Neil Young Energetic with Young Band in Mönchengladbach
Neil Young turns 80 this November. Yet the fact that he remains active is merely an understatement. He releases so much material annually that even his biggest fans struggle to keep up. While these often involve albums that had been shelved for decades, his latest album, “Talkin’ To The Trees” recently appeared. Recorded with a new backing band: The Chrome Hearts. Though it must be said honestly that the album is hardly a masterpiece. He’s probably just focused on touring with a new band. His current ‘Love Earth’ tour has indeed earned praise. I attended Friday evening’s concert at the Warsteiner HockeyPark in the German city of Mönchengladbach. Featuring the same young musicians from The Chrome Hearts, but also veteran Spooner Oldham on organ, who played with major names in the ’60s like Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge, and Wilson Pickett.
The evening began with a ‘deep cut’ from his catalogue: the semi-acoustic “Ambulance Blues”, which he had dusted off after years. It seemed to need a moment to find its groove. But then Mönchengladbach received a tour première: “Cowgirl In The Sand” from his second album “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” from 1969. While Neil initially seemed like a man approaching 80, wearing a torn t-shirt, the interaction with his young bandmates appeared to restore some youthfulness to him.
Neil Young has made his position in the social spectrum quite clear over recent decades. His tour isn’t called ‘Love Earth’ for nothing, and his ideals, like Springsteen’s, stand in stark contrast to Trump’s ideas. But unlike Springsteen, who delivered speeches during his recent tour, Neil Young let the music speak for itself. As with “Be The Rain” from 2003, it carries a message still relevant after 22 years. It gained an activist edge as he sang partially through a megaphone. The song “Fuckin’ Up” also received enthusiastic approval from the audience with mass displays of middle fingers.
Yet the entire evening wasn’t acrimonious. While “Southern Man” fit well with that theme, the fully acoustic and solo-performed “The Needle and the Damage Done” created a softer atmosphere. “Harvest Moon” then perfectly matched the setting sun. During the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song “Looking Forward”, band members perfectly replicated the harmonies of their old colleagues.
Throughout the evening, a bird-shaped structure hung above the stage. During an extended version of “Like A Hurricane”, this descended and revealed a synthesiser behind it. While this was the only special effect you might expect at a Neil Young concert, Neil doesn’t need much more. He also earned applause when he unexpectedly launched into “Heart Of Gold”. Unlike other shows, Mönchengladbach didn’t receive “Rockin’ In The Free World” as an encore, but instead got another venomously played “Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)”.
This concluded a concert by a legend who seemed to have the energy of someone at least 20 years younger than 80. His characteristic voice remains unchanged. The Chrome Hearts may not be a band like Crazy Horse (Young’s longtime backing band), but they hardly fell short. It even seemed that his younger bandmates helped keep him young.
