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New World Theatre
Tinley Park (Near Chicago) Sept 6, 1996

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--> The Old Man Review
--> Harry Carter's Review
--> Russ Rusty Omen's Review
--> Joe the loner Berkemeier's Review
--> Ken Chrome Heart Shining Davis's Review
Also See:
--> An Addicted To Noise Review (on another web site)

The Set List

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

New World Theatre, Chicago, Sept 6, 1996

review by Tom Old Man Ostler

You've seen the setlist, you've memorized the setlist, but its nothing compared to experiencing the setlist in person. MAN, WHAT A SHOW.

HHMM, Pocohantas and Big Time sounded a bit muddy to me. It sounded as if sound system couldn't keep up with the boys. I couldn't tell if the vocals and solos I was hearing were the real thing or if my memory was filling in what my ears missed. Either way the tempo of each song was slowed down, stripped down, all embellishment removed. This was pure rock and roll in its most elemental form.

It was nice to hear Big Time and Slip Away. I love hearing the new stuff and Slip Away just soared. By this time the sound was much clearer or maybe I just became more accustomed to everything. I'm as tired as the next person of the acoustic selections but I found myself singing Needle, HOG and Sugar Mountain with the same joy and enthusiasm as I did with every other song. I may have preferred other songs here but I was not disappointed.

Cinnamon Girl was like a battery kickstart. Full tempo, robust, full throttle. Like a shot of adrenaline. Over before you knew it. Fuckin' Up followed and was massive. I repeat: massive. Usual stage antics from the boys but what a performance. This one song typifies everything Neil and the Horse are capable of. They could have called it a night after this song. I had gotten my money worth yet I knew there was more to come.

Cortez just might have been the best I've ever heard it. Mysterious and haunting. Music Arcade was nice to hear but nothing special, gave CH a break for what was to come.

Like A Hurricane was just that. Primal forces of nature flowed from their instruments. Frank may have been a 3, but Neil was a 5. I watched Neil and Billy and Pancho beat their instruments, coaxing the hurricane to issue forth. Absolutely unbelievable. Neil didn't drag Old Black by the broken strings and what he did with the candle I wouldn't call dancing. This one has to be experienced in person, no tape will ever do the power of this song justice.

I wish I could say I gained insight into Powderfinger, the first song of the first encore, but I didn't. 24 hours after the show and I can't think of any lasting impressions of this song. Cowgirl was another treasure to remember. By the end of this song Neil had been on stage for more than 2 hours without any real break. No one can accuse him of dogging it on this tour. Neil gave everything he had.

Final encore: Roll Another Number. Why Neil keeps this song on the active list is a bit of a mystery. I love the Woodstock references, maybe so does Neil. "Oh I don't believe I'll be going back that way...". Maybe its Neils way of saying the 60's are over, get used to it. RITFW. Last song of the night. Strong and powerful. Hard to enjoy knowing it was the last song of the night. I guess my withdrawal had already started.

Best Neil and CH show ever? Second best. The next one will be even better...

Other Notes:
Thanks to Joel for driving; Joe for trying to get a RustFest going; Russ for not commenting on my dancing, and everyone else I met that night, wish I could have met you all.

Tom Old Man Ostler --- (tostler@interaccess.com)

New World Theatre, Chicago, Sept 6, 1996

review by Harry Carter

Someone else has posted the set list so I won't, other than to note that the main set was the same set he's been doing throughout the tour.

My impressions:

  • Hey, Hey, My, My - Good, not great, rendition, perhaps a little slower than normal. Course, I'm spoiled. My first hearing of it was in 78 when it was still unreleased and it was his first encore. I rarely get blown away from a totally new song.

  • Fuckin Up - Excellent!!!! I loved the LOUD throbbing roar of the percussion/bass on this song, especially when Neil let the volume of his solos drop to just above the roar.

  • Cortez the Killer - Seemed a little more wistful/sad with less rave up guitar soloing. Worked quite well. This was a sit down and let it wash over me song (all right I swayed a little in the seat). It did a good job of changing the pace/mood between Fucking Up and Music Arcade.

  • Like a Hurricane - I believe that starting it as if they just ended it, and 2 run throughs, was pre-planned. But so what, It was still a great rendition.

  • The encores - What can I say. Excellent. Powderfinger was the usual dependable great version.

  • Then: Cowgirl in the Sand - YES!!!. It was the first and only oldie that I hadn't heard at a show before this show. And it was awesome.

  • Then: Roll another Number - Very Good.

