Review of Jones Beach (Spoiler) Neil Young, Burning Castles To Move Out of the Past by ANN POWERS for NYT
08/19/00
WANTAGH, N.Y., Aug. 17 - " 'Southern Man,' what are you, kiddin' me?"
Neil Young said, between guffaws, from the stage at the Jones Beach Theater
here, responding to one of a few shouts from the audience that he play some
rock-and-roll. Mr. Young hadn't come to indulge in big meltdowns like that
song. He'd done enough of them earlier this year, blowing away his buddies
David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash during the C.S.N.&Y. reunion
tour. He had different plans for this summer outing, and as any Neil Young
fan knows, it's no use trying to argue when this star has set the route.
Mr. Young has a few favorite paths on his musical property. To support his
rustic new album, "Silver and Gold" (Reprise), he strolled down a gently
sloping one. New songs like "Daddy Went Walkin' ," about his aged father
traversing his farm in Ontario, shared the set list with paeans to country
life like "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere," historical fictions like
"Powderfinger" and slow dances like "Harvest Moon." It was a show for lovers
of Neil Young the cranky sweetheart, who plows up the sugar mountain of the
American song tradition just as fearlessly as he battles darkness in his
harder rocking songs.
What makes Mr. Young's romanticism endearing is its matter-of-factness,
enhanced on this tour by a placidly expert backing band. This crew of studio
legends is years beyond grandstanding, although each claimed attention now
and then. Spooner Oldham added delicate keyboards to the recent "Razor Love."
Donald Duck Dunn's intense bass playing fed the mellow freak-out of "Words
(Between the Lines of Age)." Jim Keltner turned the drums into a wall of
sound during "Peace of Mind." Ben Keith's pedal-steel playing offered
friendly competition to Mr. Young, always an athletic guitarist, throughout.
When he is with these old pals, unlike when he is with his other frequent
collaborators in Crazy Horse or C.S.N.&Y., Mr. Young sheds his
competitiveness. Instead, he swapped musical lines with them like jokes on a
fishing trip. The intimate mood was enhanced by the presence of Mr. Young's
wife, Pegi, and sister, Astrid Young, on backing vocals and by his jovial
running commentary to the crowd.
There's a ploy behind such complacency, however: Mr. Young dons it to shed
it. His best ballads incorporate rough threads. "Unknown Legend," for
example, is a love song to a single mom who rides a Harley Davidson to free
her soul. It could have been written by another careful rustic, Lucinda
Williams.
After wending through such songs, Mr. Young and his band did return to the
country psychedelia his devotees crave. Versions of "Tonight's the Night,"
"Like a Hurricane," and Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" were less
noisy than the feedback fests he has delivered on other tours, but they were
still intense. He flexed that muscle, then concluded with "Mellow My Mind,"
one of his most pleasant lazy-day toss-offs. It is a sweet final word from
this pugilist at rest.
Mr. Young chose another scrappy veteran with a serious soft spot to share the
bill on this tour: Chrissie Hynde led the Pretenders through an easygoing set
of favorites, from "Brass in Pocket" to "Night in My Veins." She honored Mr.
Young with a heartfelt version of "Needle and the Damage Done," saying that
such great songwriters made you feel that they had you in mind when writing.
The same can be said for Ms. Hynde, and the standing ovation the crowd gave
her and the Pretenders was not just for the night, but also for a lifetime of
insightful cranky romanticism.
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WANTAGH, N.Y., Aug. 17 - " 'Southern Man,' what are you, kiddin' me?" Neil Young said, between guffaws, from the stage at the Jones Beach Theater here, responding to one of a few shouts from the audience that he play some rock-and-roll. Mr. Young hadn't come to indulge in big meltdowns like that song. He'd done enough of them earlier this year, blowing away his buddies David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash during the C.S.N.&Y. reunion tour. He had different plans for this summer outing, and as any Neil Young fan knows, it's no use trying to argue when this star has set the route.
Mr. Young has a few favorite paths on his musical property. To support his rustic new album, "Silver and Gold" (Reprise), he strolled down a gently sloping one. New songs like "Daddy Went Walkin' ," about his aged father traversing his farm in Ontario, shared the set list with paeans to country life like "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere," historical fictions like "Powderfinger" and slow dances like "Harvest Moon." It was a show for lovers of Neil Young the cranky sweetheart, who plows up the sugar mountain of the American song tradition just as fearlessly as he battles darkness in his harder rocking songs.
What makes Mr. Young's romanticism endearing is its matter-of-factness, enhanced on this tour by a placidly expert backing band. This crew of studio legends is years beyond grandstanding, although each claimed attention now and then. Spooner Oldham added delicate keyboards to the recent "Razor Love." Donald Duck Dunn's intense bass playing fed the mellow freak-out of "Words (Between the Lines of Age)." Jim Keltner turned the drums into a wall of sound during "Peace of Mind." Ben Keith's pedal-steel playing offered friendly competition to Mr. Young, always an athletic guitarist, throughout.
When he is with these old pals, unlike when he is with his other frequent collaborators in Crazy Horse or C.S.N.&Y., Mr. Young sheds his competitiveness. Instead, he swapped musical lines with them like jokes on a fishing trip. The intimate mood was enhanced by the presence of Mr. Young's wife, Pegi, and sister, Astrid Young, on backing vocals and by his jovial running commentary to the crowd.
There's a ploy behind such complacency, however: Mr. Young dons it to shed it. His best ballads incorporate rough threads. "Unknown Legend," for example, is a love song to a single mom who rides a Harley Davidson to free her soul. It could have been written by another careful rustic, Lucinda Williams.
After wending through such songs, Mr. Young and his band did return to the country psychedelia his devotees crave. Versions of "Tonight's the Night," "Like a Hurricane," and Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" were less noisy than the feedback fests he has delivered on other tours, but they were still intense. He flexed that muscle, then concluded with "Mellow My Mind," one of his most pleasant lazy-day toss-offs. It is a sweet final word from this pugilist at rest.
Mr. Young chose another scrappy veteran with a serious soft spot to share the bill on this tour: Chrissie Hynde led the Pretenders through an easygoing set of favorites, from "Brass in Pocket" to "Night in My Veins." She honored Mr. Young with a heartfelt version of "Needle and the Damage Done," saying that such great songwriters made you feel that they had you in mind when writing. The same can be said for Ms. Hynde, and the standing ovation the crowd gave her and the Pretenders was not just for the night, but also for a lifetime of insightful cranky romanticism.
- bill 8-23-2000 3:55 pm