Review: Jayhawks - 12/20/03 - First Ave. - Mpls, MN

Night two of the madness continues...

33 songs. Again. 2-1/2 hours. Again. A fan could kinda get used to this!

Another fine evening. Everybody seemed in good spirits and the wonderful music just kept a-flowin'.

Random thoughts:

* By my reckonin', 13 songs were played Saturday that weren't played Friday (not counting the aborted "Fools on Parade" from Friday). That's 45 songs in two nights! Gary said last night that they were going to continue to break out more songs; he evidently isn't kidding.

*The choir was a bit more audible -- and effective -- last night.

* Karen's upright was replaced with an electronic kybd. Although the piano sounded fine in the house on Friday, my guess is that it didn't work out right for the multi track recording that is being done at these shows, hence the replacement.

* The slower, sadder, quieter version of "Settled Down Like Rain" with Steven picking away on the banjo is just breathtakingly good. One of the major highlights both nights.

* More new SOL highlights. "Bottomless Cup," "Sound of Lies," and even "Poor Little Fish," which came off really well after a false start. That's what trying to rehearse 60+ songs in a week will get ya. They've already played over half of the album -- let's see what tonight will bring.

* "Broken Harpoon" and "Sound of Lies" -- Gary at his most beautiful, to borrow a phrase from R.E.M.

* The rarely played "Caught With a Smile on My Face" (from the RDM bonus disc) was another surprise for the faithful.

* "Red's Song," "Nevada, CA" and "The Baltimore Sun" were all played again, providing some of the biggest thrills of the night for long-time fans.

* They did "I Am the Cosmos" (an excellent post-Big Star 45 from Chris Bell) at soundcheck, which resulted in a magnificent version during the 2nd encore, complete with Jim Boquist on lead guitar and bg vox. Don't think i've heard them do this since 97 (Taste of MN perhaps?).

* 3 more songs from RDM made their bow last night -- "You Look So Young," "Sarajane," and "All the Right Reasons" -- and all sounded just swell, especially ATRR.

* After an aborted effort on Friday, "Fools on Parade" -- Gary's best bigdumbrocker since "Get the Load Out" -- closed out the night, rocking like crazy, kicking ass and taking numbers.


Jayhawks
First Ave. - Mpls - 12/20/03


1. Stumbling Through the Dark
2. Angelyne
3. Jennifer Save Me (Kraig = electric gtr / Jessy)
4. Clouds
5. Two Hearts (Kraig = acoustic gtr / Jessy)
6. You Look So Young
7. Life Floats By
8. Save It For a Rainy Day
9. Broken Harpoon
10. Caught With a Smile on My Face
11. Queen of the World (Kraig = el gtr)
12. Think About It (Kraig = el gtr / Jessy)
13. Eyes of Sarajane
14. Red's Song
15. Waiting For the Sun (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
16. Poor Little Fish (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
17. All the Right Reasons
18. Expecting to Fly (somewhere in here)
19. Tampa to Tulsa
20. Bottomless Cup (Jessy)
21. Smile (Kraig = el gtr / choir)
22. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (Kraig = ac gtr / choir)
23. I'd Run Away (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
24. Blue (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)

ENCORE 1
25. Settled Down Like Rain [banjo version]
26. The Baltimore Sun
27. Sound of Lies (Jessy)
28. Nevada, CA
29. Tailspin (Kraig = ac gtr)
30. Sister Cry

ENCORE 2
31. Ode to Billy Joe (Kraig = el gtr / Jessy / Gary = bass / Marc = ac gtr / Karen = lead vox)
32. I Am the Cosmos (Jim Boquist = lead gtr & bg vox)
33. Fools on Parade


One more night...

Review: Jayhawks - 12/19/03 - First Ave. - Mpls, MN

Jesus, Mary & Joseph, that was one hell of a "holiday special" show! And "special" doesn't begin to cover it all. The scary thing is that they may very well get better in the coming nights since a big production like this tends to improve with age, just like a good red wine.

I didn't take any notes, prefrerring to "enjoy the moment" as much as possible. Here's a rough transcript of the "official" setlist I grabbed after the show. Pretty sure this is accurate, although i'm still pretty foggy this AM.

Highlights were numerous. I especially enjoyed hearing all of the "Sound of Lies" material done so nicely. And the Charlie Rich cover ("Life's Little Ups and Downs") made a very welcome return to the setlist -- one of Tim's best ever vocals IMO. And Marc's turn at center stage doing a reading from the Basement Tapes. And seeing Karen playing and singing and smiling just like she never left. And...OK, i'll shut up now.

Jayhawks - 12/19/03 - First Ave.

"Guests" noted where applicable. Karen played piano / keyboards & sang BG vox on virtually every song IIRC.

1. Stumbling Through the Dark
2. Angelyne
3. What Led Me to This Town (Kraig = electric gtr)
4. Take Me With You When You Go (Kraig = acoustic gtr)
5. Real Light (Kraig = el gtr)
6. NLTB (Kraig = el gtr / Jessy)
7. The Man Who Loved Life (Kraig = el gtr / Jessy)
8. Save It For a Rainy Day
9. Tampa to Tulsa
10. Jennifer Save Me (Kraig = el gtr / Jessy)
11. It's Up To You (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
12. Waiting For the Sun (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
13. Stick in the Mud (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
14. Queen of the World (Kraig = el gtr)
15. Smile (Kraig = el gtr / choir)
16. Lights
17. Will I See You In Heaven
18. Break in the Clouds (Kraig = el gtr)
19. Life's Little Ups and Downs (Kraig = el gtr)
20. I'd Run Away (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
21. Blue (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
22. Nevada, California
23. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (Kraig = ac gtr / choir)

ENCORE 1
24. Settled Down Like Rain
25. The Baltimore Sun
26. Red's Song
27. Think About It (Kraig = el gtr / Jessy)
28. Tailspin (Kraig = ac gtr)
29. Sister Cry

ENCORE 2
30. Ode To Billy Joe (Karen = lead vox / Kraig = el gtr / Jessy / Gary = bass / Marc = ac gtr)
31. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Marc = lead vox, ac gtr / Gary = bass)
32. Fools on Parade [aborted]
33. Until You Came Along (Kraig = el gtr / Jim Boquist = ac gtr, bg vox)

Over 2.5 hours! Yikes, no wonder i'm so trashed today!

See y'all tonight!

The mystery of "Freight Train" revealed

(updated 2024)

Recent converts to Kraig Johnson and the Program are frequently blown away by a song that usually gets played at or near the end of the show. It's a kick-ass rocker called "Freight Train" -- and that's usually what the listener feels like they've been hit with after experiencing The Program's power on this song. After collecting their senses, I've had more than a few people ask me at shows, "what is that song?...is it a cover?...did the Replacements do it?...it sounds familiar."

"Freight Train" is indeed a cover and an obscure one at that. It was originally done by Sister Double Happiness, a Bay Area supergroup of sorts, formed in the mid-80s and featuring members of The Dicks - an OG punk band originally from Austin, TX who released a seminal punk single "Hate the Police" in 1980 - and a SF band Pop-O-Pies. It was written by Gary Floyd, former front man of The Dicks, in 1985-86 and was recorded in October 1987 for SDH's self-titled debut 1988 album on the SST label...  which just happens to be the label that put out some records by Kraig's band at the time, Run Westy Run. Floyd's agitprop, confrontational stance in The Dicks - who were once described as a "communist Queercore band" - had diminished by the time he relocated to California in the early 80s but he possessed a keen, insightful eye for what was going on around him.

Interestingly, the lyrics of "Freight Train" have some cultural and historical significance -- it's one of the very first rock songs I'm aware of that references the AIDS/HIV epidemic, something that wasn't exactly front page news in the indie rock world when the song was written. That SDH was based in the Bay Area is no surprise either, considering how San Francisco was one of the earliest battlegrounds for that "plague of the century."

Kraig first came across the song in the SST offices in CA in the late 80s. In short order, "Freight Train" started showing up occasionally in Run Westy Run setlists in the early 90s as a vocal showcase for Kraig, but The Program have really claimed it as their own over the last few years, eventually releasing a studio version in 2004 for the Kraig Jarret Johnson EP, recorded with The Program and other MN musical luminaries. It even pops up occasionally during Iffy shows, Kraig's funk/pop/rock crew with his brother Kirk. Damn near every performance of it these days is a life-affirming experience!


