In a new Rolling Stone interview Frank ‘Poncho” Sampedro says his gut is telling him this may be the last Crazy Horse/Neil Young tour.
After all, he is 64-year old and the “baby” of the band.
Those words are heartbreaking, leaving a lump in the throats of devoted fans who have followed the Horse and Neil for decades.
In a Q & A format Andy Greene at RS interviews Poncho, and when Green asks about playing “Hurricane” during a torrential downpour in Australia, Poncho replies:
“Oh, that was so crazy. It was raining off and on, kind of sprinkling all day there. Then we we started playing “Hurricane” and a torrential downpour came. I mean, literally the organ stopped working it go so wet. I had to play guitar on that song for the first time in history.
“All that gear took a hit. It almost looked like hail was falling. I was drenched, and I couldn’t move because I was attached to the organ. Those guys got to take a step back and everyone was quickly covering all the amps. The monitor console got totally soaked. A lot of things stopped working. It was crazy, but it’s not the first time that happened during that song. It’s amazing.”
Crazy Horse Guitarist Frank ‘Poncho’ Sampedro: ‘My Gut Tells Me This Is the Last Tour’
An in-depth discussion about Sampedro’s 40-year history playing alongside Neil Young
Frank “Poncho” Sampedro and Neil Young perform in New York City.
By Andy Greene
April 17, 2013 2:15 PM ET
Crazy Horse guitarist Frank “Poncho” Sampedro has been playing with Neil Young for 40 years, but he’s worried their current world tour might be the last one. “I just think once it stops it’s going to be kind of hard to get it rolling again,” he says on the phone from his home in Hawaii. “My gut tells me this is really the last tour. I hate saying their ages, but I’m 64 and I’m the baby of the band. I love playing and we’re playing as good as we ever did, but at any time something could go down with any one of us.”
Young and Crazy Horse have been touring heavily since last August, playing gigs that sometimes stretch beyond two-and-a-half hours. “Our shows are physical,” says Poncho. “It takes a lot of energy to play that much. It just seems at some point something is going to break. I already had an operation on my thumb. Neil’s wrist bugs him, and he has to tape it when he plays. You can’t fool time. You can’t count on this happening again in five years.”
At the tour opening in Perth, Australia, for the current ‘The Past, The Present, The Future’ tour, Neil Young and Crazy Horse performed a brandnew never-played-before song: “Hole in the Sky“.
Young will be joined by Arcade Fire, Eddie Vedder, Dave Matthews, Mumford and Sons, Beck and Los Invisibles featuring Carlos Santana for the weekend festivities.
Other artists listed on concert’s official site include jazz queen Diana Krall (Saturday), Tony Bennett (Sunday) and Foo Fighters (Sunday). Yes, it seems the stars are all turning out for the cause closest to Young’s heart.
Check out the clip promoting the 2011 Bridge School Benefit Concert below and get hyped on the weekend, which raises money for the special school Young and wife Pegi started back in 1986 to help their son Ben. Heavy hitters like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Crosby, Stills, Nash were on hand to kick off the inaugural concert, which has become a staple on the calendar for music lovers (with the exception of 1987 when the benefit was canceled).
Tickets go on sale Sept. 16 via Live Nation, with proceeds going towards assisting children with disabilities and communication needs.
“Neil Young called two days ago, and I\'m almost like: \'Oh fuck,\' because whatever he\'s going to say I\'m going to want to deal with, you know?\"” by Justin Vernon, Bon Iver, 9 June 2011 The Guardian
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.
In a new Rolling Stone interview Frank ‘Poncho” Sampedro says his gut is telling him this may be the last Crazy Horse/Neil Young tour.
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