Late last year when I caught Neil Young at Madison Square Garden, the legendary rocker used part of his monster three hour show to showcase a handful of new tunes
If you saw Neil Young on tour last year or read about his eco-friendly car in the news, you probably saw this coming. Heck, if you have been following Young’s career for the past 40 years, you probably saw this coming. It’s no secret he does what he wants, when he wants to do it; and he’s done it again
Last week, we brought you part one of our in-depth interview with Superfly Presents president Jonathan Mayers where we discussed his start in the industry, the booking process for Bonnaroo and so much more. This week, we bring you part two of Scott Bernstein and Jeffrey Greenblatt’s talk with Jonathan, which includes his thoughts on Outside Lands, Vegoose, Superfly’s Greening efforts and much more…
Hidden Track: What has been your favorite Bonnaroo – both, in terms of your experiences and in terms of performances?
Jonathan Mayers: I have a couple, really. I’ve had many amazing moments there. You know, to be working with your friends every day, to feel creatively inspired, realizing that you can do anything. It’s like you can have an idea and with a good team of people you can execute on it and that just for me, the festival itself happening, is very fulfilling.
In terms of performances, I’m a huge Neil Young fan and when Neil Young & Crazy Horse played [in 2003] it was just such an amazing thrill for me because here was my hero, playing the festival and totally killing it. That was amazing. And, I’m also a huge Radiohead fan and I thought, Radiohead it was just an amazing set and they are one of my favorite bands. When they played, it felt like the festival was evolving – so that was really exciting too. And even Metallica last year – we had a lot of people that didn’t feel like that was a good booking for us and I thought that they were amazing. I thought it was a statement that – you know what – the place isn’t going to burn down. They’re an amazing live band and it worked.
READ ON for more on Outside Lands, the future of Vegoose, the economy and who Jonathan is most excited to see at this year’s Bonnaroo…
So when Young came dancing across Lake Michigan to perform at Allstate Arena in Chicago, once again, he had a different bag of tricks. This time, it came packed with hit after hit: an electric and acoustic dream on a snowy and frigid evening.
Hard as it is to imagine, when Sugar Mountain Live was recorded in 1968, Neil Young was no more or less than a virtual unknown anxious to gauge the acceptance of both his music and performance months after leaving Buffalo Springfield.Live At Canterbury House is a seventy-minute composite of stereo recordings taken from both nights of solo acoustic performances that constitutes a declaration of purpose and an artistic statement that resonates to this day.
I first heard Neil Young’s music in high school, sitting on the passenger side of my friend’s beat up car. As we were pulling out of his driveway, he fumbled through a few cassette tapes, and, not knowing what he had chosen, threw one in. The album was Harvest Moon. The song happened to be “One of These Days.” My life has never been the same.
In Neil Young’s newest riveting film, CSNY: Déjà Vu, Young features a young marine, Josh Hisle, who also happens to be a musician, husband, and father. We’re taken into Young’s hotel room where they jam to Hisle’s “Traitor’s Death,” and the two instantly hit it off. For Hisle, his first tour or duty in Iraq was a success. But when Hisle was sent back to Ramadi in 2004, his outlook on the war changed and he did not want to give his life for a purpose that he no longer recognized.
Firmly ensconced for fifteen years now as a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Nils Lofgren has never abandoned the solo career he was nurturing when Neil Young asked him to play on After the Gold Rush. The two rockers have built an abiding relationship over time and it continues to this day in the form of The Loner: Nils Sings Neil.
A gorgeous 77-year old palace of a theater and 62-year old enigmatic rocker combined forces Sunday night, churning out a 25-song set that showcased the majesty both still emanate.
I’ve been to my fair share of Neil Young shows over the last 10 years. I’ve seen him on the HORDE tour with Crazy Horse. Twice on his solo acoustic jaunt in ’99. Twice again with his Friends and Relatives band in 2000. Three Greendale shows with the Horse in 2001. Five times with Crosby, Stills, and Nash. A little bit of everything, with each show being good, mixed with a little bit of great. Young’s performance at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis was a whole lot of great, and not much else.