  • Rockin in the Free World - Very good version. Other than the solo acoustic version prior to its release, the best version I've seen. I particularly liked Neil letting his guitar volume drop down to just the roar of the percussion/bass between the second and third verses. That hard, loud pounding roar was perfect here.

    All in all a very good show. One of his best electric tours.

    And can we say a crowded venue? I'm sure a large chunk of the crowd was Dave Mathews band types. The World was packed and I spent forever getting out of the damn parking lot -- at least the expressways moved fast once I got to one (I was routed all over the ass end of Chicagoland getting out of there). Something to be said of the 75mph de facto speed limit of Chicago's expressways.

    BTW, I wish they'd realize they'd sell more beer if it wasn't $4.75 a pop. Yea gods.

    Harry Carter

    New World Theatre, Chicago, Sept 6, 1996

    review by Russ Rusty Omens

    Fellow Rustaholics:
    Now that I'm awake, I just want to echo some of the impressions of the Chicago show. First another thanks to Tom Ostler for procurring the tickets (and a pleasure to meet you and your family) and to Shiela for a fantastic job organizing the tickets at the last moment. The RustFest was a non-event, but the show is still playing in my head. The seats were the best I've ever had for a Neil show, dead center and about 5 rows in front of the mixing board, so the sound was great!

    Zeke looked so much like the old man -- same intense countenence.

    The show: Opening chord of HHMM hit like the proverbial ton of bricks. Neil is undisputed king of the power chord, there was so much energy. I was struck by how he conjours up the music, writhing and controting his body to draw the sound and feeling out of the ether. Like a shaman, with that indian-dance, shaking his guitar like he was wrestling with a snake or a thunderbolt. It must truly be a spiritual experience for him.

    Anyway, from that first chord through the last he was into it. I was exhausted after the show. How must Neil feel when the adrenaline wears off? The laconic Young probably said less than 5 or 6 words all night. He let the music speak.

    Big Time really breathed for me, lots more air in the live version. The band also seemed to come alive during the end solos of Slip Away. And they never looked back. Neil grinned widely during the two-note solo in CG, still digging it 27 years later! As posted, Fuckim' Up was a monster, worth a tree for this alone. A real highlight. Band playing real close, lots of movement, lots of fun. This is the spirit of the horse.

    During LAH, Neil dragged old black across the stage as Billy whipped his bass. Neil spilled the wax from the candle over the stage as if in invocation of the storm gods. "Theatrical", yeah, but still powerful.

    And lastly, I listened to CITS from NY 1970 on the way to the show and hoped that the set list would vary at least a little bit, so I was obviously ecstatic when that first Am chord gave the song away after Powderfinger. But I was floored by the intensity of the playing. Neil stalked the stage and pulled out three lengthy and rippling solo sections. The second solo started with the riff from the orginal recorded EKTIN version.

    Even though I've seen Neil 5 or 6 times in the past, I've never seen the Horse before. They gave 100%, no filler, lean and to the bone. A memorable evening.

    I'm thrilled to be able to post this in light of the other reviews. I'm thinking especially of Marc's (Powderfinger) post urging everyone to see this tour as Neil and the Horse were so hot. All I can say, is --no shit! I'm not a dancer, but I was moving during this show. I hope you all get your turn!

    ---Rusty

    New World Theatre, Chicago, Sept 6, 1996

    review by Joe the loner Berkemeier

    Well, I've finally recovered from last night's show, so I thought I'd post my reactions to it. You've already seen the setlist, so...

  • F@#$'in Up - The most incredible version I've ever heard. EVER. 15 minutes long. Pancho & Billy were pushing and shoving the whole way through, with the biggest grins on their face. They all took turns yelling in the mic, but I couldn't make it out over Neil. Neil yelled at the least "We Survived...", but that's all I could make out. Pancho flipped off Neil several times, yelling "You're just a f@#$ up". Even Billy took several turns at the microphone. This performance DEFINITELY needs to make it onto a tree somehow; I don't know if I'll ever see Neil do anything better than this.

  • HH,MM - Neil changed the line "The king is gone, but he's not forgotten" to a snarling "Good job Johnny" twice instead. Commentary on the Sex Pistols reunion tour?

  • CITS - Neil's played it three times in the States, and I've caught two of them. Boy am I lucky!

  • RITFW - My roommate (not a big Neil fan, hope last night changed that!) wanted to hear this all night, and finally got to hear it. Nice red, white, and blue light display.

