Photos and a review of Neil Young & Crazy Horse in Toronto
[Photographer Alex Lupul was at the Budweiser Stage. – AC]
Toronto’s Summer concert season unofficially kicked off on Monday evening (May 21), with opening night at Budweiser Stage in Toronto.
Looming rain clouds and the threat of extreme weather did little to dampen concert-goers’ spirits, with long lines stretching outside of the city’s outdoor amphitheatre to see the return of one of the country’s most prolific musical exports: Neil Young.
Young and company took to the stage opening first with the classic Crazy Horse collaboration “Cortez The Killer,” from the 1975 album Zuma. The track served as a perfect introduction to what fans could expect of the concert, showcasing the group’s penchant for distorted guitars and extended jams that could only be created by spending upwards of five decades as collaborators; as they extended the seven and a half minute studio track to close to ten minutes in length.
In the months following the performance that made its way onto Fu##in’ Up, Young shared a post on his website expressing that it was a “lifetime experience,” adding that “I can’t remember a night like that in decades.” This adoration for his band shone through during the brief periods where he would address the crowd of 16,000 at Budweiser Stage, stating how special it was to share the stage with them.
Armed with his vintage Gibson Les Paul and Crazy Horse, Young kept his foot firmly on the gas pedal (or rather, volume pedal), only briefly trading his distortion and fuzz pedals for an acoustic guitar and harmonica. During which time Young gave his backing band a three-song respite to perform songs such as “Heart of Gold” solo.
Crazy Horse returned to help perform two encores, highlighted by a searing rendition of Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black), before the house lights were turned back on to signal the evening was brought to a close.
The setlist can be found below:
1. Cortez the Killer
2. Cinnamon Girl
3. Fuckin’ Up
4. Scattered (Let’s Think About Livin’)
5. Like a Hurricane
6. Vampire Blues
7. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
8. The Losing End (When You’re On)
9. Down by the River
10. Powderfinger
11. Love and Only Love
12. Comes a Time
13. Heart of Gold
14. Human Highway
Encore:
15. Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)
Encore 2:
16. Don’t Be Denied
17. Roll Another Number (For the Road)
Young’s “Love Earth Tour” is particularly noteworthy, marking his return to touring, the first full-scale tour with longtime friends and collaborators in Crazy Horse (comprised of band members Ralph Molina, Nils Lofgren, and Billy Talbot) in nearly a decade, and a celebration of sorts for their newest collaboration–the album Fu##in’ Up.
The new album was first released through a limited edition Record Store Day version on April 20, before receiving a wider release on April 26.
Recorded live in Toronto last year during a secret concert at the 240-person capacity venue The Rivoli, the nine song album sees Neil Young & Crazy Horse return to the material of 1990’s “Ragged Glory.”
Through a press release Young stated, “In the spirit it’s offered, we made this for the Horse lovers. I can’t stop it. The Horse is runnin’. What a ride we have. I don’t want to mess with the vibe, and I am so happy to have this to share.”
This time around, the group found themselves performing to a crowd more than sixty times larger in size.
