NEIL YOUNG | 1.10 | THE WARFIELD

No one knew exactly what to think until about 3 PM when the show was reposted on Ticketmaster. Original indications that tickets were to be acquired at the Warfield box office were scratched and now the website was informing everyone that tickets would not be available online either; they would only be available at Ticketmaster outlets to go onsale at 4 PM. The Warfield had effectively eluded a Will Call nightmare and shifted the burden onto the Ticketmaster Rite Aids of the Bay Area. Tickets sold out in about 20 minutes, proving that no matter how much confusion surrounded the show, the faithful were sure to be there for the festivities.

The marquee above the Warfield marked the headliner for that night in plain black letters: Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Entering the Warfield at about 8:30, it was still easy enough to make your way to the front 'pit' of the venue. The stage had a completely different feel on this night. Instead of the standard red velvet curtain draping behind the stage, the backdrop for the night was painted by the ancient raw black brick. The drum kit was set for center stage, sharing its riser with a cigar store statue of Crazy Horse, left hand held out as if providing an offering to the audience. The bass drum featured an intricate painting of a bull skull flanked by feathers. A weathered upright piano was situated on the right side of the stage. The amp stands were all wrapped in Navajo blankets, offering a homestyle feel to Neil's stage. Every piece of equipment seemed to be worn, battered or torn in some manner, and as the show wore on, it became apparent why each and every piece of gear seemed to have gone through so much.

The lights finally dimmed and the band emerged from stage left to a showering of cheers. Ralph Molina settling down behind the drum kit, Billy Talbot on bass, Frank (Poncho) Sampedro strapping on his guitar from stage right, and Neil sporting his characteristic jeans, t-shirt, draping button-down and straw cowboy hat. Crazy Horse tore out of the gates with a fierce rendition of Sedan Delivery, its jam awash with the pungency of layered power chords and grungy feedback. Love and Only Love featured rumbling repetitive bass lines complimented by Neil's low end strumming. The jam eventually tapered into searing tones with the character and weight that only Neil could possibly muster.

Cortez the Killer began with a beautifully melodic intro, setting the scene for the tale of the Native people's innocence. This led into the tale of a violently wrought conflict of clashing cultures demonstrated by the fierce musicianship onstage. Neil strutted around the stage and eventually into his jamming space, repeating a toe tap and then a foot slam over and over, with guitar riding his knee in harmony with the notes being strummed. Neil's upper body was weaving back and forth in power rhythms, bending and evoking a wailing lead. To round out this rendition, Billy began pounding and beating his bass' body to evoke a vibrational sustain.

The set was rounded out with Like a Hurricane, featuring the first appearance of two backup singers, Neil's wife Pegi, and his sister Astrid, in their first ever appearance with Crazy Horse. The Hurricane also featured an instrument change for the rhythm guitarist, whose keyboard rig was wheeled from stage right so that he could layer haunting ethereal chords over the jam. This instrumental section eventually rode into a complete grunge breakdown of the sound. A dirty Hurricane meltdown ensued with the bassist bouncing his piece off the floor while it resonated. Neil showered the crowd with an incredibly heartfelt performance, shifting and bending the notes he chose to play. Neil never played with too much frenzy or urgency, but plied his guitar to emote the heartfelt country grunge sounds that reflect upon his personality.

For the beginning of set II, an incense puck was lit atop the upright piano, its smoke and aroma wafting around the stage, encircling the musicians and drifting into the audience. Neil enlisted the help of a music stand for Big Time, reading the lyrics directly from the page. For this song only, Neil included Larry to accompany on the weathered piano, adding a complete feel to the stage presence.

Welfare Mothers showcased dissonant vocals by Ralph, Pegi and Astrid, allowing Neil's voice to play the part of resonance for once. The jam morphed into a dirty display with Neil bending, twisting and slaying notes as if slang were the only language in his guitar's vocabulary. A passionate jam broke down to a mechanical robotic instrumental with the bass and rhythm plugging along as Neil hinted at a new melody. The jam melded into a dark and evil feel that begged to be developed into a complete riff, but instead resulted in a powerful stoppage for this heavy social commentary. The set ended with a forceful rendition of the Neil anthem Down By the River.

A nice wave goodbye from Neil, then the other members of the band as they exited stage left. The house lights were filtered on, inciting the crowd to more energetic and emphatically raucous cheers, and eventually beckoning the band back on for one more tune. The lights lowered once again as Neil, coffee cup in hand, returned chatting it up with his bassist and guitarist, in a seemingly jovial manner.

The Chords to Hey Hey, My My lit up the Warfield. Neil strutted about the stage, characteristically bouncing his guitar on his left knee in synch with his power chords. Eventually gravitating stage right where bass and rhythm laid down the riffs and progressions for Neil to filter on top of. The guitarists and bassist grinded, bumped into and bounced off of one another, jilting their stage mates into passionate playing until Neil wandered back to his mike to wail vocally once again. Johnny Rotten indeed.

All in all, Neil assembled an amazingly powerful presence at the Warfield, cranking out energy that is usually reserved for young alternative rockers, with his distortional feel peppered throughout the jams during the night. Neil presented a sound that is more powerful than any grungy garage rock band, while featuring impeccable musicianship in every note played and word sung. Apparently, Neil and Crazy Horse have been in the studio recording a new album, but surprisingly no new material surfaced for the two Warfield shows. Neil instead decided to keep the two setlists very similar to one another, and straight out of the Crazy Horse history books. This performance was really quite a treat for Neil fans, each rendition was a monstrously extended version of a Neil classic, each tune beautifully written, arranged and performed.

Lee Bouyea
JamBase San Francisco Correspondent
Go See Live Music!

Set II:
Big Time
Powderfinger
Welfare Mothers
Bite the Bullet
Down By the River

Encore:
Hey, Hey, My My (Into the Black)