Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir opened for Neil Young Tuesday, July 21 at the NYC-venue Jones Beach. Accompanying Young is the band “Promise of the Real,” with Lukas and Micah Nelson, sons of Willie Nelson.
The Stop Shopping Choir are singing activists who began their life doing things like singing against the hordes of consumers at Macy’s front door on Black Friday, the doorbuster ritual. They see the religions of consumerism as, obviously, an ethical problem.
Here’s an interview with Rev. Billy conducted the eve before the show by Stefanie Spear at Ecowatch.
Billy: “Neil Young is breaking an American taboo, which is that famous celebrities do not name corporations who are criminal. Neil Young with his companion Daryl Hannah is naming Monsanto, Starbucks and Walmart and their Earth-killing behavior, as we in the Church of Stop Shopping have for many years. We are gratified that they have invited us onto their stage. Earthalujah!”
Billy: “There is a feeling in the air with this tour “The Monsanto Years.” It’s different when you have that engagement in the world, risky, high energy politics. From the road, Young put up $100,000 to oppose Monsanto and Starbucks in the battle of truth-in-labelling in Vermont. And he’s hilariously debating Donald Trump, of course. Daryl Hannah invited radical Earth groups to greet ticket buyers at the lobby of the arenas—they call it an Eco-Village. She engaged Charris Ford to invite the First Nations activists at Idle No More, young farmers at the Greenhorns, Institute for Responsible Technology, Earth Island Institute, Move to Amend and many more. Rock matters again! Music can create the feeling of change like nothing else.”
Rolling Stone writer Joseph Huff-Hannon a cross-country caravan called the Apache Stronghold, made up of dozens of activists and supporters of the Arizona San Carlos Apache tribe. The group is calling out a mining industry land grab rammed through Congress last December.
Starting at Red Rocks earlier this month, and in venues across the country since, the Apache have been linking up with Neil Young on the road, sharing their stories and singing prayer songs to thousands of audience members.
Exclaim.ca is reporting that the Chicago-based Numero Group was poking around Laurel Canyon and discovered an old, unreleased album from folk singer Elyse Weinberg. Its Numerophon imprint will be issuing the sessions, which featured Neil Young, as Greasepaint Smile on September 18.
Young sings “Houses.”
Numerophon is The Numero Group’s vinyl-only legacy imprint. Aimed at releases featuring plaintive and old-timey folk and gospel, blues, ethnic, field recordings, the musical outpourings of Appalachia, and so on, Numerophon is a label’s evolution run backward, into what Numero might have looked like circa 1948.
Greasepaint Smile was to be the follow-up to Weinberg’s 1969 debut, Elyse. Her first album was issued by Tetragrammaton, but the label went out of business before Greasepaint Smile could be released. That said, a CD repress of Elyse in 2001 via Orange Twin had delivered two tracks from the sessions (“What You Call It” and “Houses”).
“Houses” is especially notable, as it features lead guitar from Young. Of Shakey’s “signature fuzz-tone,” Numero says that it can be heard “casting chaos over the beautiful ballad.” The song has since been covered by the likes of Dinosaur Jr. and Vetiver, among others.
In addition to Young’s guest appearance, the record also includes backup performances from the E. Street Band’s Nils Lofgren, J.D. Souther and Kenny Edwards. It was produced by longtime Crazy Horse cohort David Briggs.
Read more at: http://exclaim look at more info.ca/Music/article/numero_unearth_elyse_weinberg_lp_featuring_neil_young_nils_lofgren
A review from the Burlington Free Press staff writer Brent Hallenbeck says Sunday’s show July 19 in Essex Junction was Neil Young’s first-ever headlining show in Vermont. He played with Promise of the Real for the ninth show of the tour.
Prior to the show he spoke at a press conference in favor of Vermont’s GMO labeling law. Activist booths were set up outside the concert.
Hallenbeck writes that Young was driven in large part by his support for the state’s law requiring food manufacturers to label products containing genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. The Grocery Manufacturers Association has filed suit against Vermont over that law, and Young announced Sunday that he’s donating $100,000 to the fund helping the state fight that lawsuit.
Here’s a clip from the review:
“Given that impetus behind the show, though, Young’s nearly two-and-a-half-hour concert was largely restrained about politics – for instance, he didn’t talk about the presidential candidate he favors, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont – and focused on the music that has made him one of rock’s top songsmiths for nearly half a century. He came out in blue jeans, a dark brimmed hat and a black T-shirt reading “Earth” and began with quieter tunes featuring his naturally strained, upper-register voice on top of acoustic guitar (with occasional harmonica interludes).
This was not the angry 69-year-old man raging against the corporate machine on “The Monsanto Years.” This was calm, reflective, often celebratory Neil Young as he played old favorites such as “Heart of Gold” and “Old Man.”
Lukas Nelson moved from guitar to piano as he played “Moonlight in Vermont,” an old standard his father often covers, even singing it with a warm, wavering tone like Willie Nelson employs. The crowd gave Nelson one of its heartiest ovations of the night.
Neil Young 2015-07-19 Champlain Valley Exposition, Essex Junction, Vermont, USA w/ Promise Of The Real
01. After The Gold Rush 02. Heart Of Gold 03. Long May You Run 04. Old Man 05. Mother Earth (Natural Anthem) 06. Out On The Weekend 07. Unknown Legend 08. Only Love Can Break Your Heart 09. From Hank To Hendrix 10. Harvest Moon 11. Wolf Moon 12. Words 13. Lookin’ For A Love 14. Moonlight In Vermont (cover) Lukas Nelson on lead vocals and piano 15. A Rock Star Bucks A Coffee Shop 16. People Want To Hear About Love 17. A New Day For Love 18. Country Home 19. Down By The River 20. If I Don’t Know 21. Workin’ Man 22. Monsanto Years 23. Love And Only Love
Tour: 2015 Rebel Content Tour Band: Promise Of The Real
Neil Young – vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, pump organ, harmonica Lukas Nelson – electric guitar, piano, vocals Micah Nelson – electric guitar, electric charango, piano, vocals Corey McCormick – bass, vocals Anthony Logerfo – drums Tato Melgar – percussion
“Indeed, \\\"Fuckin\\\' Up\\\" (the best track on Young\\\'s much-ballyhooed \\\"Ragged Glory\\\") is more than a great song; it\\\'s a lifestyle choice.” by Shannon Zimmerman; Salon, 20 August 2003.
Neil Young on Tour
Sugar Mountain setlists
Tom Hambleton provides BNB with setlists, thankfully. His website is the most comprehensive searchable archives on the Internets about anything Neil Young related setlists. Goto Sugar Mountain.
Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir opened for Neil Young Tuesday, July 21 at the NYC-venue Jones Beach. Accompanying Young is the band “Promise of the Real,” with Lukas and Micah Nelson, sons of Willie Nelson.
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