Freight Train

I wake up in the middle of the night
My skin is like a block of ice
Hot sweat pouring out of me
I got the plague of the century

(Chorus)
It's like a freight train
It's like an airplane
It's like a hurricane
Taking me away

I was as good as i could be
My skin smooth as ivory
I swear to God i hardly messed around
That modern plague put me into the ground

(chorus)

I call my mama, she said "Don't come home"
My friends shun me, I'm all alone
Before they touch me they put on gloves
C'mon, people, I need some love

(chorus)

Sister Double Happiness s/t album (SST - 1988)

UPDATE (2018)
Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter Trapper Schoepp has been performing "Freight Train" live in recent years and a studio version is slated for an upcoming album expected in 2018 (EDIT: Primetime Illusion, released in 2019). Trapper and his band learned it while on the road in 2014-15, opening for The Jayhawks, who then featured Kraig Johnson in the lineup. 

A very memorable Trapper live version of "Freight Train" occurred in 2015 at an appearance at the Turf Club in St. Paul, MN. For the encore, they kicked off with the familiar opening chords of the song, introducing it with "here's a song we learned from Kraig Johnson while on the road with The Jayhawks." Trapper's brother Tanner handled the lead vocal duties and during the guitar break in the middle, Trapper hopped down into the crowd to continue with his solo. After a minute or two, he spotted Ed Ackerson (long time Minneapolis musician and producer, who just happens to be the lead guitarist in The Program and recorded their version at his Flowers Studio) in the crowd. Without missing a beat, he walked up to him and offered him his guitar. Ed obliged and continued the solo while the band raged behind them on stage and Trapper exhorted the crowd to do some call-and-response on the chorus. (EDIT: Ackerson died in 2019)

UPDATE (2024)

Gary Floyd from The Dicks / Sister Double Happiness died on May 2, 2024.

Review: Los Lobos - 11/15/03 - private charity event @ Milwaukee Road Depot - Mpls, MN

"Charity On Ice"


Saw Los Lobos last night at a very hoity-toity, formal charity benefit here in Minneapolis. The whole night had a certain element of adventure attached to it since it was kind of a "private" function that barely made a blip on the radar screen. The thought that LL was in town doing a show that hardly any "music lover" was aware of still blows my mind a bit. We headed down to the event not even knowing if we would be able to get in. When all was said and done it turned out to be one of the coolest, most enjoyable concert experiences I've had in well over 30 years of attending live rock shows. The whole night was kind of a surreal dream: what if you went to a LL concert and hardly anybody was there? In terms of stage proximity and access to the band, this ranked right up there with those 1999 Marlboro Miles "private" shows.

The venue was the refurbished Milwaukee Road Depot, a former train station that has become one of the coolest renovation projects in recent Mpls history. It's smack in the middle of a much delayed overhaul of the historic (pre-Civil War) riverfront on the West bank of the Mississippi river in downtown Mpls. As Conrad L. noted after the show, whoever did the work has done a superb job. Five years ago this site was a rusted out piece of urban blight. It's now a first class complex that features, among other things, a beautiful indoor skating rink that doubles as an event center. The skating rink area has a glass wall so you can drive down Washington Ave. and see people skating as you zip by. Now that I think about it, if people looked closely last night they would have seen LL playing on stage! It's a huge space with a large stage and top notch lighting and sound. Behind the stage you can view the old Milwaukee Road clock tower through a glass ceiling. A low angle photograph of this with the boys on stage would've been a perfect cover for a bootleg of this show that would just have to be called "Charity on Ice." BTW, even though some of the guys got a tour of the facilities before the show, none of them realized they were actually playing on a big slab of ice (which was covered, of course, for the show). The space was set up with the stage and a very large open space in front of it at one end, a bunch of banquet tables in the middle, and a bar / coat check area on the other end.

The event itself was a fundraiser for the Minnesota Children's HeartLink charity, an annual function held in conjunction with a celebrity pool tournament that used to bear the name of former Minnesota Twin Kirby Puckett. There were tons of local "celebrities" in attendance (mostly TV news cats and pro athletes), although I was shocked when the band started playing and noticed Leslie Nielsen standing a few feet away near the edge of the dance floor. I guess he was the premier "real" celeb in attendance - read into that what you will.

This event had been billed as a "private party," but that wasn't entirely accurate. Tickets were available to the public, but at $200 per person I guess it was, for most common folk, essentially a private shindig. My wife and I, veterans of several dozen LL shows, had been fretting about this thing since I first heard about it. All we knew was that there was no friggin' way we were gonna stay home and watch Saturday Night Live when Los Lobos was in town!

Paying wasn't an option, so we decided to just head on down since we live right across the river, less than 10 minutes away. The event ran 6pm-midnight and, through a bit of "advance scouting," my wife found out the set time was 10pm. We decided to head on down around 9 or so to check things out. The Depot complex is connected to a brand new Marriott hotel so when we got there we headed for the lounge. We promptly spotted David, Victor and Steve enjoying a cocktail with a small group of people. I immediately took this as a good omen. I could bore you with a bunch of useless details, but suffice it to say we essentially got in the old-fashioned way - by crashing the party. I won't give away any trade secrets but here are two tips: 1) try to blend in 2) when in Rome...As for "event security," by the time we got there (after 3+ hours of dinner, speeches and auctions) there essentially wasn't any. I wish I could say that we concocted a complex plan of Mission Impossible-like subterfuge in order to gain admission, but the simple truth is that we just walked right in with nary a glance from anybody with a walkie talkie.

The show began promptly at 10, about 20 minutes after a live auction had ended. A significant portion of the crowd had left or was in the process of doing so. The large dance floor in front of the band was totally empty. 30 minutes into the set there couldn't have been more than a few hundred people left in what is a very large space. The number of people up by the stage was even less. After an hour the total crowd was down to about a hundred. It's amazing how many of the "stuffed shirts" clearly had no interest in the music.

The stage setup was very typical and, with the large stage, the boys certainly had lots of room to move. The band flew in their guitars, drums and keyboards and rented the "back line." The sound was, somewhat to my shock, totally excellent. I moved around a bit during the first 10 minutes and found a "sweet spot." Being a semi-retired taper I soon had that sinking feeling that accompanies a "LTO" (lost taping opportunity). Then I realized that I was 15 feet away from David Hildago ripping through "Don't Worry Baby" and suddenly all was right with the world! I was surprised to see two huge video screens on either side of the stage which showed all the action on stage. There were 4 or so cameras and a mixer - all very professional. At least there's a video recording of the night somewhere.

Given the setting, I didn't figure we'd get much in the way of jamming, but the 90 minute set was actually a nice mix of a little bit of everything that LL does so well. It was very clear that the boys were loose and in fine spirits. Since this obviously wasn't a typical LL crowd, I had no idea what to expect. The fact that virtually everybody I saw was decked out in formal wear just added to the strangeness. Like I said, very surreal... A fair number of people did hit the dance floor in front of the stage right way -- always a good sign at an LL show. David, bless his heart, did his usual exhortation for people to dance and "come up closer," which pretty much kicked off the dance party. Anybody who saw the Guthrie Theater gig here in Mpls earlier this year knows how critical it is to get the band's "seal of approval" for dancing in venues that normally don't see much in the way of rump-shakin'. Nothing shuts down an overzealous usher like a guy in the band telling them from the stage to chill out!

They went "Top 40" early with Richie Valens, but they soon stretched things out with a Papa>ICY>Santana run that was absolutely superb, one of the best I'd ever seen or heard. On this particular night the band may have been the "entertainment" at a big party, but for all intents and purposes they pretty much treated the whole night like just another concert. Some local radio dude who has a blues band on the side popped up to blow harp on "One Way Out" and "All Night Long," which I'd never seen LL do before. David actually asked for requests a couple of times; "Kiko" was the direct result of some very well dressed woman standing next to me. At one point I yelled out "Mas y Mas" and she excitedly started jumping up and down saying, "ooh, that would be a good one." You just never know when (and where) you're gonna run into a lobos-head!

I had no idea how long the set was going to be and was pleasantly surprised to see the boys cruising along after the 1 hour mark. When they went into "Angel Dance" - a frequent jam "launching pad" - I started entertaining thoughts of a marathon set but they ended it early, which was still fine with me as this is one of my fave live LL songs, one that I _never_ get sick of hearing. The set wound down with a typically beautiful Marvin Gaye reading and "La Bamba," with a little Young Rascals thrown in for good measure. You just knew they were gonna play their big "hit" for this kind of crowd; at least they did it last. David invited all of the ladies on stage for the finale and most all of them (and a few dudes, too) dutifully headed up to join the band. Victor and Cougar handed out some percussion thingies and my wife and I stood their, our mouths agape, watching the pride of "East Los" playing away in the midst of 60 or 70 people dressed in tuxes and prom dresses! Who needs drugs, huh? This was beyond surreal.

Since this wasn't really a "concert," when the band thanked everyone and headed off the stage most of the people just kinda stood around and didn't do much of anything! Everybody filed off the stage and eventually a few people stared clapping and yelling. Before long more people joined in and, sure enough, the band came back and offered up a nice "Bertha," in response to a request. A Deadhead at a black-tie $200 event? Now that's what I call a long, strange trip.

