“The Thursday, July 16, Rebel Content Tour performance at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, New Jersey, proved to be the longest so far – a three-hour behemoth filled with long jam sessions, according to reports from concert-goers.
Ryan Cormier at The News Journal in Delaware, a Gannett newspaper, writes that Neil Young is no “old man,” as he delivers a massive missive of old and new songs. He states:
“At the Susquehanna Bank Center on Thursday, (Lukas) Nelson, 26, and his youthful band seemingly energized Young, 69, who treated fans to a three-hour-and-15-minute slow burn marathon tour of his career bookended by a pair of his greatest hits.
“He opened the show by appearing out of the darkness sitting at his piano for a solo rendition of ‘After the Goldrush’ and wrapped up at midnight with a squealing ‘Cinnamon Girl’ send-off, showing the dynamic range that has marked his more than 50 years in the spotlight.
The only sign of time slowing the still-hard-charging Young was a pink wrap around his right wrist. Everything else was there: his gentle, well-preserved voice, the distinctively eccentric stomps and Crazy Horse-style guitar freakouts.
“A mid-set, near-transcendental run thorough ‘Down by the River’ lasted nearly 20 minutes with Young and the band sharing solos and Young hauntingly whispering, ‘Shot my baby dead.’
Young is at his best when a fire lit – whether it’s a cause that needs defending or a big power needs to be fought, Cormier says.
“On stage or in song, there’s no hiding when Young has you in his cross-hairs. Just ask former President George W. Bush who endured a focused attack for years from the man who wrote ‘Ohio’ 45 years ago.”
Ryan Book at Music Times writes that this week marked an interesting accomplishment for Neil Young, who debuted an album in the Top 40 of the Billboard 200 for the 40th time with The Monsanto Years, which opened at no. 21.
Book writes: “Many of the reviews for Monsanto have been mixed—either as a question of its musical content or because of Young’s politics, which tackles numerous companies including the titular Monsanto and Starbucks. Regardless of what you think about Young’s politics, and even if you dislike his style personally, you’ve got to hand it to him for having cracked the Top 40 on the albums chart 40 times. Music Times isn’t going to run through all 40 of those entries, but we’ll give you a quick rundown of the seven highest-charting albums in Young’s catalogue. You may be surprised at some that did…and didn’t…make the cut.”
Last week, Neil Young released The Monsanto Years, an agribusiness-themed concept album and a unique collaboration with Willie Nelson’s sons, Lukas and Micah, alongside Lukas’s bandmates in Promise of the Real. Now Yahoo Music is proud to premiere the accompanying The Monsanto Years film, which documents the recording of the album’s nine tracks at converted movie theater Teatro in Oxnard, Calif.
Young’s Rebel Content Tour with Promise of the Real kicked off Sunday, July 5. Each tour stop will not only include a solo acoustic set by Young plus a full electric set backed by POTR, but also “The Village of Action,” featuring information booths for local, national, and global activist groups — thus tying in to The Monsanto Years’ theme of sustainable farming, as well as other environmental and human rights issues important to Young and POTR.
Here’s the Milwaukee Journal’s review of Neil Young’s performance Sunday night, July 5 at the Marcus Amphitheater on the Summerfest grounds along Lake Michigan in Milwaukee. The tour is backed by Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real.
Written by music critic Piet Levy, with photos by Rick Wood, Piet said while the crowd may have been braced for a lecture, they did not receive one.
He writes:
“The first sight on stage may have confirmed some fears, as two people dressed as farmers tossed seeds onto the stage and watered sunflowers. But it was actually a ruse to distract the audience as Young sneaked behind a battered piano for “After the Gold Rush,” from the 1970 album of the same name. That, too, is a song with a message — ‘Look at mother nature on the run’ he sings — but the surreal words are captivating.
“So was the presence of the hunched-over rocker, dressed in black — including a wide-brimmed hat that concealed his face — as a lone spotlight beamed down from above him. It was a simple image, but powerful; the most striking visual I saw during all of Summerfest, or at any concert this year. It suggested Young wasn’t going to be a lecturer; he was going to be a showman.
“That he was, performing “Heart of Gold” and “Old Man” within the first few minutes on acoustic guitar. Watching him perform the latter with quiet anguish — his face visible for the first time Sunday as he lifted his head, veins snaking across the back of his wrinkled left hand as he strummed the guitar — took on greater resonance.
“After performing a mesmerizing “Mother Earth (Natural Anthem)” on organ, men in hazmat suits appeared, spraying the stage with “pesticide.” But again, the show wasn’t making a statement so much as preparing the stage for Real’s entrance (along with Lukas’ brother Micah).”
The only thing Neil said to the audience the first 75 minutes was, “How are ya?” And when Young did play two of “Monsanto”‘s preachiest tracks, “People Want to Hear About Love” and “A New Day for Love,” people just wanted to hear Young sing, no matter what it was he was singing about.
Print deadlines prevented a full review of Young’s set. The show ran about two hours and 45 minutes.
2015-07-05 Marcus Amphitheatre, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA Summerfest w/ Promise Of The Real
01. After The Gold Rush (solo) 02. Heart Of Gold (solo) 03. Long May You Run (solo) 04. Old Man (solo) 05. Mother Earth (solo) 06. Hold Back The Tears 07. Out On The Weekend 08. Unknown Legend 09. Peace Of Mind 10. Field Of Opportunity 11. Wolf Moon 12. Harvest Moon 13. Words 14. Flying On The Ground Is Wrong 15. Walk On 16. People Want To Hear About Love 17. A New Day For Love 18. Down By The River 19. Big Box 20. A Rock Star Bucks A Coffee Shop 21. White Line 22. Workin’ Man 23. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere 24. Monsanto Years 25. If I Don’t Know 26. Love And Only Love — 27. Don’t Be Denied 28. Double E
Tour: 2015 Rebel Content Tour Band: Promise Of The Real
Tour Cities & Dates. Click on links to see ticket auctions:
July 08 @ Red Rocks Ampitheatre, Denver, Colorado (auction closed)
July 09 @ Red Rocks Ampitheatre, Denver, Colorado (auction)
July 11 @ Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Nebraska (auction)
July 13 @ Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio (auction)
July 14 @ DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston, Michigan (auction)
July 16 @ Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, New Jersey (auction)
July 17 @ Bethel Woods Center, Bethel, New York (auction)
July 19 @ Champlain Valley Expo, Essex Junction, Vermont (auction)
July 21 @ Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, New York (auction)
July 22 @ Xfinity Center, Mansfield, Massachusetts (auction)
*July 24 @ Wayhome Festival. Oro-Medonte, Canada
“Driven to the mountains high
They were sunken in the cities deep ” by -- Neil Young
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.
“The Thursday, July 16, Rebel Content Tour performance at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, New Jersey, proved to be the longest so far – a three-hour behemoth filled with long jam sessions, according to reports from concert-goers.
memphish on 
Albert Stromann on 
liza on 
Baz on 
