Neil Young/NY,USA 2018

Neil Young is really energetic this year. All I can say is that even though he is old, he is still thriving. During Japan’s Golden Week, he was able to reunite with Crazy Horse for the first time in a long time, shocking the world, and the solo tour that followed immediately was also very popular. After that, he performed sporadic gigs with Promise of the Real, which can be called a regular band in recent years. However, activities with them suddenly accelerated in September. He continued to perform energetically at events such as the annual Farm Aid event. The event was held on September 22nd, but the next day they performed at an event called Outlaw Festival in Saratoga Springs. What is noteworthy is that even though it is an event stage, it lasts much longer than Farm Aid. Thanks to this, there was a topic that the new song “(Eternity)” would be performed for the first time on this day. The melody is very pastoral, and you can imagine that the atmosphere could be included in the album “ON THE BEACH”. It may be said that this is an unusual tune for Neil in recent years. Moreover, since this live premiere, it has continued to be performed. “Children Of Destiny” from Promise of the Real’s latest album “THE VISITOR” was performed live for the first time at Farm Aid the day before, and continues to be performed as part of their latest repertoire. . It is also attractive that these two shows both begin with the classic song “Tell Me Why”. As the opening suggests, the entire setlist is packed full of Neil Young classics. As you can see from the list of songs, it is also attractive that there are many songs from classic 70’s albums, such as “HARVEST” and “COMES A TIME”, which have an acoustic sound. Among them, “Are You Ready For The Country?” had an interesting incident where the performance had to be restarted due to a monitor malfunction. Still, there was no sign of trouble, and Neil was in great shape throughout. The song selection is overwhelmingly 70’s Neil classics, but the finale is “Rockin’ In The Free World” which is an explosive finale. I can’t help but be moved by the way Neil, who is 72 years old, still plays roaring rock music. Not only in this song, but also in “Love To Burn”, he plays his favorite black Les Paul. The first half is mainly composed of songs from the acoustic albums of the 70’s mentioned earlier, so this flexible and rigid structure is wonderful. Although it is an audience recording that captures such a lively live performance, the sound image has a sense of distance. However, even though it is such a sound image, Neil’s singing voice is captured in a balance that resonates loudly, so it is satisfying to listen to. Anyway, his voice can be heard very clearly, so it’s amazing how he still sings the 70’s classic that fans are crazy about without changing the key. The latest stage with a variety of famous songs that is different from this year’s Crazy Horse or solo stage. The lively backing by Promise of the Real is also great! Live at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY, USA 23rd September 2018 TRULY AMAZING SOUND (78:57) 1. Intro 2. Tell Me Why 3. Field Of Opportunity 4. Country Home 5. Show Me 6. Heart Of Gold 7. Lotta Love 8. Human Highway 9. Eternity 10. Powderfinger 11. Love To Burn 12. Are You Ready For The Country? (With false start) 13. Ohio 14. Rockin’ In The Free World Neil Young – vocal, guitar Lukas Nelson – guitar, vocal Micah Nelson – guitar Corey McCormick – bass, vocal Anthony Logerfo – drums Tato Melgar – percussion