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Rating: Neil Young is a name of undeniable historical and musical importance. The flexibility and versatility of this musician lie in the interesting musical transition between folk, country, rock, and blues, which he, endowed with a strong guitar style and a peculiar vocal timbre, manages to handle with extreme naturalness and skill.
Young's musical products have been numerous, some praised by critics and listeners, others considered as true garbage. Personally, I had the pleasure of listening to his complete discography, and now I feel free to draw my conclusions about the real talents of this much "controversial" artist. Immersed in the sea of Neil Young's works, I got lost in the charm of his early country pieces (how can one not mention "Old Man" or "Heart of Gold?") only to move on to his electric pieces (among which the famous "Hey Hey My My" stands out) and then onto the times of "Buffalo Springfield" and especially "CSN&Y".
Neil Young is an artist who produces his music for himself even before for people; in fact, he puts all his heart into the arrangements, seeking the sonic alchemy that best describes what he wants to communicate. When the musician is sad, or rather his work wants to convey this sensation, the guitar transitions from the melodious timbres of country to a dark distortion, almost an anomalous wave full of dark echoes, tears, and arcane and confused sufferings. Likewise, the voice (already particularly suited to blues and sad songs) becomes a whining confused lullaby, an invocation, a subdued cry.
This total impersonation, which varies enormously depending on musical circumstances, can only tickle and satisfy a Nick Drake lover like me. So, when I find out that Neil Young will be playing in Verona, I can’t help but tell my father, who not only listened to Young when he was young but also went around covering his acoustic pieces. By April, we already have tickets for the show that will occupy the Verona arena on June 23rd.
Just walking down the picturesque avenues of the historic city, still far from the Arena, you can notice a strong atmosphere of excitement. Many stalls scattered everywhere sell the rock star’s gadgets, and there’s an endless line in front of the Arena. We finally enter at 9 PM, but before the concert starts, we have to wait a staggering hour and a quarter, during which, after a brief performance by a band of young locals, an endless music track plays, interrupted by the whistles of the impatient audience.
Finally, Neil Young arrives.
The applause echoes and overlaps thunderously in the fairytale setting of the ancient Verona Arena, which presents itself as a wonderful amphitheater, wisely illuminated by powerful lights, creating an appropriate scenario for a high-caliber musical evening.
Having taken up the guitar, Young starts with a long electric instrumental piece, a true warm-up where he demonstrates all his musical ability on the six strings. He then goes on to showcase the most famous pieces of his folk repertoire, aided by a first-rate band, in which his wife Peggy also figures. During the evening, Young also touches on electric pieces, culminating in an unforgettable version of "Hey, Hey, My, My," a song I didn’t expect to hear, as rumors had informed me he no longer performed it live out of respect after Curt Cobain’s suicide (who wrote a farewell letter with the words of this song).
I am left speechless, almost with tears in my eyes, seeing a Neil Young (now sixty-three years old) maneuver with incredible clarity, moving from "Old Man" to "Long May You Run", up to the electric revisitation of the album "Chrome Dreams II". During the evening, Young also ventures, with commendable sound effect, on the organ (and I’m speaking of a large organ, nearly "church-like"), playing an evocative piece called "Mother Earth." Another detail is that, for every piece Neil Young played, an artist could be seen painting panels.
His name is Eric Johnson, and he is an excellent graphic artist, who improvises painting "banners" on mixed backgrounds, related to the songs that Young’s band plays at the moment, as the performance goes on. He then positions the paintings hanging on a totem on stage, displaying them beautifully as an embellishment to an already successful atmosphere.
Before saying goodbye to his audience, as I expected, Neil Young offers us a cover. And of whom, if not "Freewheelin'" Bob Dylan? And which one, if not "All Along The Watchtower," played with a perfectly fitting electric base? Indeed, a cover ends a wonderful evening, which also had negative aspects (among which I count the spasmodic wait and the excessive length of some "semi-instrumental" electric pieces). However, as I see it, having seen Neil Young live is an experience that has deeply enriched me, and the enormous wait, combined with the 63 euros of the ticket, was amply repaid by the fabulous setting of the concert, and by 90% of the pieces that Neil Young played.
I will never forget "Old Man," and I have the pride of having heard Neil Young play it, just a few dozen meters from my seat.
Thank you all.
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Francesco
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