was one to tell your kids about, and what a pleasure it was to have been a part of it!
Rebecca Costanzo