Concert review: Neil Young at Chicago Theatre
One man, one guitar, one big sound. Neil Young orchestrated his solo concert Friday – the first of two-sold shows at the Chicago Theatre – for maximum impact. He started slow and quiet and built to a rafter-rattling finale.
An early acoustic tune nailed the night’s theme, which focused on contrast and conflict. Instead of blowing out the chorus to sing-along proportion, Young kept “Helpless” shivery and small. Dwarfed against the vastness of an endless Canadian sky described in the song, Young’s tenor conveyed even more vulnerability than usual.
When the guitarist shifted into electric mode, he also amped up the drama. Young brought an orchestral dimension to the arrangements, expanding the approach he used on his latest solo album, the Daniel Lanois-produced “Le Noise,” to older songs such as “Ohio” and “Down by the River.”
Young can be relatively spontaneous in his solo concerts, but this tour was designed meticulously. He sprinkled in a few moments on piano and pump organ, and played a couple of rarities: the sweet-tempered but light “Leia”; and “You Never Call,” an impressionistic remembrance of an old friend.
A number of songs took a long view of history as written by Professor Young, rock’s answer to the activist scholar Howard Zinn. “Peaceful Valley Boulevard” was like Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States,” an ambitious recap of the last couple of centuries and its toll on the planet. Alternating harp-like washes of notes with subterranean bass tones, Young’s guitar provided an aptly epic soundtrack.
For “Love and War,” he brought a flamenco feel to the introduction and guitar solo, as he mused on subjects that have consumed him since he migrated from Canada to Los Angeles in the ‘60s. “Hitchhiker” detailed his journey since then and its drug-induced pitfalls, his guitar churning until “my head did explode.”
Sound was as crucial as sense. Though feedback has always been an aspect of Young’s electric playing, on this night it was a central focus. He was like a landscape painter, splashing voluptuous colors around the theater with reverb and creating a series of overlapping overtones that constantly threatened to bury his voice. “Rumblin’ ” did indeed rumble balcony seats; here was a concert that was felt as well as heard.
That was especially true of “Cortez the Killer,” a Zinn-like meditation on how violence shaped the colonization of the Americas. Rather than articulating individual notes, Young turned his trademark black guitar into a percussion instrument, physically evoking how “the new world” was shaped by blood and violence.
In a concert where Young emphasized new angles in his guitar playing, it was only fitting that his opener was a primary influence: British progressive-folk pioneer Bert Jansch. At times it sounded like two or even three guitarists were on stage, so fluid was Jansch’s fingerpicking, especially his extraordinary take on the Irish folk ballad “Blackwaterside.”
greg@gregkot.com
Neil Young set list Friday at the Chicago Theatre:
1 My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue)
2 Tell Me Why
3 Helpless
4 You Never Call
5 Peaceful Valley Boulevard
6 Love and War
7 Down by the River
8 Hitchhiker
9 Ohio
10 Sign of Love
11 Leia
12 After the Gold Rush
13 I Believe in You
14 Rumblin'
15 Cortez the Killer
16 Cinnamon Girl
Encore
17 Walk With Me
Greg,
"You Never Call" was written for L.A. Johnson, his film collaborator/close friend for many years. Johnson died unexpectedly at a San Jose Sharks game in 2010. One of his best shows in a long time.
Posted by: thedonnielama | May 07, 2011 at 09:55 AM
As Mother's Day gifts go, bringing my lovely wife to see Neil is better than anything during the previous 21 Mother's Day. Thanks for the help Neil. Bringing her to your Bridges Concert for a birthday a few years back was much the same.
Posted by: Bill Figel | May 07, 2011 at 10:16 AM
How was the Neil crowd? Typical Friday night screamers or for once did Neil's Chicago fans listen and accept?
Posted by: Faded Away | May 07, 2011 at 10:30 AM
A few screamers from the balcony. By and large people piped down and listened (or silently thought OMG THIS IS NOT HEART OF GOLD), but we had a few rude folks around us who just kept yakking. Also, people were constantly getting up and walking around, instead of waiting until between songs.
My biggest disappointment with the setlist was the total absence of anything from the 90s. Would have loved to hear "I'm the Ocean" or "Big Green Country" given the solo electric treatment.
