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Bill Farah's Review
(more reviews coming)
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The show details.
A Minneapolis Tribune review.

First Set
1. Carry On
2. Southern Man
3. Stand And Be Counted
4. Pre-Road Downs
5. Heartland
6. 49 Bye-Byes
7. Slowpoke
8. Marrakesh Express
9. Faith In Me
10. Almost Cut My Hair
11. Cinnamon Girl
    Second Set
12. Helplessly Hoping
13. Our House
14. Old Man
15. Dream For Him
16. Someday Soon
17. Looking Forward
18. After The Goldrush
19. Guinnevere
20. Out Of Control
21. Seen Enough
22. Teach Your Children
    [7th Inning Stretch]
23. Woodstock
24. Long Time Gone
25. Ohio
26. For What It's Worth
27. Down By The River
28. Love The One You're With
29. Rockin' In The Free World
    Encore
30. Long May You Run

Went with my friend Tapper, who said it was his first real concert -- QUITE the first concert! And it's gonna be tough to top it...

Set list has been stagnant, but that's not a great surprise, considering some comments from Neil's management last fall. If anything, changes should come after the 8 day break they have before the second leg. My song hopes: Johnny's Garden, Change Your Mind, Music is Love, Queen of the Mall, Turn Back the Pages, It's All Coming Back, Good to See You, and Wild Tales. (I know they're longshots, but I can dream, can't I?) The upside to the set was they were real familiar with the material -- new songs fit in perfectly with the classics (despite what the Star Trib said). Everyone seemed very loose and comfortable. That's about all I can say about the downsides to the concert. Telling, isn't it?

Upsides? Too many to count, but I'll try to do some justice...

• Carry On -- After the first line (I think), Stills motioned off-stage that he couldn't hear. I don't know if the problem was fixed, but he seemed to just say f**k it, and played harder. The effect was a much more confident version than the Detroit telecast.

• 49 Reasons (That's the name Croz introduced it with) -- They false-started this one. Never seemed to get the groove, and Stephen seemed lost, but he wasn't the only one off, as drummer Jim Keltner raised his hand, accepting blame. So you're asking, "why is this a highlight?" Because on the second run through, Stephen, Neil, and Keltner played with FORCE -- really came off well. It's already a difficult song to play, and the new arrangement doesn't make things easier, but I'm glad they gave it a second go.

• Almost Cut My Hair -- Highlight of the first set. Croz sang his ass off, and the guitar duel was magnificent.

Highlights after the 7th Inning Stretch...

• Ohio -- Keltner's snare, Stills' lead, Neil's chant, and Crosby, pleading over and over, "Somebody tell me how many more?" Made me want to cry.

• For What It's Worth -- Great jazzed up version, went over really well.

• Down By the River -- Best version these ears have heard. Better than the Harvesters, better than the Horse, better than Pearl Jam. Neil was so ON for this it was scary. Eyes shut, just in a daze -- didn't seem to know where he was, or what was going on -- in the zone. I was a little apprehensive during the first solo -- he was kind of meandering, still looking for the groove. But on the second solo -- just INSANE. My friend and I kept looking at each other wondering if it could really be happening.

  Neil just hammered on Ol' Black, initially drowning out Stills. They faced each other center stage, with Croz in between by the drums, and you could see they were pushing each other. After a sonic burst from Neil, Stills started soloing over it, playing these short quick notes, running, no racing up and down the neck. That single moment underlined why they work so well together -- Neil's raw, loud passion, and the smoother, quicker Stills hovering over, trying to keep up.

  At one point, Crosby quit playing rythym altogether -- just threw up his hands in surrendered wonder. Then they traded licks for a while, till they both got on the same note. It was a sight: Neil bouncing all over the stage on this note, and Stills hopping up and down. Neil finally made it over to the mic to sing a chant of "Be on my side," before launching into another solo, but not before shouting out, "SHOT HER DEAD!" This song is the sole reason I'm getting a boot of this.

• Love the One You're With -- Nash really made this song with his harmony. Of the four, his voice seems the most intact (though I disagree with the Star Trib's cut on Stills' voice -- they ALL sounded good, but Nash in particular. And especially on this cut -- kind of like he sounded on 4-Way Street.

• Rockin' in the Free World -- Always thought this would be a good CSNY tune. I know people have said it belongs to the Restless, or the Horse, but really, it just belongs to Neil -- I don't care who backs him. But I thought the harmonies would sound good. And they did, but it was Ol' Black that stole the show. There was no attempt at guitar dueling here, Neil just took it. The most aggressive solo I've ever heard -- he just attacked the guitar. By the end of the song, all the strings were torn to shreds -- just brutalized. So cool.

I don't know about all the talk about whether it is CSNY or CSN & Neil. It's definitely a full band effort -- they each really bring something distinctive to the table. But, yes, Neil does "make it" -- especially by including songs like DBTR and RITFW. Kind of turns a good show into an unforgettable show. Right now, though, I'm just glad they're playing together, getting along so well, and sounding so damn good.

That's about all -- can't wait for Milwaukee.
-W

(more reviews coming soon... --RE*AC*TOR)