Live Review: Neil Young 12/15/08 NYC

Wow! Neil Young did not disappoint last night at the first of 2 gigs at MSG. There were some "down" moments, but overall it was a great night. I did not see opener to the opener Everest and I missed one Wilco song (Via Chicago), but they were great. Nels Cline is a great guitar player. Impossible Germany is a different animal live. Jeff Tweedy sounded great and the whole band was tight and punchy. I definitely could have listened to them longer. Neil came right out of the box and killed everyone with the first 7 songs he played. Love and Only Love, Hey Hey My My, Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, Powderfinger, Spirit Road, Cortez the Killer and Cinnamon Girl. Having never seen him before and being a fan of that era of music, it did not get much better than that for me. The rest of the night was very good, a little slow in the middle when he played his new songs, but overall he was on point. Needle and the Damage Done, Old Man, Heart of Gold, Cowgirl in the Sand and Rocking in the Free World were all excellent. Too many highlights to count. I did learn a few things while at the show as well. Guinness is great and everyone in Neil's band stands back at least 10 feet from him because they do not want to get hurt or have their faces melted during his solos. Great show. 

As for the ticket prices, which a lot of people seem to think were high. I sat in section 405, I could see & hear everything. He played for 2  1/2 hours. Was it worth it? YES. Stop complaining. Tickets are always going to be a heated debate. I like seeing people like Neil or the Stones because they give you your moneys worth. Bands half their age play for an hour and call it a night. Neil was shredding on the guitar and singing great. He really gets into his playing and could teach all these new bands a thing or two.