Posted by: Robert | May 07, 2011 at 11:00 AM
Neil is still the best! He showed his sense of humor a lot. Just Neil and a guitar is enough for me.
The only problem with such expensive tickets is the audience is made up of lawyers more interested in talking to their over-cologned boyfriends at the top of their voices. Because they have so much more interesting things to say than the opening act which they attempt to drown out.
Posted by: MarieF | May 07, 2011 at 11:08 AM
It's Le Noise, not La Noise.
Posted by: Will | May 07, 2011 at 11:37 AM
The crowd were clearly long time fans (some young ones) - once the hootin' and hollerin' stopped after the first song or so we were rapt - this was a very good show - the stage setting and lighting contribute to a well-planned showcase of his work. You'll love it.
Posted by: Kat | May 07, 2011 at 12:02 PM
I thought the audience was pretty quiet (except for a couple of idiots that called out "Freebird" more than once. I don't know how anyone could have not been thoroughly absorbed in such a powerful performance.
After being a fan for close to 40 years, I was thrilled to finally see him. He was incredible.
Posted by: Karen S | May 07, 2011 at 12:16 PM
I love Neil Young, but he appears to be a bit too much of the "tempormental" artist like Bob Dylan. (Who I also love.) That has it's good-side and bad-side.
The good side, is the unpredicability of their set of songs. The bad side, the unpredictability of their performance. Plus, you don't always get the songs you REALLY WANT TO HEAR!!
An artis should balance their creative impulses with giving their audience what they want.
In Young's case here, I can't imagine going to his show and NOT hearing "Heart of Gold", "Old Man" or "Rockin' In The Free World". In today's political climate you would think he certainly would have played the latter.
Similarly, the last Dylan show I went to did not include "Like A Rolling Stone", on the other hand, he played "Masters Of War" and "Positively 4th Street", which he rarely plays live anymore.
Those darn, crazy artists!!
Posted by: Davey S | May 07, 2011 at 12:50 PM
Neil is my all time favorite. I would like to see him take more of a Dylan approach to the setlist when he is solo, though. With a band, you only have a certain number of songs...solo, I wish he would through in more variety...And why do the dang Cubs fans get TWO shows and STL gets ZERO?
Posted by: Joe in Missouri | May 07, 2011 at 01:41 PM
Why no photos with the story?
Posted by: rustbelt | May 07, 2011 at 01:49 PM
Great review on Cortez, too. Heard it explained a lot of different ways but you really nailed it. Succinct.
Posted by: Kathi | May 07, 2011 at 08:22 PM
I thought this was one of the most memorable neil young shows I've seen. It was really moving and powerful, in his unique way. Over the years there have been shows where I couldn't say anything that different was going on.And I've seen various phases of his career (trans, blue notes, crazy horse heavy, gators country, greendale, etc.), but this was a new sound in the vein of his early creative stamp on the writer-folksinger genre. A real coming together of the artist and the sound. I didn't expect much from this noize phase, frankly, but he really nailed it again for me last night. Dude has amazing nerve playing some of these old classics like cortez with a more tom morello approach. still an inspiration with his creative risk-taking. Thanks for a dead-on review too.
Posted by: fishy2 | May 07, 2011 at 08:36 PM
This was the third and by far the most amazing show that I have seen him play. It was so true to his style and himself. It was really captivating and I really enjoyed seeing him solo up there for the whole set, he sure does not need any help. The songs from the new album were so good live, and it made me appreciate le noise more.
For anyone that REALLY was disappointed by not hearing Heart of Gold, well, you must not listen to much of Neil Young's catalog. I can't say I was disappointed by his choice of songs. He played some of his most well known songs, while leaving out the overplayed ones.
Posted by: Jenna | May 08, 2011 at 10:00 AM
Saturday was superb! Neil played tighter and seemed more relaxed this night. It was fun actually feeling the music as well as hearing it...
The crowd on Saturday was a dream! The nicest people, die hard Neil fans in my area! It was so much fun!!
