8:00 p.m. sharp, the crowd of approximately 2,200 barely whispered as we waited for the opening note. Imagine sitting in your living room; lights out, a few candles lit, very intimate…that was the felling at the Liederhalle. Three guitars, a piano, a pump organ, a grand piano and a few harmonicas were on stage ready to be played. The crowd gave a warm welcome as Neil took the stage. He sat in a wooden chair surrounded by his guitars and began telling us about the theme for his first set, the town of Greendale and the Green family. The room was silent as Neil told his story. He opened with "Falling From Above," the first of 10 unreleased, and soon-to-be classics. Neil told the narrative of Greendale between each song, and after a few I felt that I was there, in Greendale, with Grandpa Earl, Grandma Edith, Jed, Sun, and police officer Carmichael.
The remaining titles in the first set were; "Double E," "Devil’s Sidewalk," "Leave The Driving," "Carmichael," "Bandit," "Grandpa’s Interview," "Bringing Down Dinner" (on pump organ), "Sun Green," and "Be The Rain." While listening to the story and subsequently each song, I wondered what Neil was thinking when he wrote them. It’s not typical of Neil to write about the same characters in multiple songs, but there was a sense that he had a message to give, or at least an opinion to share. At times I thought that he was reflecting on the current state of affairs around the world; the war in Iraq, the media, he even mentioned the Internet a few times. He definitely sang about Mother Earth, which he has before, and warned, or perhaps pleaded, that we must take good care of her. I can’t say that I know what inspired Neil, if anything at all, so I’ll leave it up to you to interpret any way that you wish, enjoy!
After a fifteen minute intermission, the lights dimmed once again and Neil walked back out onto the stage. He took his seat in the wooden chair and played "Lotta Love." The audience cheered and we knew that now we were in for some "classic" Neil. At the end of "Lotta Love", Neil stood up and walked over to the Grand Piano. He played an incredible version of "Expecting To Fly." The crowd loved every note and listened attentively, as they should at any solo acoustic performance. As Neil finished, a woman in the audience yelled, "Carry On." Neil laughed as he stood at the center of the stage. He was talking and joking with the crowd as I’ve never seen before, appearing to really be having a blast up there.
In a most intimate of moments, Neil grabbed his half-empty bottle and casually said, "I need a beer." He put it down and it foamed up, and he quickly put the bottle back in his mouth and saved the spill. Neil joked and said, "Now that would make a great commercial." The crowd was all laughs.
Next, Neil played "Mother Earth" on the pump organ. He then sat back down and grabbed one of his guitars. As he played the first few notes, the crowd exploded into applause. Neil continued with another classic, "Don’t Let It Bring You Down." He switched guitars and played, one of my all time acoustic favorites, "Old Man." He paused when he was through and enjoyed the loud roar of the crowd. When the cheers subsided, the same woman shouts out, "Carry On." Neil laughs and politely says, "I don’t mean to make fun of you, but I don’t know that one." Everyone, including Neil, had a good laugh as he walked over towards the piano. "Carry On" echoes from the same woman. He appears to give in and eludes that he’s going to give it a shot. He sits down and immediately starts in on "After The Goldrush." Neil completed the second set with an awesome "War Of Man" on guitar. He was incredibly on and had a great time with the audience. Neil stood up and thanked us, then walked off stage to a tremendous applause.
The lights came on for two or three minutes while the applause continued. Neil walked back out for an encore and jammed out crowd favorite "Heart Of Gold." He waved goodbye and a man from the crowd cried, "We love you Neil."
I highly recommend the venue and of course, Neil Young solo during his Europe 2003 tour. If you can’t catch him in Europe, Neil will be touring with Crazy Horse in the states this summer.
It’s rumored that Neil will release a new album titled "Greendale" later this year, a must for Neil fans.
Photo courtesy of Ulf Magnusson at NeilYoungFanClub.com
