Jack Attack Tuesday – Neil Young Live!
Jack Attack Tuesday
Neil Young Live!
We’ve all got one, possibly a handful, of artists whom we vigilantly follow and enjoy. Regardless of the level of quality, nothing can waver one’s devotion to a certain person or group no matter how far they fall down. Neil Young is one of my go-to artists. Granted, some complain he doesn’t have a good voice and if you don’t have the patience for some of his music I can understand, but never condone, that perspective. Uncle Neil is a world-class musician, with numerous hits from the popular Harvest to After the Gold Rush to On The Beach and so many others. Naturally, when I saw a Groupon pop up for tickets to see Uncle Neil at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA, my friends and I jumped at the chance to see one of our idols once again. This would be my second time seeing him live, the first being on his tour for Le Noise at the Providence Performing Art Center back in 2011. Of course, as ESPN likes to remind us constantly, Father Time is undefeated, and some day we all succumb to his cold, icy grasp. This applies, in some ways, most brutally to musicians as voices and bones tend to deteriorate noticeably quick. You won’t find Ian Anderson belting out Aqualung quite the same way as he used to some-odd 30 years ago, but the nice thing about Uncle Neil is his music still sounds the same. When he goes off on a 7-minute solo in the middle of Cowgirl In The Sand it’s exactly the same as it was back when he played it with Crazy Horse, and if you close your eyes you wouldn’t know the difference. I can say with confidence that if Uncle Neil’s most recent album is any indication of where he’s at artistically I think we’re going to see at least a handful more albums from the guy before he’s done.
His most recent, the politically charged The Monsanto Years, is not a fun listen. Admittedly I could not get through the album in the week or so leading up to the concert. It’s not an easy listen because, like the similarly laid out Living With War, Neil’s political message overtakes his music, specifically his traditionally in your face lyrics. I mean come on, how many times can you say “I don’t want GMOs” on an album? The answer is once. Well, Neil never heard that criticism, so there’s no shortage of at least five (by my count) tunes that feature a similar line. Look, The Monsanto Years is an album with a message, which is exactly what this guy has lived for his entire life. Monsanto is protest music, and that has it’s place of course, but it just feels like it’s raging with futility. That’s not to say some of the songs aren’t catchy, but there’s nothing that would rival the masterpiece Ohio on here. While I knew this show would be infused with Monsanto tunes, I still knew Uncle Neil would bring the goods along with it, and boy did he.
Opening up with a fantastic solo rendition of After the Gold Rush, Neil set the tone early. Of the two times I’ve seen him, Uncle Neil carries a certain gravitas and deliberate meaning in the setlist, evident with his opener moreso than any other tune in the setlist (“Look at Mother Nature on the run in the 21st century…“). After a short but stunning set of acoustic tunes Neil brings out the Promise of the Real, his backing band comprised of some studio musicians most closely associated with Willie Nelson (including his son). Immediately they turn the tide of the show with a blistering electric version of the Harvest classic Out on the Weekend and from there on it was high-octane stuff. Granted, the setlist could have been enhanced by, you know, leaving out the Monsanto tunes, but if those were the price of admission for getting a 10-minute version of Love and Only Love I’d pay that again in a heartbeat. I’d give the show a solid 8 out of 10 soft-shelled tacos. Check out the setlist below, and as always, Binge On!
After The Goldrush
Heart Of Gold
Long May You Run
Helpless
Oh Mother Earth
Out on The Weekend
Unknown Legend
Wolf Moon
Hank To Hendrix
Harvest Moon
Words (Between The Lines Of Age)
Lookin’ For A Love
Walk On
A Rock Star Bucks a Coffee Shop
People Want to Hear About Love
Big Box
If I Don’t Know
Cowgirl in the Sand
Workin’ Man
Monsanto Years
Love And Only Love