We talked to a few people after the show, including a fellow "scammer" we met who shocked his wife earlier in the night when he pulled out his suit at 9pm, causing her to ask, "you're going where?" He was a commercial real-estate broker and said that LL was his favorite band. He found out about the gig earlier in the week and made up his mind on the spot that he was going to go. Sometimes you just gotta do what ya gotta do.

We headed out of the rink close to midnight, still stunned by what had transpired. Seeing one of your fave bands do a full concert in the kind of setting where you could practically walk up to the stage and start talking to the band (something I actually saw occur a few times during the show!) was more than a little freakin' weird. We soon noticed 3 attractive young ladies that had been hanging out with the band before the show in the hotel lounge. We kinda nodded at them as we all headed in the same direction. As we were trying to find our way out to the street where our car was, we noticed that they were going into a hotel "meeting room" with a sign on the outside that said "band." We kinda tagged along and ended up hanging with the boys for awhile as they wound down and chatted with friends and a few other fans. They couldn't have been nicer or more gracious. I soon "came to the rescue" when I volunteered the use of the corkscrew on Swiss Army knife to Conrad as he wandered around the room with a full bottle of wine, a glass and a confused look. My knife was pressed into service several more times as people needed beer and wine bottles opened. I knew my Boy Scout training would come in handy some day! I'd met the boys on a few occasions over the almost 20 years they've been coming to Mpls but my wife was in seventh heaven. She got hugs and kisses from Conrad and Cesar (quote from her: "I can die happy now"), a few autographs and even a nice T-shirt. The highlight for me was David sincerely thanking us for supporting the band over the years when we unabashedly told him we were huge fans. You could tell how much the fans mean to these guys and that's no BS. At the risk of being self-serving, I think they dug the fact that a few of us "fans" had shown up. They certainly got a kick out of our chutzpah! I got the impression that they don't always get the same vibe from the "stuffed shirts" at these "private" gigs that they do out in the real world.

Conrad and Cesar also talked about the new record they are in the midst of recording (at Cesar's studio) with a plethora of guest artists including Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and Richard Thompson. It's scheduled to be released in May - no title yet.

So, that's most of the dirty details. Needless to say, a truly memorable evening - one surreal moment after another and a great set from the best live touring band in the biz. The price sure was right! Apologies for anything resembling gloating but the "back story" was, I thought, almost as interesting as the show itself.


LOS LOBOS
15 November 2003
Milwaukee Road Depot Skating Rink
Minneapolis, MN
Children's HeartLink Benefit

1. Luz Di Mi Vida
2. Don't Worry Baby
3. Done Gone Blue
4. Come On Let's Go
5. Sabor a Mi
6. Evangeline
7. Papa Was a Rolling Stone >
8. I Can't Understand >
9. Oya Coma Va
10. One Way Out *
11. Georgia Slop
12. Cinnamon Girl
13. Maricela
14. Kiko and the Lavender Moon
15. All Night Long *
16. Anselma
17. Angel Dance
18. What's Going On
19. La Bamba >
20. Good Lovin'
21. La Bamba
ENCORE
22. Bertha

* With Chris Hawkey - harmonica

[90m]

Review: David Poe / Jeff Tweedy / Kraig Johnson & The Program - 8/8/03 - 400 Bar - Mpls, MN

As if in a dream... (part 2)

Here are some more reports from the trenches, filed early Saturday morning after the second night in a row of great music and good times at the 2003 Golden Smog extravaganza. Great to see so many familiar faces at the event of the season.

**********************


Here are some details while there still fresh. Very shortly I'm going to begin what is hopefully a very long sleep so i want to try and get as much out as i can. Apologies in advance for any errors; i'm runnin' on fumes right now.

Night 2 of the Golden Smog extravaganza at the 400 bar. Lot of the same players, a few new ones, but quite a different vibe. Things started out with some "mini sets"-- quiet and acoustic, sometimes solo. Later in the evening, things picked up significantly when the considerable power of "The Program" was unleashed, featuring songs by Kraig Johnson, David Poe, Neil Young, David Bowie, and, yes, Jeff Tweedy, too. Combine that with sterling sets earlier from Tweedy and Leona Ness, and a surprise bit of history in the making smack in the middle of the main "Program" set, and you've got one you'll be telling your grandkids about. And that's not even taking into consideration the festivities of the previous evening, a night that by itself was pretty much off the hook.

ROUGH SYNOPSIS

* - opening David Poe acoustic set. solo at first, then slowly joined by Program members and Jessy Greene. Half dozen songs, including last year's best big-hit-that-never-was, "The Drifter."

* - Kraig Johnson acoustic set. First two songs with Jim Boquist and David Poe; last two with the rest of the Program and Jessy Greene. 3 superb new songs ("California," "Outta Town," and "Each and Every Day" for those keeping score), capped off with Neil Young's "Lotta Love," which he's been performing all summer.

* - Leona Ness set. Several songs with her drummer and keyboardist, who also happens to be in David Poe's NYC band. Very nice stuff.

* - Jeff Tweedy solo set. 7 songs, a bit over 25 minutes. Breathtakingly good. Very intense and deliberate, nailing everything, almost completely muting the normally always very loud crowd noise in the 400. This guy projects in a small club like a big huge lighthouse beacon. Just amazing. Opened with a solo version of "Late Greats" - a truly great brand new song debuted a month ago in Detroit - that started things out on a high point, where they remained the whole set. Joined on 3 songs by Jessy Green who, BTW, was one of many "secret weapons" of the two night stand. I thought her contributions almost always greatly improved the songs she played on. One of the songs Jessy played on was an extremely rare live performance of "Rhythm" that Jeff introduced by saying "here's a song that didn't make the last record." On the last 5 songs Jeff played a 12 string acoustic that sounded _very_ good.

SETLIST

1. Late Greats
2. I'm the Man Who Loves You
3. Rhythm (aka Cars Can't Escape)
4. Box Full of Letters (major crowd singalong)
5. Be Not So Fearful (Bill Fay cover)
6. Pecan Pie (with Kraig Johnson and Dan Murphy helping out)
7. The Lonely 1 (Jessy faithfully reprising her beautiful "Being There" performance)


* - The Program set. One 90 minute wild train ride. Several Kraig songs, 4 David Poe songs, and 2 "surprise" guests, with the added bonus of Poe's / Ness' keyboardist Fil Krohnengold helping out on piano, guitar and vocals. First bombshell -- and probably the biggest "special moment" of the whole 2 nights -- was Tweedy popping up smack in the middle of the Program set to play an awesome, spirited, emotional version of "New Madrid" with The Program backing and Jim Boquist picking up the Jay harmony part. What a historic moment -- overheard: "wow, man, it's Wilco meets Son Volt!!!" -- one that took a few minutes to sink in. When I heard Jimmy kick in with the harmony vocals I almost had an out of body experience. Unbeknownst to many, Boquist and Tweedy go way back together, predating the point a few years ago when the were simultaneously members of supposedly "rival" bands. Afterwards, Jeff and Jim hugged and Jeff said, with his biggest smile of the night, "I haven't played with Jim since Uncle Tupelo!" It's hard to describe just how cool it was to witness this wonderful performance of such a classic song.

The second bombshell was at the end of the main Program set when Jeff came back up for the Program showstopper, "Freight Train," an obscure cover (Sister Double Happiness - SST - 1988) that Kraig has totally made his own in the years since it first showed up in the Run Westy Run repertoire. Things were rocking so hard at this point that on-stage spontaneous combustion seemed possible. Jeff played an amazing lead on a song he had likely just learned 2 days before, and traded some vocal licks too. Oh yeah, Kraig's booty shaking was off the scale for this ride on the freight train, much to the delight of the ladies in the house. The patented "Kraigy wiggle" was in full M-Fin' effect! Danny Murphy joined the gang for the encore during which the Program ripped through Neil Young's "Time Fades Away" and Bowie's "Five Years" (a classic Golden Smog cover during the 1996 heyday), which featured Dan on lead vocals.
I think that's most of the major highlights. What a fun, insane 2 nights of great music, and (mostly) great people, too. Definitely should make this some kind of annual event!

