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Neil Young and Crazy Horse


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Crazy Horse unleashes the rock

As the crowd was growing anxious after the two opening acts, Neil Young and Crazy Horse took the stage in what can be described as nothing less than a rockin’ stage performance.

Sure, the packed house were there to hear the tunes they know and love and get a taste of the group’s latest album, Americana, but surely there wasn’t an eye in the audience not glued to the stage as the show opened.

Picture this: As The Beatles classic A Day in the Life filled the K-Rock Centre, a number of odd little fellows in lab coats took the stage. Fiddling with controls and directing a construction crew, the lab coat-clad men had the vintage, weathered, giant-sized road cases hoisted into the air to reveal two equally as giant Fender amp stacks, framed by two smaller Fender amps (still giant in their own right). A giant, 1950s-style radio microphone dropped from the rafters, and a huge Canadian flag became the backdrop as Neil Young, Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina and Frank “Poncho†Sampedro took the stage.

And like every almost every event in an arena, the first song that echoed through the venue as the show began was O Canada.

If that couldn’t get the crowd rockin’, I’m not sure what could.

Maybe a slick rendition of the Young song Powder Finger?

As the 1979 classic resounded from the walls, the crowd joined in, swelling the sound in gorgeous crescendo one would expect from a man and a band that have entertained crowds the world over for decades.

But it wasn’t just the classics that summoned the screams and cheers of the more than 3,000 who packed the K-Rock Centre Friday night. The song Ontario, from Americana, had the audience singing along with a brand new song, as its repetitive refrain “I was born in Ontario†struck a chord with the crowd.

A beautiful mix of young and old was not only the makeup of the audience, but also of the set list that kept classic rock ‘n’ roll ringing out through the arena.

Taking to the front and centre of the stage alone, Young’s The Needle and the Damage Done brought the audience to a still silence, apart from their singing along. Lighters and cellphones lit up the audience from the standing-room-only floor to the ceiling of the boxes.

By the end of the first hour, the smell of a joint or two lingered throughout the arena, my first time experiencing the true concert experience in the K-Rock Centre (because what great show have you seen that didn’t smell of marjiuana?) — ironic, however, given Young’s announcement just a few weeks ago that he was giving up the reefer and the bottle.

But if you thought the drugs and the alcohol were what kept Young fuelled on his rock ‘n’ roll journey some 50 years long, think again.

I’ve seen Young perform solo before, never with the absolutely killer Crazy Horse, but I’ve seen him rock out.

Friday night was all that and more.

Both opening bands fit the bill beautifully. The young, new group Infantree, a Los Angeles-based band, found their groove by their second song, and had Young and Crazy Horse fans yelling hours before the band took the stage.

Following Infantree, Los Lobos, perhaps best known for their cover of Ritchie Valens hit La Bamba (from the film of the same name), took the stage as though they’d been playing Kings­ton for years — and this was the band’s first time rockin’ the Limestone City.

Los Lobos found their grunge and blues edge, kicking off with some down-and-dirty rock ‘n’ roll before breaking into that Mexican-influenced rock that made them famous.

Still, it was Young’s iconic voice that never wavered. Clad in his plaid flannel shirt, Young had command of the audience for the entire two-hour set.

And while Young might have had control of front and centre, it was Talbot’s thumping bass and Molina’s sticks on the skins that kept the whole show packaged up, neat and tidy — if anything about rock ‘n’ roll can be considered neat and tidy.

Sure, Young has aged since he was last here in Kingston about a few years ago. But all you had to do to find out if Young is still rocking as hard as ever was look around — the crowd was loving it.

“This show is way better than when I saw Neil last time he was here,†said Sandy Walton, who took two ferry trips — one from Cape Vincent, N.Y., to Wolfe Island, and the other from the island to Kingston.

“I was kind of worried I’d be mad I’d got tickets again and travelled all this way if he was going to play folky, slow, sappy stuff. But I figured he’s with Crazy Horse. And I was right.â€

Admittedly, I missed the encores, which I am certain brought the house down, but I won’t complain. I’ve seen Young before, and I can say without a doubt I’ve never seen him rock that hard.

tori.stafford@sunmedia.ca

http://www.thewhig.com/2012/10/05/crazy-horse-unleashes-the-rock

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What a great show in Kingston, I thought Neil absolutely slayed it on Friday. Fuckin Up was the highlight of the show for me. Such a great tune! Ontario was a whole lot of fun as well, so hokey but so thoroughly enjoyable. We had general admission floors and found it fairly easy to get pretty close up if sticking along the side. Hope everyone had a great time!

Ended up at a few bars afterwards, rounding out my first time ever hanging out in Kingston. Toucans and Red House I think they're called, and then had one of the finer poutines I've had in a long time at a place called Bubba's.

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Apparently Los Lobos were hanging out at the Toucan afterwards as well ...

I figured everything else was gonna be nuts near the KRC so I went up to Mansion.

Bubba's poutine is legendary. Smokes is a nice alternative though.

Glad you enjoyed Kingston :)

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