  • The RustFest - Well, it sort of happened. Met Ken and his lovely wife, saw Dan Baker and wife again, and met Tim (didn't get a last name). There was really nowhere to hang the IMHO pitiful sign (I made it, I can insult it :P ), which I made at the last minute when I found out the MORE BARN banner had ended up at my parents house. The Rustie meeting between the Dave Matthews set and Neil's never happened, because I was trying to get tickets closer to the stage...

  • Dave Matthews Band - They played a very good opening act that lasted 75 minutes, with an encore (!). Lot of their radio songs. Dave mentioned several times "What an honor it is to share the stage with Neil Young." The local "alterna-rock" station Q101 had been promoting the show as "Dave Matthews with special guest Neil Young", so it was DEFINITELY more a Dave Matthews crowd than a Neil crowd. Not many people left after DMB, though.

  • The venue - I will never again go to the World. EVER. Tinley Park police in the lot telling you to go stand in line, when the gates didn't open until 4:45 (15 minutes late). Then you couldn't get to the seats until 5, because the soundcheck was late. The security were total jerks, (couldn't even get to the Rustrow farther up) they had people checking ticket stubs every 15 rows to make sure you were where you were supposed to be. Another thing I hated: the pavilion had luxury boxes (!) hanging from the roof. And the miniscule lawn looked to be atrocious... only 2/3 of it had grass. The backside of the lawn wasn't even finished -- it looked to me like it had been carved out of a huge, five year old pile of fill dirt.

    Well... so ends my Neil shows for 1996. (sob) Wish I had heard PoRnR or The Loner, but hey, I did get Cowgirl twice! Nice to meet all the Rusties I did meet -- hope to see you all down the road. (Or in Gary W.'s case, at Pearl Jam in Toledo on the 22nd.)

    the loner

    Joe Berkemeier

    of worlds and dayglo stiks
    New World Theatre, Chicago, Sept 6, 1996

    review by Ken Chrome Heart Shining Davis

    We missed the Gin Blossoms unfortunately...
    And the Dave Matthews Band left me non-plussed as to what all the fuss is up with them....

    But Neil and the Horse royally spooked me all right!

    Accidentally leaving my binoculars in the car (and being obnoxiously denied the chance to retrieve them) was a slight bummer as these were not the greatest seats (far right and in the last section -- I knew I should have gone with the Rustrow, but noooooo -- I just couldn't get it together...) However, most of our row was empty and we slid along to the left as far as we could. Not that we couldn't see -- the entire band was visible from where we sat. And I didn't sit for long anyway.

    As soon as Neil started I got so restless that I literally could not sit still. I wandered / danced / sprinted up the hill on what is euphemistically called the "lawn" at the World "Music" Theatre (I put it in quotes because the acoustics there are *SO* bad and it's mostly dirt not grass) When I got in the middle, the intensity of the *sound* shoved me right up to the cyclone fence surrounding the top of the "lawn." However, I felt -- as at Deer Creek -- that it could have been plenty louder. I never felt the need for my earplugs- unusual for me. But I was pasted against the fence like a wet leaf on a screen during a summer storm...

    As I quivered there transfixed by HHMM, Big Time, Slip Away, F*ckin' Up and especially Cortez/Hurricane... And CITS. [Twice pour moi- Oui!!!] I began to vibrate in tune with Neil's chords.

    When a vendor wandered by selling those damn flourescent colored plastic rods I bought a handful of them and started waving them around in time to the music. I used my fingers to spread them, and both arms to wave those suckers in circles and loop de loops and jiggle them like they were charged with electricity (they were!).

    When I turned to my left a radio tower was strobing in time with the Horse's lope (and my pulse). And Chicago sprawled across the north -- a shattered mirror-ball thrown against the velvety black humidity, reflecting the hazy stars above.....

    My initial thoughts were to give Neil and the guys something extra back... Sort of a "signal received!" via a little impromtu light show just for them, whenever they (infrequently) looked up at the night... But after a while the other folks at the top of the hill started egging me on and hooting each new motion or permutation of phosphor blue and dayglo green trails...

    So I began stalking/boogieing the lawn and waving these damn plastic things around (though I always watched to not hit anyone) and hooking them into a big cirle and making a... sort of a sine wave with it.

    It was the best concert I've been to in a long time and the best time I've had at a concert in a long time.... and though the security WAS heavy, and the reported re-checking of tickets every ten rows or so is correct, not once did any of the red-shirted goons give me any grief.

    After the show I couldn't find the car and wandered across the aftermath of an apparent fist fight... Not even that reminder of the weight of the world could bring me right down...

    Chrome heart shining
    aka Ken (kd1noise) Davis

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