*******************

KJJ & The Program
8/8/03 - 400 Bar - Mpls


Kraig Johnson - David Poe - Ed Ackerson - Peter Anderson - Jim Boquist
w/ Fil Krohnengold on keyboards

SETLIST
1. Song For Everyone
2. Play On
3. Soul Parade (with Jessy Green on violin and vocals)
4. [David Poe] Gun For a Mouth
5. [David Poe] Stick With the Kid
6. Green Love
7. [Jeff Tweedy] New Madrid (Johnson = bass / Boquist = elec gtr, harmony vox)
8. So Silently (Ackerson = organ)
9. [David Poe] Soft Core Porn Star (Fil Krohnengold = gtr)
10. [David Poe] Beatles Blues (Fil Krohnengold = gtr, vox)
11. Take Me Home
12. Freight Train (Tweedy = lead gtr, vox)

ENCORE
13. Time Fades Away (Dan Murphy = gtr)
14. Five Years (Dan Murphy = gtr, lead vox)

All of the Program sets over the two nights were first rate and the final set was no different, a smokin' hot blast from start to finish. They rocked as hard as I've ever heard them and, frankly, clearly stunned a bunch of the audience members, many of whom had no idea what the Program was, so to speak (I talked to a few people who were convinced The Program was some nom de plume for Golden Smog). I think the boys picked up more converts than at any time in their glorious 16 month public history. I know I had several people come up to me at merch table asking variations of who the &*$# are these guys / why haven't I ever heard about 'em? / do they have a record out / etc.

Poe's stuff in particular was killer and it is very much to Kraig's credit that he allowed his good friend so much spotlight time on a 2 night stand with the eyes of the world watching. "Soft Core Porn Star" is my new fave rave of the moment, easily one of the best songs of the year, and this was one of the best performances of any song I've heard this year by anyone ("be someone else's / be someone else's / be someone else's, soft core, porn star"). His "Late Album" from last year is a true lost gem - it hasn't been out of the play pile in our house since David gave a freebie to my wife after the legendary Clown Lounge gig last August -- Poe's first appearance on stage with The Program -- on a magical night when the festivities got suddenly moved into the basement of the Turf Club after rain cancelled a Cap City Days gig in St. Paul. Thus began our friendship with this extremely talented musician, all around sweetheart, and the pride of Dayton, Ohio (and, no, I don't mean Robert Pollard or Kim Deal!).

The addition of Fil Krohnengold, Jessy Green and Tweedy all made for a truly special, momentous Program set. As fun and cool as the Golden Smog set was, the Friday Program set was, as Poe would say, "the bomb."

**********************

...Which reminds me of a delicious moment last night: After a particularly tortuous reading of "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" (one of Gary's worst ever covers IMO, right down there with "All By Myself" - I mean, f***ing GAG ME!), Gary said "that's the last time I'm ever gonna play that. If I ever play that again, somebody please shoot me." Of course at that point the band started the song up again and some people in the audience pointed their "finger guns" at Gary and pretended to shoot him as Mr. Perfectionist shook his head. Classic Golden Smog moment #687. Heh heh...

******************

The "mystery cover" in the Smog set last nite was "Never Marry a Railroad Man," a way obscure cover of a Shocking Blue song, the 70s Dutch group best known for "Venus," as well as being the source of Nirvana's first single ("Love Buzz"). This song was often performed in the very early days of Golden Smog and hasn't made a live appearance that i'm aware of since early 1996. Oh yeah, the New Pornographers also cover a Shocking Blue song, "Send Me a Postcard." Who woulda thunk that such a quintessential one-hit wonder band would have such a robust afterlife in the rock underground?

All in all, last nite was a truly magnificent evening. Tonight promises to be even more exciting with likely solo sets from Leona Ness, Dan Murphy and some guy from Chicago named Jeff, another David Poe & The Program set (he was simply amazing last night), as well as a full Kraig Johnson & The Program set featuring a cast of thousands and special guests galore.

Oh yeah, the reason Gary and Mark had to leave today was for a private corporate gig in Seattle. In a way, i'm almost glad they're not gonna be there tonight as i'm not sure my already weakened constitution could take the excitement of another "full" Golden Smog show.

Review: Golden Smog - 8/7/03 - 400 Bar - Mpls, MN

As if in a dream... (part 1)

Here's an accurate setlist + a few brief comments for night 1 of the 2003 Golden Smog extravaganza, the first GS show with Tweedy since a holiday one-off at First Ave. in December 2000. There hasn't been a GS tour since Dec 1998 / Jan 1999.

*******************

Golden Smog
8/7/03 - 400 Bar - Mpls

Louris - Tweedy - Johnson - Murphy - Stevens - Perlman
(Jessy Green on "Weird Tales" stuff)
Opener = David Poe & The Program

SETLIST
Looking Forward
Ill Fated
Won't Be Coming Home
Lost Love
Making Waves (Tweedy = bass / Perlman = mandolin)
To Call My Own (Tweedy = bass / Perlman = ac gtr)
Glad & Sorry (Johnson = bass / Perlman = ac gtr)
He's A Dick (Tweedy = bass / Perlman = ac gtr)
Walk Where He Walked (Johnson = slide gtr)
I Can't Keep From Talking
Stop Dragging My Heart Around (Melissa Gorman = vocals / Ed Ackerson = organ)
Never Marry a Railroad Man (Melissa Gorman = vocals)
Pecan Pie
Yesterday Cried
Fooled Around and Fell in Love
All The Same To Me (Johnson = bass / Louris = keyboards / Perlman = elec gtr)
White Shell Road (Murphy = kybds)
If I Only Had A Car (Johnson = piano)
Love is the Drug (Perlman = lead vox)
Until You Came Along (with Jim Boquist on vocals and elec gtr)

encores:
Radio King (Gary, Jeff, Jessy)
Please Tell My Brother (Gary, Jeff, Jessy)
Revolution Blues (Tweedy = lead gtr)
V (not rehearsed!) (Louris = kybds / Johnson = harmonica)
Spooky > Down by the River (tease) > Spooky

Highlights for me were a picture perfect "Glad and Sorry," the best "Yesterday Cried" I've ever heard (just heartbreaking), the unbelievably powerful 1-2 encore punch by Jeff, Gary and Jessy (hanky time fer sure and the bar was stone quiet, a moment of pure bliss all too rare at the 400) and the spontaneous excellence of "V," perhaps the definitive Golden Smog song (crowd rapture at its peak during this).

Review: Los Lobos - 7/2/03 - Minnesota Zoo - Apple Valley, MN

2 July 2003 - Weesner Amphitheater @ The Minnesota Zoo - Apple Valley,
Minnesota

Round 2 of Rockin' the MN Zoo was every bit as fun and spirited as the first
night. Both nights were an all around success on just about every level. The
band really seemed to dig the whole thing and they came out in a great mood
and just started flyin' right off the bat.

They started a bit earlier - and even pushed the curfew a few minutes on the
other end, much to the displeasure of a Zoo official who was making frantic
"cut" motions to the monitor guy at exactly 10:31. 110 minutes total, almost
15 minutes more than Tuesday. Weather was even hotter and stickier - and
more unstable. A few raindrops showed up after an hour, the wind kicked up
and the temp started dropping - all classic signs of approaching Midwestern
Thunderboomers. Fortunately, the weather gods held off on the pyrotechnics
until a few hours after the show ended.

After the boys took the stage, they started doodling around and it soon
became clear that they were gonna kick night 2 off with that long, way cool
intro to "One Time, One Night." Always one of my all time fave LL songs (and
some of Louie's very best lyrics) and this version was sublime. It's always
a good sign for things to come when a concert starts off at such a high
point.

In fact, the whole vibe of night 2 was better - the rhythm section seemed to
be grooving better, the jams and workouts flowed more freely (vividly on
display during an outrageously good 15 minute "Down By the River" - more on
that in a bit), and the all-important, intangible crowd-band juju was very
solid. The band just seemed more comfortable and relaxed. And being the
first date announced (Tuesday's show was the add-on) there were more people
here for round 2; this sucker was way sold out.

Like the night before, there was a whole mess of great guitar work early
on - David was even better on Wednesday, and he eventually got some able
assistance from Cesar and Louie. Louie scorched through at least 3 awesome
solos (which is at least 3 more than Tuesday, and that's certainly not meant
as a criticism, just an observation) and was noticeably more engaged, pacing
the stage, interacting with the crowd, pumping his fist in the air at times.
The 3 guitar attack was used to great effect several times during the show.

Very little duplication over the two nights. Just "Maria Christina" and
"SMA" by my reckoning. "Someday" was a huge surprise (although I found out
later that they had played it a few months ago in New Orleans) and was
absolutely gorgeous. The "I Can't Understand" jam was also especially fine.

And I still can't believe how kick-ass "Politician" was. My friend Roy (a
huge 60s music fan) next to me recognized it right away and started freaking
out. This version was considerably "heavier" than the one on the JABFELA
mini-box. I mentioned after the song how bizarre it was to hear how David's
voice was a dead ringer for Jack Bruce and how much his guitar sounded like
Clapton. Like 2 guys inhabiting one body. A one man Cream reunion. Or
something like that. It made sense when I thought about it at the show. :)

After the show my wife and I both marveled at how lucky we were to catch the
boys 2 nights in a row in such a cool setting, and how versatile they all
were, being able to play such different sets and still maintain such a high
level of excellence. Sometimes it's almost like getting a different band on
different nights.

