Neil Young Set

Hi Mr Chimp

I think you're kind of getting in the NY groove in a cool way - you're not self-righteous at all my young friend. The path isn't hidden, but it might be a bit long for some...

This was the man who has gone his own way, often against the prevailing wind, for all his life. It wasn't just a gig, it was guitar art. I absolutely LOVE the sound of that Gretsch guitar cranked up loud to the point of feedback scream, and so does ol' Neil. You can see it, he loves the power, and gets totally lost inside the noise of it. I thought the 'No Hidden Path' version was really beautiful. I absolutely loved it. Like watching huge waves crashing on a beach or a thunderstorm breaking.

Not to everyone's taste of course, but Neil is a force of nature, and will go his own way regardless until the end.

only got one thing to say BRILLIANT,what a weekend with neil topping it off on a half soaked half sunny day,who cares the whole day was fantastic all the bands supporting neil done there bit big style, hats of to them all,,but neil was,well what can i say ,giving us some older stuff from his first and second album ,which some folk did,nt know but got into it anyway and fookin up ,he sure did spread it about,the man still and will always give us the joy ,a neil gig will never be forgotten ,i hope the neil virgins will now realise neil aint just another rock gig ,its a bit more special than that,,im just glad to have been a part of it all ,well done vince power ,it was a great venue a great gig and a great crowd ,i think at the end of the day everybody went home with a big cheesy drunken grin on there face feeling great,,i know i did,,,,,,,,GOD BLESS NEIL YOUNG

hailtothechimp - you're about the wisest 15 year old I ever read anything by. I wish I was that considered at 15.

I loved No Hidden Path, but hey it's easily in my top 3 favourite Young songs anyway, so 25 minutes of it was heaven to me, and indeed like blessed says, it felt like huge waves crashing on a beach. Young is so inspiring as a musician; he paints audio pictures, equal to any Picasso or Mataisse I've ever seen. Picasso painted Guernica, Young painted No Hidden Path with a guitar and a glorious voice. Luckily for Young, he gets the chance to paint his pictures over and over again, to new audiences, every night, and he used that chance last night to make the canvas for No Hidden Path even bigger, or in this case, longer - about half an hour long.

I honestly think that musicians like Young, and Lennon, Morrison, Hendrix, history will come to see them in the same light that history sees Bach, Mozart, and the like. These guys, and Young is surely in there with the greatest of the modern contemporary musicians, they have the same ability that the classical greats had, to change people's vision, their ideals, their hopes and their dreams. They certainly allow me to see the world with a less jaded eye. And in that half hour of listening to No Hidden Path, I certainly felt the veil lift from my eyes a little. I felt purer for the experience of it!

PK

Show some respect. Neil Young has always pleased himself first. If you're a real Young fan then you would know this. Even back in '73 with the Tonights The Night set there were people moaning and whining about our hero not playing any of the crowd pleasing favourites. So the Hop Farm was a good balance of something for everyone.
I personally liked everything played and the so called dirge of No Hidden Path was just another song in his canon along the same lines as classics like Down By The River or Cowgirl In The Sand. To not appreciate these extended shamanic grooves to me means you must be very narrow minded and psychically dead. There's just no pleasing some people - I bet you were the person sitting in your deckchair reading a book while the fabulous Primal Scream were playing. I mean, why bother going?
Neil sang the words of John Lennon in the last song of the night, "I'd love to turn you on..."
Well, don't waste your time Neil - it would be like giving strawberries to a pig!

Happily "deluded"...

AM

Helterskelter wrote: Neil Young has always pleased himself first. If you're a real Young fan then you would know this. Even back in '73 with the Tonights The Night set there were people moaning and whining about our hero not playing any of the crowd pleasing favourites. So the Hop Farm was a good balance of something for everyone.
Happily "deluded"...

AM

Not only does he do and play what ever he wants, he enjoys confounding the audiences expectations. People can be put out by this if they want, but its a bit late to start complaining. I personally was grateful for the chance to see him and would have been happy with whatever he played. No Hidden Path may have been overly long and I admit I would have liked others (Powderfinger, Hurricane etc) but the reason like and respect him so much is precisely for that. He does whatever the hell he wants and you can bitch and moan as much as you like, but it won't do any good. If you dig it you dig it and if you don't you don't. To expect a greatest hits set would have been pretty naive, and to my mind, would miss the point of Neil Young completely. (this rant isnt directed at you Helterskelter )

Helterskelter wrote:
There's just no pleasing some people - I bet you were the person sitting in your deckchair reading a book while the fabulous Primal Scream were playing. I mean, why bother going?

