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Sheila Lookout Mama's "drained" review
Kurt Leinenweber's review
(more reviews coming)
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The show details.

1. Motorcycle Mama
2. Powderfinger
3. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
4. I Believe In You   [electric]
5. Unknown Legend   [electric]
6. Fool For Your Love
7. Buffalo Springfield Again
8. Razor Love
9. From Hank To Hendrix
10. You And Me
11. Daddy Went Walkin'
12. Peace Of Mind
13. Walk On
14. Winterlong
15. Bad Fog Of Loneliness
16. Words (Between The Lines Of Age)
17. Harvest Moon
18. World On A String
19. Tonight's The Night   [on piano]
    Encore
20. Cowgirl In The Sand
    Second Encore
21. Mellow My Mind

I have to let this one sink in --
      -- quite possibly the best show I've seen him do ever!!!!
            I'm still drained...........
Sheila
{Lookout Mama}
***it's all illusion anyway***

Hey Rusties! I saw the Phoenix show just now...
I really loved the show. It was a different kind of Neil show, and I appreciated it. At times I almost felt like the show was being played just for me -- it had a lot of my weird favorites. Then I noticed that some others around me were also enjoying it...

I lucked out in another way -- my neighbors on the right were quiet -- almost boring. And the ones on the left: although the woman sang along on a couple of songs, she was actually really good! It was fun to see someone else enjoying it so much.

I noticed a pattern in this show that was different. Neil would play with a certain guitar for quite a few songs, then switch to another. He started with Old Black, played some choppy electric rock 'n roll songs. It was a good start. When he played I Believe in You on Old Black it was fantastic. That's when I said "now I remember why I came here." I had a "moment" during that song. His rhythm work - right off of After The Gold Rush (he must have played Old Black on the original too) was stunning to me. He brushed the guitar so quietly it was hard to believe it was the same axe that gave us Like A Hurricane.

After the Old Black stretch, another electric came out, I think, but then the acoustic came out. It stayed out for a lot of songs - maybe 6 or 7? I was happy that he played a long acoustic interlude, giving it a lot of time to sink in. He played Razor Love soooo slowly. At first I felt uncomfortable - it seemed too slow and I was afraid he was gonna lose people. Then it started to act on me. I started liking the pace. Then I never wanted to song to end! It was a great rendition of the song. When the chord changed they would pick it up - then back down again.

After the acoustic stretch, out came a big white electric for -- -- Walk On! I was so happy I was almost dancing. (Sorry Rusties, but unlike a lot of people I'm a terrible square and almost nothing can make me dance -- but that doesn't mean I love Neil any less.) Then he played Winterlong! And the concert kept going...

I settled down as I realized I was really getting a nice dose of Neil. Words played well with the rhythm changes, and had a magical guitar moment about a minute after the second verse, when a lot of people rose up. Soon he played one of my all time favorites -- World On a String ("I called for the shape I'm in..."). Finally Tonight's The Night on the piano. I could almost imagine that I was at the European tour that is featured on the cover of that venerable album (I've seen the song performed by Crazy Horse many times, but not on the piano).

Cowgirl In The Sand for the encore was fun -- although any more and it would have whetted my appetite for the Horse. There was some good feedback at the end, really good.

Then I was personally very happy to hear one of my weird favorites, Mellow My Mind, sung without the cracking falsetto part. Instead, he took the notes down in an interesting way that did not make it sound like he was "selling out" on the high notes (especially since he never hit 'em in the first place, on the original).

Thanks for indulging me all those words, Rusties. Hope you read 'em happily.

Oh yeah, a bit about Sheryl Crow. My wife and I were late because of a weekly dinner with my wife's family and then the g**damn freeway closing on I-10 which I didn't know about. So we only got to see a few songs of hers. And Rusties, believe me, she is really, really good. Anyone who loves Neil would have to be impressed by her. I hope she comes back on her own, because I know I would much prefer to see her in a venue that was hers. There simply isn't enough enthusiasm for an opening act, and it always seems a little stifled, at least to me. The crowd wasn't paying her the attention that she really deserved. And besides, I was too distracted with excitement about the fact that Neil Young's equipment was under all the black tarps that were behind her.

Anyway... as Neil said, "See you down the road." I'm happy now - I had a Neil moment. See you later,

-- Kurt ("I Called For the Shape I'm In")

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