There was also a cool "space" jam at the end of DIB, where DH fiddled
extensively with some FX (digital delay pedal, I think). Just like seeing
the Dead in the old days: sometimes ya get a little "SPACE; " sometimes ya
get some "DRUMS." Speaking of the Dead, the always popular in Minnesota
"Bertha" got a rousing reception in the encore as the clock was ticking
down.

And then there was the trip down by the river down by the lake down at the
zoo. After seeing 3 Neil Young "Greendale" shows a few weeks ago, I was
keyed into this one from the first chords, coming out of the ICY jam. I've
seen them do this many times in concert before but this version was special.
They really got into the slow groove and just took their sweet time jamming
from one high to another. All 3 electric guitars took nice long solos, and
at one point Cesar and David started a guitar "duel," an homage to the
legendary Stills-Young faceoffs during the Buffalo Springfield and early
CSNY days. DBTR just cruised along - the 15 minutes simultaneously went by
in a flash and seemed to linger forever, if you get my drift. The whole
crowd went nuts - awed jamband heads and new fans alike.

I think the boys were even a bit surprised at how long DBTR went. Time was
whizzing by and they still hadn't played any "trad" songs yet. Minnesota is
serious polka country (lots of Germans, doncha know) so it was kinda weird
to see an almost pure LL "rock" show. Then David suddenly called out to some
guy named "Eric" and the next thing you know the guy's on stage and calling
out to some chick. Before long, the poor sap is down on one knee and is
proposing to his clearly stunned GF. She accepted, everyone oohed and awed
and the band launched into a classic wedding song, "When We Get Married,"
which a brief round of "googling" showed to be an old doo wop song done by
The Dreamlovers in 1961 (a #10 hit). Yet another side of this multifaceted
band: the wedding singers from East LA.

After this little interlude, it was polka time with SMA (done both nights
cuz "Minnesota" is in the lyrics perhaps?) and then a nice little Rolling
Stones capper to the main set. Another funny thing: no covers until the
encore on Tuesday, then a ton of 'em on Wednesday. Like I said, you never
know what band is going to show up...

Before you knew it, almost 2 hours had gone by and the 2 night stand had
come to an end. We left totally satisfied but a bit bummed too since there
wasn't gonna be a night 3. Hell, my car practically drove itself way out to
the 'burbs the second night. I was just getting used to the routine. I do
see, though, that there's a show later this month in Chicago. And, it's at a
zoo, too. Do I smell another road trip?

ROUGH SETLIST
1 Time 1 Night
Someday ( labeled "old style" on the setlist)
My Baby's Gone
Don't Worry Baby
Politician (!?!#*!)
Up the Line
Malaque >
Maria Christina
Dream in Blue >
space
Come On Let's Go
Papa Was a Rolling Stone >
I Can't Understand >
Exodus (fragment) >
Down By the River (15 min!)
[on-stage marriage proposal by some guy named "Eric"]
When We Get Married
SMA
The Last Time (tease) >
It's All Over Now
ENCORE
Mona >
NFA >
Bertha

Review: Los Lobos - 7/1/03 - Minnesota Zoo - Apple Valley, MN

1 July 2003 - Weesner Amphitheater @ The Minnesota Zoo - Apple Valley, Minnesota

Holy frijoles, whatta show!

Night 1 of festivities at one of the premier venues in Minnesota. Being in the largest metro area in the country without a major, permanent outdoor venue sucks big time. So, we all up here in the land of 10,000 lakes have to take every available opportunity to catch some live music in the great out of doors, especially when it's at a little "boutique" amphitheater (cap. is 1500) in the middle of a huge "natural habitat" zoo on a near-perfect, slightly balmy summer evening, down by a lake with nothing above our heads but the moon, the stars and a few mosquitoes.

First show since Euro mini Festival tour. First time in Minny since the Guthrie last October. 5th time (maybe more??) at the MN Zoo; first time since 1998.

Show was almost 100 minutes and was sheer joy from stem to stern.

Started out pretty "heavy" - the "Dave show." Lots of great guitar solos by DH right out of the gate. They worked on the middle of songs, stretching things out, jammin' a bit.

Did a great version of "Wolf" in honor of some "little lobitos" (baby wolves) that were just born in captivity and being housed just a stones throw away from the stage.

Loved hearing "Matter of Time" live, possibly for the first time in person. "Train" was stretched way out, the last 5 or 6 minutes was pure "freestyle." Even crowd fave "Cumbia Raza" got pumped up - culminating in a tribal percussion jam that had them doing this way cool double time thing that was just jaw-dropping.

Cesar was typically brilliant on "Luz De Mi Vida" and "Estoy Sentado Aqui" (damn near as good a show stopper as "VV").

Priceless DH banter: "how many of ya from St. Paul? How many from, uh, Minneapolis? How many from... uh....Eagan? [nearby suburb] [crowd laughs] Well, that's where I'm from. That's my _barrio_" [band cracks up]

Reserved bench seating but dancing was definitely allowed, even though it was kinda tight down in front of the stage. After a few songs, and some predictable prodding from David, tons of people were up. By the end of the night, a good portion in the lower "bowl" was dancing away.

A few sound probs early - some high frequency squeals on a couple of songs including, unfortunately, "Matter of Time."

Curfew forced a quick end at 10:30 with a rippin' "My Generation."

Well populated taper section - saw at least 4 pro rigs and plenty of digital sharing so there should be no prob with recordings.

Saw "Shoot out the Lights" on the setlist but don't think I heard hit (was out of earshot for a few minutes in the middle).

Rough setlist:
Maria Christina
Good Morning Aztlan
The Neighborhood
Shakin' Shakin' Shakes
Down By the Riverbed
Done Gone Blue
Matter of Time
Will the Wolf Survive
Luz De Mi Vida
Hearts of Stone
Maricela
That Train Don't Stop Here Anymore > jam
Estoy Sentado Aqui
SMA
Cumbia Raza > perc. jam > Cumbia Raza
ENCORE
My Generation

21 hours until round 2. Can't Wait.

Neil Young 2003 US Tour - early recap and preview

The conventional wisdom about Neil's new "Greendale" project was that it would be tough, if not impossible, for Neil to present it in it's entirety on the summer US Crazy Horse tour of sheds (Chicago's United Center and NYC's MSG being the only two indoor venues on the tour). According to this C.W., the intimacy of the theater venues in Europe (and the supposed higher caliber of the Euro music fans) allowed Neil to explain the format of the shows to the unsuspecting audiences and ultimately connect the new material to them in a manner that would be exceedingly difficult on a larger scale.

All of these concerns were undoubtedly on Neil's mind as the Euro tour progressed. There would be a mere 16 day gap between the end of the Euro tour and the US opener in West Palm Beach on June 8. How would he handle "Greendale?" Intersperse it with the "classics" that the thousands of fans narcotized by Clear Channel would be expecting, if not demanding? Blow it off completely? Throw out a nibble here and there, like the surefire "Be the Rain?" Certainly there would be no way he could present it in a fashion similar to the solo shows. There wouldn't be a sound system with enough wattage to drown out the desperate cries for "SOUTHERN MAAAAN" from the punters if it became clear that the concerts would be featuring mostly new material.

Well, as Elliot Roberts once said, don't ever tell Neil he can't do something. History is littered with those who have underestimated his artistic vision, tenacity and propensity to constantly "head for the ditch" as he so aptly put it in reference to "Heart of Gold" and the lure of the middle of the road. While Neil has undeniably taken the easy path in times past, the lure of a great challenge always seems to excite him when the time is right. After the first few Euro solo dates it became abundantly clear that Neil was in a challengin' kinda mood. And now it was time to open up a can of artistic whup-ass on the whiny American corporate rock fans that have always made up an uncomfortably large portion of his fan base. You just know that the ridiculous abuse heaped on the Dixie Chicks and his pal Eddie Vedder for "crimes against patriotism" probably just added more steel to his resolve (BTW there's buzz that both Pearl Jam and the DixChix are slated for this year's Bridge - coincidence?).

Rumor has it that 8 days before the end of the Euro tour, Neil awoke from a dream with the answer to his "Greendale problem." In his dream he had envisioned not only the stage design but an audaciously huge, complex scheme to present the whole song cycle. He reportedly called Tim Foster, his production manager, and told him to sit down and grab a pen, a call that I'm sure that Foster had been increasingly dreading as the calendar ticked off the days.

