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Concord Pavillion (Concord, CA), Sept 17, 1996

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--> The WharfRat Review
--> Shiang Yang's Review
--> Frank Ripp's Review
--> Mark Spooked Horse Morin's Experience
--> The *DREAMER* Eric Review
--> Calistar's Review
--> Hugh Barroll's Mini-Review


The Set List

  1. Hey Hey My My
  2. Pocahontas
  3. Big Time
  4. Slip Away
  5. The Needle and the Damage Done
  6. Comes A Time
  7. Sugar Mountain
  8. Heart of Gold
  9. Cinnamon Girl
  10. Fuckin' Up
  11. Cortez The Killer
  12. Music Arcade
  13. Like a Hurricane
    Encores
  14. Sedan Delivery
  15. Roll Another Number For The Road
  16. Rockin' In The Free World


Concord Pavillion (Concord, CA), Sept 17, 1996

review by WarfRat

First off I thought the acoustics and sound at the *new* Concord Pavillion sucked. And the intimacy level they tried to keep when they renovated was gone. And Sponge did absolutely nothing for me.

But all that aside, Neil and the Horse FUCKIN' ROCKED! Neil Young, by himself or with another back-up band, is greatest. But with the Horse, restores you're faith in rock-n-roll!

Even though we got the 'generic greatest hits set-list' with no surprises, I was satisfied. The feedback, the power and the thunder that Crazy Horse and Neil manufacture, can move mountains.

Opening with Hey Hey, My My got the blood flowing, the heads boppin' and legs dancin'. All 10,000+ moving in sinc, like an ocean full of waves. At the end of almost every electric song, was the extended feedback that brought memories of the Ragged Glory Tour. Except instead of the props and theatrics of past tours the stage was scattered with candles giving the feelings of a wake feeling as mentioned before.

The electric Pocahontas was very cool, I read about this version all summer and loved it! Aurora Borealis will never be the same! And Big Time sounded great the candles and this song went together like apple pie goes with Mom! And that annoying ending on Slip Away, well, after hearing it live, it doesn't seem that annoying after all! See, Live Music Is Better! I really loved it.

The acoustic set, I know you're tired of hearing these songs, always gives you a warm feeling inside. The Needle & The Damage Done is one of my favorites and I'm always glad to hear it. Then Comes A Time, another personal favorite mostly because Comes A Time was the first album of Neil's I purchased as a teen, was next. Neil said, "this is for Bonnie Raitt". After that Neil started playing Heart Of Gold, but instead went into Sugar Mountain. The acoustic set ended with Heart Of Gold. I don't know if Neil was going to do Heart Of Gold, but then forgot what he was doin' or did the HOG riffs just to be different, either way it worked.

We were then visited by a Cinnamon Girl to get the blood flowing again. And did it! After that, a rocking Fuckin' Up followed by a killer version of the always outstanding Cortez. I could never get tired of hearing this song.

There were two songs I wanted to hear off of the Broken Arrow album. Music Arcade and Scattered. We didn't hear Scattered but Music Arcade hit the spot. Neil sounded hoarse on this one, but it worked with the theme of this tune. It would have been perfect but every time the song paused or got low the two young girls next to us kept screaming.

Tonight's blistering version of Like A Hurricane was probably the best I've ever heard. If we would have had an earthquake tonight, we wouldn't have felt it. Neil and the Horse rocked this one so hard it had to have registered 8.7 on the richter scale! And the beating of Old Black always gets me smiling. That poor axe sure takes a lickin'. And the rest of instruments in use didn't get off scott free tonight as they got the hotwax treatment. I don't know yet what that was supposed to represent or even if it was meant to represent anything at all, but I thought it was weird and really enjoyed it. Maybe because I am weird?

The encores were short and repititious of the rest of the North American Tour. Except instead of 5 songs we got the condensed version of 3. I think probably due to a Concord curfew. I remember seeing Traffic in Concord a few years ago and remember them ending promptly at 11:00 pm also. Sedan Delivery rocked, this was the first time I've heard this one live. Roll Another Number is always a fun tune to hear. And sadly the last song was Rockin in the Free World. This makes the 5th time in a row I've heard Neil end with this one. Oh wait, a few Bridge concerts back he did end with Piece Of Crap.

A great ending to a shitty day. My ears are still ringing with bell planted by the Horse, but I would gladly do it again! And I got to put some faces to those e-mail signatures. Well I am going to bed as I have rambled on enough.

Let me just say........................

Neil FUCKIN' ROCKS!
Peace


Concord - the Youthful Fountain
Concord Pavillion (Concord, CA), Sept 17, 1996

review by Shiang Yang

There were no surprises in the setlist, no extended encore for this crowd in Concord. Neil Young & Crazy Horse methodically delivered what we come to expect from them. It was grand. It was no-nonsense. In a controlled fashion, they cut to the essence of rock, and transformed compositions into total sonic experience. Uneventful in a way, but the music was red hot.

