Movie review: 'Neil Young Trunk Show: Scenes from a Concert'

    Besides being an acclaimed Hollywood director (“Philadelphia,” “Silence of the Lambs,” “Something Wild”), Demme is without peer in documenting how rock musicians interact on stage. Since his groundbreaking work with Talking Heads (“Stop Making Sense” in 1984), he has made excellent concert films with Robyn Hitchcock (“Storefront Hitchcock” in 1998) and Young (“Heart of Gold” in 2006). The latter was informed by a serene sense of dignity and fellowship; Young was coming off brain surgery when he set up at the hallowed Ryman Auditorium in Nashville to play an acoustic show with some of his close friends. Demme’s camera kept a watchful distance, and captured the knowing nods between the musicians as if they were giving silent thanks for the opportunity to play together again.

     “Trunk Show,” which documents two nights in Pennsylvania on Young’s 2007 tour, feels more off the cuff; the singer flits between acoustic and electric modes, and Demme employs everything from beautifully framed mid-range shots that suggest animated paintings to shaky, grainy close-ups with hand-held cameras.

        Young’s stage resembles a comfortable workshop; he’s surrounded by instruments and friends, including longtime compatriots Ben Keith, Rick Rosas and Molina, plus wife Pegi Young on backing vocals. Young performs in a paint-splattered shirt and baggy pants. His demeanor is serious, his conviction palpable; even when seated, his body bends with every note, his feet tapping out the rhythm, his brow furrowed. It’s a look familiar to any Young fan; no matter what one may think of the music he’s playing, he is utterly invested in it. Not just sincere, but transfixed.
       
        The movie offers little commentary or context. Demme occasionally slips backstage to film Young bantering with bandmates or discussing a split fingernail with a doctor, inconsequential breaks in the string of performances. Yet the music makes a statement all its own about Young’s career and its continuing vitality.
       
        The movie includes only a few of Young’s more famous songs, notably a terrific “Like a Hurricane” that fades and then roars back to life. It’s devoted to more recent material, including several rarities (“Mexico,” “Kansas,” the surf instrumental “The Sultan,” complete with gong hits). Contrast Young’s mind set with that of the Rolling Stones, who are still playing last century’s set list, as documented in Martin Scorsese’s 2008 concert movie “Shine a Light.”

        That forward-looking attitude goes a long way toward explaining why Young still speaks to an audience half his age. Credit Demme for understanding that impulse. Rather than opting for a more commercial movie stockpiled with hits, he documents that rare ‘60s rock icon still exploring the hidden paths ahead of him.       
   
    greg@gregkot.com
   
Neil Young Trunk Show: Scenes from a Concert

Band: Neil Young, Ralph Molina, Ben Keith, Rick Rosas, Pegi Young, Anthony Crawford, with Eric Johnson (painter) and Cary Kemp ("The Sultan")

Credits: Directed by Jonathan Demme; produced by Bernard Shakey, Elliot Rabinowitz and
Jonathan Demme; executive producer L. A. Johnson; recorded in 5.1 surround
sound by Tim Mulligan; original stage lighting by Peggy Eisenhauer.

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