Neil's answer? How 'bout a full-scale production featuring a massive stage with multiple sets of Greendale locales, a big hydraulic lift that moves stuff up and down, choreography, video screens galore, props, a cast of dozens portraying all the major Greendale characters and the entire 10 song shebang presented continuously in all its glorious entirety? How 'bout, in other words, Neil's version of Pink Floyd's friggin' "The Wall!" Oh yeah, one more thing - Greendale would not be "set 1" or "part 1" of the show; it will be _the_ show. Older material will be relegated to the encores. The only thing that probably wasn't a big problem was the arrangements of the songs. Neil and the Horse (minus Poncho most of the time) had worked extensively with the "Greendale" material last year, before, during and after the recording sessions. Billy Talbot wrote on his website last year that things had gone very well, that the songs were great and that they had "found a groove," a critical element in any CH project.

Concerns about how on earth something like this could be thrown together in less than one lunar cycle far overshadowed any concerns on how this would play to the masses. What Neil wants, Neil usually gets. His muse was in full flower. There were things on his mind that had to be expressed. The last few years seemed to have affected Neil deeply. His father in law had recently died. The nest got a little emptier as his daughter went off to college. And, of course, there were the events surrounding 9/11. His last few Bridge appearances had been oddly somber and disquieting. Less than 2 months after 9/11 he played songs like "Imagine" and "Blowin' in the Wind" at the Bridge. Last fall he debuted a long narrative song-then known as "Love and Affection," now known as "Falling From Above," the "Greendale" opener-that barely hinted at any larger schemes or ideas, even though at that time "Greendale" was already written. Who knew then what the next several months would entail.

The strange thing is that Neil himself probably wasn't even sure, just one of the many things that ultimately make him the great artist that he is. After all, this is a guy who isn't just occasionally impulsive; he's a crazy MF who positively seems to embrace the whole concept of spontaneity itself. His history is replete with the debris of broken relationships, scuttled songs, aborted albums, discarded brainstorms. If it ain't working, Neil has been known to bail faster than a rat jumping off a burning ship. Just ask Steven Stills who awoke one morning in Atlanta right in the middle of a 1976 tour with Neil only to find that his former rival and bandmate had decided things weren't working and was heading back West. The now infamous "Eat a Peach" telegram that Neil sent is the stuff of legends, but it also says about as much about the man as any 700 page "insider" bio will ever be able to do. To Neil the commercial viability and logistical concerns of a US "Greendale" tour were mere minor details, a reality that I'm sure horrified his handlers. This was a story that had to be told. "Ya gotta problem with that, Elliot?" Neil probably said at one point, only half-joking, as his long-time manager envisioned countless obstacles ahead on another long run through the ditch.

Calls were made, people were contacted, brainstorming sessions were held, resources were amassed, the Shoreline Amphitheater was rented for rehearsals (?!) and somehow all this madness ended up in Southern FLA before many people even knew Neil had toured Europe solo, let alone that he had some new bug up his ass called "Greendale."

Which brings us to what the average modern music expects from an $85 ticket.

The reaction to the first 2 US Greendale shows has been wildly diverse and impassioned-ironically, the only predictable thing about the whole event (of this season). To say that the vast majority of the audience each night (save for a coupla hundred Rusties and savvy internet surfers) was unprepared for the "Greendale show" is an obvious understatement. The press down in Dixie was surprisingly kind, if not understanding, one of the few bright spots in the array of public reactions to what will likely go down as one of the most controversial tours by a major artist in modern rock history.

Which also begs the question, "why the controversy?" Neil has always been an ornery cuss, the consummate "ditch rider." What did he do after "Heart of Gold," the biggest song of 1972? He went on the road with the "Time Fades Away" material for a grueling 3 month tour that damn near killed him (it did wreck his voice for several months). And the TFA setlists? Tons of "Harvest" goodies? Yeah, right. Half the setlists were not only new songs, they were about as far removed from the pleasantries of "Harvest" as one could get. I still vividly remember the stunned looks of disbelief from those around me at the old Met Center in 1973 when Neil was slash and burning through "Last Dance," a proto-punk LNC that still sounds angry and off-kilter to this day. "I've been searching for a Heart of Gold..." indeed.

And let's not even talk about the 80s and the Geffen era. I've expended considerable time and resources to study the man over the last 35 years and I'm just beginning to get a handle on the "excursions into alien territory" that comprised much of this period.

Time and time again over the last 30+ years Neil has not only defied expectations he's defied the very notions of things like logic and common sense. The fact that his greatest work ("Rust Never Sleeps") is built around the dread of artistic stagnation says loads about his primary modus operandi. I also remember going to the St. Paul Civic Center in 1978 while the whole world expected the showcasing of the "Comes a Time" material. And what did we get? Oh, just some little thing called "Rust Never Sleeps." A big "production" presentation with props and extras, an obvious cohesion and internal logic to a "cycle" of material that was mostly new yet somehow eerily familiar, songs that were simultaneously primal and complex, a clear attempt at "saying something" despite the expectations of the audience, or anybody else for that matter. In other words, taking risks. Embracing danger. Screw the costs. Being true to one's art. And, oh yeah, "fuck anybody who thinks I owe them anything other than what I'm gonna give 'em _right now_." Sound familiar?

Reports from the trenches at the first two FLA shows have run the gamut. That there were tons of disgruntled, if not downright angry fans, isn't nearly as surprising as the fact that evidently there were many people who actually were digging the new stuff. Evidently these are the kind of people who understand clichéd concepts like "artistic integrity." People who aren't possessed with some fucked up entitlement mentality that pushes music concerts into the realm of commerce. "I paid $200 for the tickets and the babysitter and this self-indulgent asshole thinks he can get away with playing a bunch of crap that nobody's ever heard! What does he think he is, an _artist_ or something? What a bunch of shit! Who can I call to complain or get my money back?" Not surprisingly, there are many who feel that Neil _owes_ them something when they buy a ticket, i.e. the right to dictate what they're going to get in return for turning over their $$$. Like Neil's a human jukebox. Like it's Neil's role to fuel the audience's nostalgia ("Dammit - I used to play 'Cinnamon Girl' all the time in my first car - how dare he not play it?"). I guess the safety and comfort of "greatest hits" nostalgia is what passes for artistic expression these days in the rock concert big leagues, an alternate universe where the "value" of the experience is inversely proportional to how much the audience is challenged.

Aside from the "Greendale" music, this ongoing tension between artist and audience has been positively compelling to follow over the last few weeks. I haven't thought this much about the complex nature of artistic self expression vis a vis the vagaries of the material world since I was in college and I was forced to think about such things! And it's not just the casual fans who are worked up, either. Some long time Rusties are absolutely torn over this tour. A common thread is that the whole package should've been marketed differently ("Neil Young and Crazy Horse present a musical novel - Greendale") in order to allay the inevitable shitstorm that would follow. This, of course, would've been nice but ignores the fact that Neil often changes his mind at a furious pace. When the US tour was announced nobody, maybe not even Neil, knew what the summer would bring. The more cynical view is that Neil and/or Clear Channel didn't want to do anything that would potentially harm ticket sales. If the word got out, so the story goes, that this was gonna be more "art" than "rock," POOF! there go the ticket sales.

The one thing that most everybody seems to agree on is that the actual production is pretty amazing. In some cases it seems that the sheer magnitude of the whole deal (there are close to 40 people on stage for the "Be the Rain" finale) mitigates the understandable disappointment that some feel by not hearing familiar material. Perhaps this was Neil's intent all along. He likely figured that the extensive narration he used to move things along in the small theaters in Europe wouldn't quite cut it in the cavernous sheds.

The "cast" on stage includes Neil's wife and daughter, friends and relatives, and various crew members (ala "Rust Never Sleeps") including longtime guitar tech (and Blue Note) Larry Cragg as "Grandpa." The visual presentation is reportedly a wild, if not bizarre, ride: actors mouthing out dialogue in conjunction with the lyrics; people buzzing around on stage, at times walking right through the band's sacred "zone" while they're playing; scenes from the companion "Greendale" DVD being projected on the vid screens. All that's missing are the "Road-eyes" from "Rust Never Sleeps" and the mechanical cockroaches from the "Rusted Out Garage" tour.

One of the key moments has to be at the end of "Greendale," with the cast of thousands doing "Be The Rain," and then Neil waving to the crowd as he exits the stage after the song ends. One can only imagine the common reaction in much of the crowd as the realization sinks in that "the son-of-a-bitch just played for 90 minutes and I didn't recognize a single song!" Oh, the horror of it all! I'm actually experiencing some strange pre-concert anxiety for the 3 Neil shows I'll be seeing next week. And this comes from somebody who has seen scads of Neil shows over the years. Aside from the anticipation of hearing Greendale with The Horse (a lot of people are saying that much of electric "Greendale" has a "Zuma" kind of vibe to it) after living with the solo versions for the last month I'm kinda twitchy about the mood in the trenches. Friends in Chicago have advised me to bring "riot gear" to the United Center, a testament to the always "spirited" Chicago fans. One even asked me, "is your wife going with?" When I asked why he said, "Oh, I'm just curious..."