Some random impressions.

  • HHMM. Always a favorite, but something's not quite right. Neil's vocal and guitar were buried from where we sat.

  • Big Time. Sounded very big.

  • Sugar Mountain. Long and beautiful guitar and harp interplay in the beginning and middle.

  • Comes A Time. Neil said, "This one is for Bonnie Raitt. We sound alike." I don't understand?

  • Cinnamon Girl. Solid as a rock. A classic done in a classic way. I went unplugged (ear plugs) the rest of the way. They worked too well and I didn't like it.

  • Cortez. Not only Neil's guitar, something else got strangled too. The music's slow in developing and oh so heavy. Neil the killer. Got me sweating in an otherwise comfortable night.

  • Music Arcade. Simple and Pink-Floyd-ish. Neil alone in the dim light swang subtly yet freely, trim and flex. Does he practice TaiChi (only thing Dead Man is good for) or what?

  • Hurricane. Out of the dim light and the quietness of Music Arcade, NY & CH worked out a thunder. I sensed a hurricane was coming. During it, whole body reverberated in the sound wave. For a moment, most audience were, like me, standing motionless -- no dancing, no wiggling, stunned by the energy generated on stage. I think CH have found the frequency to vibrate/liberate our bodies and souls, cure all muscle aches and connect us to the youthful fountain. I felt renewed. Then the candle ritual -- Neil walked around with a huge candle on his shoulder, like carrying a log or something, flame toward his back. Burned a strong image into me. The new roof structure in the pavilion passed the Neil test. I'm not looking forward to this tape, my home stereo won't do justice to this music.

  • Rockin' In The Free World. Not my favorite tune. No matter. It just kept on rocking. Field of Green, I saw you swinging, not unlike Neil's move in many ways.   :-)   Fountainbleu finally got into the action too, yeah, fist in the sky. Too bad everything has to end.

    A lot of Rusties and MORE BARN! shirts. Help (security) was everywhere. A board near the entrance displayed "This Bud's For You." Looked funny in the Neil-night.

    After many moons on the road, Neil finally got to sleep in his own bed. Thanks, Neil!

    Shiang


    Concord Pavillion (Concord, CA), Sept 17, 1996

    review by Frank Ripp

    Blown away, rejuvenated, happy, and partly deaf.....

    These are my initial reactions to the Concord show last night - my first 1996 Neil Young experience.

    We had 8th row tickets (thanks Ciaran!) - however these were right next to a set of speakers and listening to Sponge was a PAINFUL experience! (My left ear still hurts). We traded our tickets to some lucky folks up near the middle and then were able to really enjoy the show. However, I did miss that great 8th row view!

    Neil and Crazy Horse were truly transcendent - this was an AMAZING performance! Highlights for me were:

    • Pocahontas
    • F*ckin' Up - I never really liked this song until last night!
    • A very psychedelic/trippy Cortez
    • A Hurricane that practically washed the audience away into the sea
    • A kick-ass Sedan Delivery (that's the song about Sacred Roots, right?)
    • A beautiful Roll Another Number
    • Rockin' In The Free World (a religious experience........)
    Negative: Being close to a number of loud assholes who kept screaming during the acoustic portion of the set. Sigh.

    I'm truly glad to have been able to experience the Horse at least once this year.....

    Calistar - nice meeting you, it's nice to match a face to your posts!

    To whoever taped this show (you DID tape this show, right?), I'd LOVE to get a copy! Dare I even hope for a tree?

    Frank


    Concord Pavillion (Concord, CA), Sept 17, 1996

    Mark Spooked Horse Morin's experience

    Hello folks, Spooked Horse here with a rambling of sorts about my experience. We drove 5 hours from Humboldt County to see Neil. It was worth every minute of it.

    The show was very predictable, except for CAT, and the beautiful transposing of HOG and Sugar Mountain together. It was nice. The Cortez solos were nothing like I had ever heard before, completely different than the Weld version.

    The Concord pavillion is located in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay area, and there are different people living out there. I don't mean to stereotype, but there a lot more conservative folks out there (minus Berkeley and Oakland). Well, who was sitting behind me at the show? None other than a hot-shot Silicon Valley computer tech and his loud wife, and their quiet friends...

    The show started and immedietely I got up. 2 minutes into HHMM, I get poked in my back and someone's telling me to sit down. I turned around and asked this ass not to touch me again.

    Pocahontas started, and again he tels me to sit down. My girlfriend started telling him that if he wants to sit, maybe he should go home and rent Rust Never Sleeps on video. Then after we told him where he could go, he tries to push me me down! I was this close to ruining this guy's night, and mine. Instead, I turned around to him and exclaimed to everyone who was sitting behind me, "LOOK ONSTAGE, THERE IS A 50-YR OLD MAN ON STAGE JUMPING AROUND WHY CAN'T YOU GET UP?!!! He waved his hand at me, as if to say it was irrelevant.