Posted by: MarieF | May 08, 2011 at 11:25 AM
@Davy S:
We all have songs we'd like to hear, but "Heart of Gold" etc. are almost 40 years in the past. I'd rather hear an artist doing new songs that I don't know but that they actually care about, than doing perfunctory runs through songs they're sick to death of because they've been played to death. If anything, I though the set list was too heavily skewed toward obvious crowd-pleasers like "Ohio". The man has like 70 billion albums - I wanna hear deep cuts!
Posted by: Robert | May 08, 2011 at 12:06 PM
Neil was fantastic. The crowded was patient and Neil seemed like he appreciated it. I have seen many incarnations of Mr Young and this was him boiled down to his starkest musically.
If you are not prepared to listen to him follow his muse don't go. He played his white Gibson and Old black guitar
on old and new tunes and made the place shake. Great show!
Posted by: K. Lucas | May 08, 2011 at 01:41 PM
I saw Neil perform last summer in Nashville which was before Le Noise was released and was disappointed when You Never Call did not make the album.It was cool to see him perform it again.In Nashville the audience laughed at the lyrics when Neil said your in heaven and i' m workin .The Friday crowd reacted when the fries on the floor from the in and out burger and when he mentioned the Red Wings. Maybe to many lawyers in love yak yak not listening . Special thanks to A gal named Missy who let me sit next to her in the front and not in the Bob Uker seat I paid for. LONG MAY YOU RUN !
PEACE, OUT
Posted by: Scott | May 08, 2011 at 02:43 PM
Saturday night's show was tremendous! No issues with the set list. I'm so glad I was able to see him perform solo with a great mix of instruments ("After the Gold Rush" on the pipe organ was a gem ;"I Believe in You" was played very clean and beautifully; "Tell Me Why" and "Helpless" satisfied my yearning for acoustic) My father and Neil are now both sixty-five years old and knowing the difficulties that age has brought to my dad, it is apparent that Neil has not yet moved past his prime. I was privileged to be in the audience last night.
Posted by: Adam | May 08, 2011 at 09:59 PM
I am not a casual Neil Young fan . I have seen him many times in concert and have enjoyed them all even if he is in an experimental phase . The best time I saw him was a one man show at the Rosemont Theater about 10 years ago. However I thought Fridays show at the Chicago Theater was self indulgent at best. His staged wandering around his instruments and talking with the wooden Indian was not impromptu but had been repeated in the various reviews from previous shows . I am all about him jamming solo on the guitar but walking around in front of different amplifiers and then leaving his vibrating guitar on a stand has been done too many times and reminds me of a 14 year old trying to be cool .
Posted by: James Hogg | May 09, 2011 at 10:23 AM
I caught one omission in your Friday night set list, as Neil also performed "Sugar Mountain"- (and which song did he add the closing lyric "like an Inca from Peru" to?) I'm now confused as to whether he performed Like An Inca- or whether he simply added that line to the end of one of the other tunes. Great show.
Greg replies: He definitely didn't play Sugar Mountain. Not sure what the lyric snippet was from.
Posted by: LB | May 10, 2011 at 01:06 AM
having seen neil dozens of times, this was not his best show... i found the set list okay, but a few older tunes would have been nice. highlight of the show was "tell me why. " i thought the sound could have been turned up... And for you that obviously missed the point, i think he played Ohio for the protestors in the street during the Arab Spring...
peace
Posted by: wjohnson | May 10, 2011 at 03:43 PM
In Young's case here, I can't imagine going to his show and NOT hearing "Heart of Gold", "Old Man" or "Rockin' In The Free World". In today's political climate you would think he certainly would have played the latter.
--------
Stay home and play the CDs.
Posted by: Ron S | May 13, 2011 at 11:06 PM
Been a NY fan for over forty yrs. Man I have no complaints about the Sat. nite Chicago Theatre performance. This nite will really be locked into my memory bank for a long time. Travelled by train from Canada to be a part of this event. Was well worth it. It really made my nite when the two fatheads sitting in front of us(two lawyers maybe?) got up and left. Definitely not NY fans. FYI I just about got on NY'S bus but was stopped dead in my tracks. Probably a good thing. Thanks to the guy sitting in the lawn chair outside the bus door. This was my fourth NY concert. I'll share this with you. The first was in London Eng. @ the Rainbow Theatre Nov. 5, 1973. Opening act- The Eagles WOW
Posted by: Rich | May 16, 2011 at 08:49 PM