The third US Greendale date was in Atlanta at the Chastain Amphitheater, a venue I've since learned is widely loathed by music fans. The stage was too small for the whole "Greendale" setup so it wasn't used at all. Neil and the Horse bravely forged ahead with "Greendale" on their own, with only a few of the actors popping in from time to time. Things evidently quickly degenerated without the distractions of the stage show. Tempers got frayed, words were exchanged, and people started grumbling loudly. The one song in the set that is still acoustic, "Bandit," was quickly aborted as Neil proceeded to tell a story about how he'll never do another solo show in Las Vegas because of all the chit-chatters (referencing the debacle that ensued at the 1999 solo tour stop at the Hard Rock Café out on the Strip). Barely hiding his contempt, Neil said to the crowd, "it's good to see that there's a little Las Vegas in Atlanta." Yikes. Father forgive them...

This weekend, Neil played the Bonnaroo festival in rural Tennessee. This was the first US date announced last Spring, long before "Greendale" had even been specifically mentioned. Predictably, I guess, the lucky fans out in the mud field got almost 3 hours of vintage Crazy Horse with hardly a sign of Greendale and it's residents save for a muted version of "Be the Rain." This very likely was a "one-off" aberration. Still, there are those who are now nervous that maybe reality stared Neil in the face after the reaction to the first 3 US dates and that he just blinked. Maybe those first 3 dates were the extent of the whole US Greendale tour. Maybe he's pissed and he's just gonna do the "hits" from now on. Maybe he's so pissed he'll tell us all to "eat a peach" and shitcan the whole rest of the tour (a friend joked this morning, "what's worse, Neil canceling the tour or getting the same old same old again?").

With Neil, obviously, one never knows. Boring and predictable he ain't. The big irony of course is that the very songs desired by the casual fans-derisively referred to as "Heart of Gold Toe Tappers" (HOGTT) on the Rust List - are, for the most part, the ones the hard core fans don't want to hear. There are actually those who love "Greendale" and have criticized Neil for not throwing in some obscure old nuggets in the encores, i.e. more music the average fan has never heard before. Man, can you imagine what it would be like if Joe Sixpack didn't even get "Like a Hurricane" after he's already endured the Twilight Zone-like nightmare of ending up at the Broadway production of "Greendale" after he thought he was going to a rock concert? Speaking as somebody who never needs to hear "Heart of Gold" again, I'd relish such a moment, but I'm running a bit low in the "riot gear" department these days.

Oh yeah, almost forgot about the encores. So far it's been 3 songs. The same 3 songs. "Powderfinger," "My My, Hey Hey," and "Like a Hurricane." He's fiddled with the order, but still the same 3 songs. One reviewer in Tampa said there was so much built-up anxiety / tension / anger from the shock of hearing all the new material that when the boys _finally_ played the old stuff that the emotional release was palatable. All was forgiven as Neil tore into "Like a Hurricane" for the umpteenth time, as the crowd stood on their seats, sang along and thrust their fists collectively into the air. Rockin' in the Free Clear Channel World - yeah! Ooops, he didn't play _that_ one.

Thanks for reading along. Will have more to report after the Target Center (assuming I'm not in the hospital!) when I race over to the Kraigy show at the 400. That should be a lot of fun and I wouldn't be surprised at all to hear a "new" Neil cover (could be anything but my money's on "Lotta Love," wink wink).

==============

"But for me, it was a dazzling, fantastic experience that will never be forgotten. Neil Young has surpassed himself. What a wonderful, wonderful creation Neil has given us."
Mike C. - "Rustie"

"I spent $180 that night to see a soap opera?? 1 1/2 hours of not one recognizable song! This guy has no idea why people have come out to see him play...BORING! I want my money BACK."
Anonymous disgruntled fan posting on Pollstar.com

"I don't recall ever getting a guarantee or a bill of rights with a concert ticket. My expectations at concerts are simple. I expect the artists to give it their best shot and to be respectful of the audience. I expect the same from the audience. Neil has always satisfied my expectations. On the other hand, there have been a few Neil audiences who've disappointed me. "
Karl - "Rustie"

"Hey SHUT UP ASSHOLE, I can hear you...I'm not that old...I waited 30 years to start talking, now this guy...I'll play your old songs when I get to 'em...THAT'S OK, I LOVE YOU ANYWAY...time to forge ahead... "
Neil Young -Tampa Bay - June 9, 2003

Neil Young Spring 2003 Euro tour recap

Well...please forgive your formerly faithful Neil correspondent; I've been quite remiss in my duties. One tour had ended and another has begun since my last dispatch. Oh, the perils of summer distractions! Blame it on the weather, cabins in the midst of God's country, lakes replete with teeming pan fish, yard work, concerts, outdoor festivals and Kraig Johnson (although not necessarily in that order).

The European NY solo acoustic tour ended in fine fashion after two 3 night stands in Dublin and London, and 3 final shows in Manchester, Antwerp and Paris. The "Greendale" material continued to delight, confuse and confound the audiences while garnering very positive reviews in the fickle Euro music press. Neil continued to interact with fans and hecklers alike during the show resulting in many, many memorable, if not classic, moments.

The "Greendale" set - 90 minutes and 10 songs long with extensive commentary/intro/narration segments - made it through all 22 Euro dates intact. The songs themselves didn't change, nor did the gist of the narration, a remarkable display of determination and patience on Neil's part considering the circumstances. I've listened to this material countless times over the last 4 weeks and I must say I've got profoundly mixed feelings. Generally, the musical performances are almost universally beyond reproach. Indeed, there's some stuff here that is genuinely exciting and moving, stoking the same kinda buzz that I've been getting from Neil since 1968. Still, the "message," such as it is, and the overall "vibe" of this "musical novel" is more problematic for me. Too didactic, too "stagey," too hippy-dippy, too friggin' _Broadway_ I say to myself sometimes. Other times I honestly think it's some of the most amazing music I've heard in years. Much of my discontent is on a purely political level; this could very well be Neil's most overtly socio-political work ever. While much of "Greendale" has been dismissed by some as mere Environmentalist pseudo-propaganda, that assessment, IMO, is laughably simplistic. I'm pretty sure that much of Greendale is in fact Neil's delayed reaction to recent world events dating back to 9/11 and before. But I'm certainly not writing it off at such an early date. This stuff obviously has been brewing inside of Neil for some time and it would be absurd to treat it so lightly. Hell, there's material that Neil did when I was in high school that still challenges and amazes me today, including lots of things that I used to think I didn't like so much.

As for 2nd set news, the songs and general running order remained largely the same as the tour progressed, with a few notable moments:

* at two shows, "Feel Your Love," from the dreadful CSNY "American Dream" album, was performed. While easily the best performance on that best forgotten album (although I have a strong personal attachment to the song "This Old House," especially the spellbinding renditions on the 1985 Int'l Harvester Tour that I was lucky enough to have enjoyed), this song is nonetheless yet another LNC (lost Neil classic), just one of so many from Neil's nearly 40 year back catalog. Never performed live before, which is kinda strange since the other 2 NY songs from "American Dream" (the title song and "In the Name of Love") were performed in 1987 on the Euro and US Crazy Horse tours. Most casual fans, as well as quite a few hard core Neil-heads, likely thought this was a new one after the Dublin and London outings.

* at the tour's penultimate show in Antwerp, the 2nd set setlist largely got tossed aside. For the only time on the tour, "Lotta Love" didn't open the 2nd set, instead being replaced by "Tell Me Why." The tour's only "Razor Love" and "Powderfinger" followed, and the encore included a very surprising "The Old Laughing Lady" right before the obligatory "Heart of Gold" finale.

* At the tour finale in Paris, an alternately defiant / jubilant Neil essentially mimicked the setlist of the opening date in Stockholm with the notable addition (and tour debut) of "Winterlong," one of my all time fave Neil songs (not to mention one of my all time fave Jayhawk's covers, sung by some guy who's not in the band anymore).

The Euro tour will be remembered as one of the most shocking / surprising / notable chapters in Neil's career. The sheer audacity of debuting such a huge chunk of new material to unsuspecting audiences is an event (of the season) that those who were lucky enough to witness will never forget.

Next up: a prophetic dream by Neil, getting the Horse out of the barn, a cast of thousands and an assault on the diseased corporate rock environment (can you say "Clear Channel?") as Greendale heads for the Colonies.