    People who sit at non-acoustic rock n roll concerts should be shot, or they shouldn't even bother to come at all. I will never sit at a show, and if you are a true fan you wouldn't sit down either. It is a form of respect for a performer to see fans standing. Do you know how good that makes them feel.

    My feeling is that Concord would have been better but most of the crowd didn't deserve it. What is it? Do you turn 30 and then you become an old fart? Well, I'm 26 and I'm going to rock 'til the day I die, just like Neil. I'll be 60 and still rockin to whoever's the shit at that time.

    Sometimes we forget what the words "ROCK N ROLL WILL NEVER DIE" really mean.

    Anyways, my concert was not ruined by this sorry excuse of a fan, and I arrived home safely, with 300+ messages on my account this morning, now it is time to delete.

    Spooked Horse in Humboldt


    Concord Pavillion (Concord, CA), Sept 17, 1996

    review by *DREAMER* Eric

    Hi Rusties,

    Just got back to SoCal from Concord with (*SR*) Richie today. Great satisfaction in my soul from the *total* experience of the West Coast shows we saw together, and the Rusties I now can see in my minds eye. Also got to put my mark on the MORE BARN banner.

    The Concord show was my fourth this tour and had some highlights that others did not. I loved the unusual start to Sugar Mountain, we did not know what he would be playing -- sounded like HOG, then almost like some Natural Anthem thrown in, then finally he broke into a different Sugar Mountain than I have heard before.

    Glad I got to see Comes a Time, it's been a long time. One of my favs. Nice to dedicate to Bonnie Raitt.

    Forever one of my old favorites, I thought that Cinnamon Girl was very powerful. "A powerhouse" is how Hugh Barroll puts it, and I agree with him 200%. I was on my feet, and was effortlessly lifted (jumping) up into the air with the music, by the energy obsorbed from the sound being generated.

    Fuckin Up once again proved itself and was as good as I have seen it done. I thought at the time that it was the best I've seen -- but I may have just been wrapped up in the moment.

    Get tired of RITFW sometimes, but this one was very good I thought. It had a nice different ending, with some neat stuff Neil threw in.

    Once again, I was glad to share the moment with others who are truely appreciative of what Neil does.

    Now that the west coast tour is finished, I can say that every show was different. Even with similar setlists, there is always some difference in the shows. Every show seems to have different songs that stand out, that NY & CH meet on some ground together and then peak, carrying us with them.

    Till Next Time

    *DREAMER*
    eric


    Concord Pavillion (Concord, CA), Sept 17, 1996

    review by Calistar

    Hiya,
    Well... What can I say... Neil & Crazy Horse rocked the place.

    It's currently 1:45am and my ears are still ringing. I am totally exhausted after working yesterday, seeing Neil last night at Cal(i)-Expo, working today, and then seeing Neil tonight at Concord! (and I have to work tomorrow %-)

    Standard Setlist tonight. No suprises, although Neil did something unusual with HOG. He played the entire intro, then went into a solo, and then finally merged into Sugar Mountain.

    Big Time was awesome and Slip Away was mind blowing.

    I was a little disappointed at the length of this show. It clocked in at 20-25 minutes less than the preceding night's performance at Cal-Expo.

    I met a huge number of Rusties. Every last one of them extremely friendly. I'll talk more about them in a future post. It was very cool to see row after row of MORE BARN! T-shirts, and to finally put the faces with the text.

    The MORE BARN banner made it safely thanks to Lost Dog and Jim Patilla (and others?).

    Well, thats it for now.

    Calistar

    P.S: During one of the songs (LAH?), Neil slammed one of the big candles down on the stage and some hot liquid wax splashed up and landed near Neil's eye region. He immediatly rubbed the area free of the wax and continued with the song. He seemed okay the rest of the night...


    Concord Pavillion (Concord, CA), Sept 17, 1996

    review by Hugh Barroll

    By the impossibly high standards Neil and Crazy Horse have set for themselves, Concord was a good show -- though not as magnificent as Sacramento. The show was relatively short (2 hours).

    Hey Hey, My My and F%*&ing Up had relatively short jams (at least compared to Sacto). Slip Away was a stunner. The jam worked beautifully. There seemed in general to be greater attention to delivering songs rather than exploring twisted byways of space. Cinnamon Girl benefited from this, a powerhouse.

    One unique event. Neil dedicated Comes a Time to Bonnie Raitt, who earlier this week was arrested at protests aiming to protect the ancient forests known as Headwaters. "It's a wonder tall trees ain't laying down."

    Hugh Barroll


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