Neil Young/IL,USA 2018 2 Days

Neil Young’s live activities this year have been so wide-ranging and fulfilling that it’s amazing. While continuing his activities with Promise of Real, he also held a reunion of the Santa Monica Flyers at Crazy Horse in early May, which Nils Lofgren also invited, and performed four amazing gigs that amazed fans all over the world. In fact, the performances at those gigs were so fulfilling that “BAKERSFIELD 2018” and “FRESNO 2018” were released and became very popular, and are still best-sellers today. In between, Neil continues to appear at events with Promise of Real, but this time he has announced a solo acoustic show. When you open the lid, it’s going to be a big challenge. The majority of the set list is full of killer tunes from the 1970s. In other words, the set list was a dream come true for enthusiasts all over the world, with the albums from “AFTER THE GOLD RUSH” to “TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT” being the main focus, and only the masterpieces from the heyday were performed one after another. And yet, the unreleased song from 1974, “Homefires”, was performed as the second song on consecutive days, which was a tear-jerking composition. Not only in the first half of this year, but in recent years, Neil has been holding concerts at old live venues such as Carnegie Hall and Massey Hall, and it is true that he has been working toward retrospective activities that look back on his career. As proof of this, the Chicago Auditorium Theater, which Neil used as a venue many times in the 1970s, was chosen for the first time in a long time for this solo show. If that is the case, it makes sense that a show with a set list like the one above was held. Audience recordings of the two days at the Chicago Auditorium Theater appeared on the Internet in a hurry. This CD is the coupling of these, and both shows were recorded with the same taper. Since this is an audience recording from the balcony, there is a slight sense of distance in the sound image, but this fits perfectly with this special menu of singing and playing shows. Surrounded by just the right amount of echo, I couldn’t help but be captivated by the way Neil generously performed his classic songs from the past.