"Stay in your homes - we're here to liberate you!"
(Neil Young - "Greendale" 2003)

Review: Jayhawks - 3/24/03 - Guthrie Theater - Mpls, MN

Over the years - especially back in the days before they made a conscious effort to not book "heavy" rock shows - the number of world famous acts who have graced the Guthrie stage is pretty amazing: The Who, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Roxy Music, and a zillion others. So, it's always been a huge deal for a local band to play this hallowed ground. It took over 20 years for Paul Westerberg to finally make it last summer and it took the Jayhawks almost that long to do it themselves.

And they didn't disappoint. It was a night of one beautifully performed moment after another. The finicky Guthrie sound mix fortunately seemed "on" tonight, at least from my seats. Everything was nicely balanced and crystal clear, adding to the excitement of seeing the boys in such a legendary setting.

They played just a tad under 2 hours and we got 27 songs (Gary said 28 after the show - maybe I missed scribbling one down). Most of the setlist will be familiar to those who have followed the "acoustic trio" shows over the last 15 months, with a few bombshells:

* "Five Cups of Coffee" - best version I've ever heard and that includes the performances from back in 90/91.
* "Sixteen Down" (!!!) - as soon as I recognized this I muttered "holy shit" under my breath. A total surprise from left field, especially in an "acoustic" setlist. Gary called this an "experiment" - he had tons of effects on his acoustic, including some spacey phasing effects. Very, very cool. What's next, a stripped down version of "Big Star?" Last done in late 1997 I believe.
* "All the Right Reasons" (solo version). This was the highlight of the night for me. Totally perfect, very emotional version - people dabbing their eyes everywhere. I knew something special was up when Marc and Tim didn't come out after the usual "Waiting For the Sun" first encore (which was superb, too, BTW). Gary just stood there with his guitar and went right into it. He absolutely nailed it, eclipsing every other previous performance of this beautiful song. I've always liked the trio versions of this song over the last year, but this solo version went to a whole different level. I still can't get over just how good this was. Gary said this was the first solo outing for the song formerly known as "Rotterdam."

Other highlights:
* Tim's voice was as good as I've ever heard. Really filled up the theater. Gary has got to be the luckiest guy in the world to find somebody who not only replaced Mark Olson's harmonies but does, IMO, an even better job at it.
* Marc played the stand-up bass to nice effect on several songs, a luxury they can't afford to take on the road. His fine mandolin playing throughout the night also added a nice dimension to many of the songs.
* "It's Up to You" - beautiful new arrangement for this rarely played song
* "Say You'll Be Mine" - this Mark Olson collaboration from last year sounded especially good last night. Simple song yet very haunting.
* 2 Golden Smog songs, complete with Murphy and Boquist for the "all star" finale. 2 of my fave GS songs ever, ranking right up with the best of the Jayhawks material.
* All of the songs from the new album sounded ace. Having lived with the new material for some time, I can honestly say that I prefer the live versions - especially these acoustic versions - of nearly every new song to the studio versions. The album versions are all very nice in their own way, but are, in some cases, a bit too polished for my taste. Sometimes I think this "live bias" is inevitable when you hear new songs done live for so long before you get to hear the studio versions. Still, I think the album will do very well. The lead single is already getting good airplay nationally.

SETLIST
1. Smile
2. It's Up to You
3. Settled Down Like Rain
4. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
5. One Man's Problem (new song)
6. Nothing Left to Borrow
7. Tampa to Tulsa (new song)
8. Tailspin (new song)
9. Crowded in the Wings
10. Five Cups of Coffee
11. The Man Who Loved Life
12. Clouds
13. Two Hearts
14. Sixteen Down
15. Say You'll Be Mine
16. Angelyne (new song)
17. Bottomless Cup
18. Break in the Clouds
19. Jennifer Save Me
20. Blue
21. Save It For a Rainy Day (new song)
ENCORE
22. Waiting For the Sun (Gary solo)
23. All the Right Reasons (Gary solo) (new song)
24. Trouble
25. I'd Run Away
26. Big White Cloud (John Cale cover)
27. Until You Came Along (with Jim Boquist and Dan Murphy)

A truly memorable, special night. Definitely the best "acoustic trio" show I've seen or heard, easily surpassing the Women's Club show last year here in Mpls, and one of the top 5 Jayhawks shows I've ever been to, and that dates all the way back to the Uptown Bar and the Entry in 1985. What a perfect way to start off their tour.

Review: Tim Easton - 2/11/03 - 400 Bar - Mpls, MN

For the second album in a row, Tim opened his tour in Minneapolis smack dab in the dead of winter. And last night was particularly nasty, so it was encouraging to see a couple hundred brave souls head out on a crappy Tuesday night.

After touring solo last year Tim is performing this year with drummer Miles Loretta and bass player Keith Hanna. This is a no frills yet very competent trio who cover a variety of styles quite nicely. After seeing several sterling solo sets from Tim over the last few years it was a blast to see him in an electric setting for the first time in almost 2 years (he toured briefly with Rosavelt in the spring of 2001 and played a few dates with a pared down, Tweedy-less Wilco in the months before that when "The Truth About Us" was released).

Tim was clearly itching to play, pumped about the new record and excited to be "plugged in" - the show went on for 2-1/4 hours (!!). Tim kept joking on about venturing too close to "jam" territory as the songs just kept pouring out. Tim is actually a pretty decent electric guitarist (as anyone who ever saw the Haynes Boys can attest to) and the live versions of much of the stuff from the new record were louder and edgier than the more finely tuned studio arrangements. Tim didn't touch an acoustic guitar for well over an hour when we finally got a few riveting solo songs.

The biggest surprise of the night was the pointed avoidance of "The Truth About Us" material - only a few songs and 2 of those were drastically rearranged. More songs from "Special 20" were performed than from "Truth". Also interesting was the presence of some "new" songs - a few from 2001 that didn't make the cut for the new record and some of even more recent vintage. It was kinda funny to hear somebody talking about the "next record" on he first date of a 2 month tour in support of the "new" record.

Aside from all the great "Break Your Mothers Heart" songs, the personal highlights for me included a solo reading of a stunning new song ("Reliable Man," also performed last fall) and 2 songs from "Special 20" that I'd never seen live before ("Just Like Home" and "Everywhere is Somewhere").

Needless to say, based on this fine debut performance I'd highly recommend this tour to anyone lucky enough to be in its path. The band chemistry was very good for a first show and I'm sure it will improve in the coming weeks. Tim's a great songwriter, a compelling performer and a hell of a nice guy, too. BYMH is a brilliant album and contains some of Tim's best ever songs (Rolling Stone will be giving it 4 stars in an upcoming issue, for what that's worth). BTW, all three of his albums are available for sale at the shows along with some cool tour posters.

SETLIST
Tim Easton + band
400 Bar - Minneapolis, MN - 11 February 2003

1. Watching the Lightning
2. Poor, Poor LA
3. Black Hearted Ways
4. Lexington Jail
5. John Gilmartin
6. Half a Day
7. Amor Azul
8. Just Like Home
9. Hanging Tree
10. True Ways
11. Everywhere is Somewhere
12. All the Pretty Girls Leave Town
13. Special 20
14. Man That You Need (solo acoustic)
15. Next to You (new) (solo acoustic)
16. Carry Me (acoustic)
17. Don't Walk Alone
18. Baltimore (new)
19. Out of Your Life
20. Lonesome, Lonesome (??) (new)
21. Bad Florida
22. Listen to Her Heart (Tom Petty cover)
23. I Am a Pilgrim (Merle Travis cover)
24. Rewind
25. Reliable Man (new) (solo acoustic)
26. Long Cold Night (new)
27. I Want You (She's So Heavy) (Beatles cover)
28. Pick a Bale of Cotton (trad / Leadbelly "cover")



Tim Easton 2003 tour
2/11: Minneapolis, 400 Bar
2/12: Madison, Club Montmarte
2/13: Chicago, The Abbey Pub
2/14: Columbus, OH, Little Brothers
2/15: Pittsburgh, PA, Club Cafe Live
2/18: Arlington, VA, Iota Club and Cafe
2/19: New York, Village Underground
2/20: Boston, TT the Bear's
2/21: Philadelphia, The Point
2/22: Cleveland, Beachland Ballroom
2/24: Grand Rapids, MI, One Trick Pony
2/27: Asheville, NC, Grey Eagle Tavern
2/28: Winston Salem, NC, The Garage
3/1: Atlanta, Red Light Cafe
3/4: Louisville, KY, Gerstles
3/7: Dayton, OH, Canal St. Tavern
3/8: Nashville, Exit/In
3/11: Dallas, Gypsy Tea Room
3/12: San Antonio, Casbeers
3/20: Los Angeles, Largo
3/22: San Francisco, Bottom of the Hill
3/27: Seattle, Tractor Tavern
3/28: Portland, OR, Aladdin Theater