I have to say though, even as a fan of Primal Scream's earlier stuff, I could have sat down and read a book during their set, they seemed like they could'nt be bothered.

wizard2953 wrote:hidden path should have been cut to about 5 mins

to make way for a medly of cortez cowgirl and hurricane with a full version of down by the river

then the day would have been complete for me

I really liked the whole 'no hidden path' performance. Would have also loved Cortez the Killer and down by the river. - perhaps he should have had another half an hour?
All in all, I thought the set was spot on!

Dunno what you're on about...it worked for me...please organisers make this the Neil Young Festival and try and get him back every year for as long as poss. Anyway thanks for a great festival with great bands that complemented each other well. LOVED IT!!!

I wonder what some of these people who are complaining about Neil's set would have thought about his "Greendale"tour?

I could have listened to No Hidden Path for for the rest of the night !

Yes it would have been great to have Cortez or Cowgirl or any number of others but they are all great songs and just to have Neil playing a selection live and such a brilliant set - what more is there to say - its best just to enjoy it all and keep the memory.

helpless wrote:This was the man who has gone his own way, often against the prevailing wind, for all his life. It wasn't just a gig, it was guitar art. I absolutely LOVE the sound of that Gretsch guitar cranked up loud to the point of feedback scream, and so does ol' Neil. You can see it, he loves the power, and gets totally lost inside the noise of it. I thought the 'No Hidden Path' version was really beautiful. I absolutely loved it. Like watching huge waves crashing on a beach or a thunderstorm breaking.

Not to everyone's taste of course, but Neil is a force of nature, and will go his own way regardless until the end.

my god you put that well,yes i like only one prob no ambulance blues

beryl guru is right - we had a fantastic time and, as the days go by, realise what a brilliant lineup it was, although we knew beforehand that it would be. Firstly, how can you go wrong with NY heading the list? Guillemots, My Morning Jacket and Supergrass were amazing. Well done to the rest. I'm not a fan of Primal Scream, but they try to do a good set appearing before the likes of the Stones (at Twickenham a few years ago) and Neil Young. There were a few hiccups, but remember, this was the first Hop Farm Festival. Lets hope all the moaners don't make it the last!!

I liked everything, and if No Hidden Path was long, well at least it gave me time to go for a wee and come back and find him still playing the same track. There will always be songs we would have liked to hear; I would have liked a second encore, but I just don't see how he could have topped Day in the Life.

Lovely to hear from the young Young fans...take a look at my life, I was a lot you are

personally v pleased because I've had ME for 9 years and this is the first time I've manged to stay all day at a festival since 1999. I ached all over yesterday, but it was so worth it.

Neil Young is the miracle cure! Hallelujah!

Not too bad a reaction... I still stand by my opinion, and of course it's just my opinion.

I am not a huge Neil Young fan, but I do love his earlier stuff, and to me that is his real genius. I think his strength is in the combination of his lyrics and melodies, his plaintive singing voice, and his guitar work when tight and meaningful.

I enjoyed the day immensely and watched all of the acts (Primal Scream were excellent, my favourite act of the night in fact, so it goes to show you can be wrong about people, Helterskelter). I appreciated everything that was put in front of me (that includes Neil Young, until THAT song), even though some of it wasn't to my taste, and thought that everyone played professionally, tightly and enthusiastically.

And that in a way is what irked me about Neil Young; it was a day of eight different acts, it wasn't a Neil Young gig. Which means it wasn't a Neil Young audience, it was a mixed bunch. It was the wrong time to jam. If all the other acts can understand this, why can't Neil Young? Because he is the headliner? Not valid - see above audience comments. Because he is Neil Young? Unfortunately, this appears to be the case reading some of the posts. Neil Young does what Neil Young wants, the people who pay maybe don't enter his equation, they possibly don't even exist in Neil Young world. This might be ok for all the Young fanatics, lucky you I suppose, but what about the rest of us poor buggers?

Good comments from everyone, enjoyed reading them.

Thanks Daniel PK for your indepth evaluation of NY on Sunday. I really enjoyed reading your post.

I am an old NY fan and it has been my life long dream to see NY. I managed to afford a ticket but had an accident in car on the way to concert. Car undriveable. As no trains after 10.l25pm had to think of another form of transport! Eventually rode there on my 125cc motorbike on L plates via A and many B roads in the pitch dark, and got lost en route! Felt like a scene from 'Pans Labyrinth' at times! I have never driven in the dark or the torrential rain before, but carried on - desperate to get there in time to experience NY.

Sadly I arrived at 11pm and the lone police biker blocking the road to Paddock Wood told me it was over !!!!!!!

I turned around and headed back and got home at 1.30am.

To hear about the day was wonderful because I feel as if I know what happened at least. You had to go back to Bolton - makes my journey feel like a trip to the local shops .

Thank you for your positive and sensible comments about NY and the day and you obviously have a great attitude to life as it shines through in your post.

Thanks for your time.

I feel so much better now