Neil Young
Saw Neil Young in Hartwall Arena on thursday.
I’ve seen the artist previously once, in 2001, touring with Crazy Horse. Based on the name of the band on this tour “Electric Band”, I expected the same kind of growling guitars and harsh treatment of the audience’s ears. That didn’t happen, the proceedings were on the mellow side, with song selection avoiding the rockiest bits.
As far as I know, the thursday’s concert served as the launching board of a completely new song, which was not named, hence the quotes below.
The set list (courtesy of Sugar Mountain):
Love And Only Love Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere I've Been Waiting For You "Singing A Song Won't Change The World" (?) Spirit Road Cortez The Killer Cinnamon Girl Oh, Lonesome Me Mother Earth The Needle And The Damage Done Unknown Legend Helpless Heart Of Gold Old Man Get Back To The Country Words No Hidden Path // A Day In The Life
The stage setup was simple, the only surprising element was the use of song-specific paintings on an easel on the right edge of the stage.
Apart from the No Hidden Path, the songs were executed quickly - the last song of the regular set turned into a fifteen minute jam. The encore was a new take on a Beatles classic.
The concert was fully seated, even the people on the ice had benches. Unlike the 2001 gig, the ushers seemed to enforce seating, and there was no rush towards the stage.
von Hertzen Brothers served as the warm-up act, and filled their thirty minutes effectively.
T-shirts were expensive at 30€, and the vendors had a hard time dealing with people paying with plastic. The lines stretched almost unbearably as the machinery slowed down the transactions.
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