Neil Young & Crazy Horse reunited last May for five shows and then Neil put the horse back in the barn. Last night, Young, bassist Billy Talbot, drummer Ralph Molina and guitarist Nils Lofgren regrouped for the first of two Neil Young & Crazy Horse performances in Winnipeg.
Neil began Sunday’s show at Burton Cummings Theatre with a series of solo songs. After opening with “Thrasher,” Young dusted off Silver & Gold’s “Distant Camera” for the first time since June 2, 1999. “Heart Of Gold” came next before Neil picked up his banjo for “Old King” and ended the solo portion of the evening on piano for “Journey Through The Past” and “Green Is Blue.”
Young and Crazy Horse then dug into “Love To Burn” to kick off the electric portion of the concert. The quartet focused on material they performed last May including “Mansion On The Hill,” “Winterlong,” “Don’t Cry No Tears” and “Bad Fog Of Loneliness.” A big surprise came in the middle of the set, when Neil led the first Crazy Horse version of “Don’t Be Denied” since 1997. A run of “Cortez The Killer,” “Cinnamon Girl,” “Speakin’ Out,” “World On A String” and “Love & Only Love” brought the main set to a close. For the encore, Neil Young & Crazy Horse treated fans to “Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black).” A Neil Young Archives webcast crashed halfway through the set. Subscribers were advised to come back tomorrow (tonight):
“What a feeling to be home in Winnipeg, especially now, with all of you,” wrote Neil about the show on Neil Young Archives. “We are having a memorable time here. There’s something very special about this visit with the Horse. Seeing the old places where I started with first band … then playing the night in this grand old theater … surrounded by people I love, life is surely good.”
Setlist (via Sugar Mountain)
Set: (Acoustic) Thrasher / Distant Camera / Heart Of Gold / Old King / Journey Through The Past / Green Is Blue // (Crazy Horse) Love To Burn / Mansion On The Hill / Don’t Cry No Tears / Winterlong / Bad Fog Of Loneliness / Don’t Be Denied / Cortez The Killer / Cinnamon Girl / Speakin’ Out / World On A String / Love And Only Love
Encore: Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)
