Neil Young

In a Roman summer packed with musical events like perhaps never before, a place of honor is deserved by the return of Neil Young, guest of the jam-packed Rock In Roma bill, at the Ippodromo delle Capannelle, by now regarded as one of the greatest festivals ever held on Italian soil.

The nearly sixty-eight-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter lands in the capital with his faithful Crazy Horse, as tight-knit as ever and ready to back the inspired vein of one of the greatest monuments in contemporary music. A figure who has consistently managed to reinvent himself, dominating the 1970s as an absolute protagonist and then riding the shifts of the 1990s market, becoming the godfather of that decade's grunge and alt-rock scene, even sharing the stage with the best bands of the era (Sonic Youth, just to name one recurring example) and going as far as recording a whole album (the stunning "Mirror Ball", in 1995) with Pearl Jam as his backing band, right in the period when Eddie Vedder's outfit was at the center of the world.

Choosing which songs to play, for someone who has produced a mountain of essential albums, is certainly no simple task: bound to leave someone unhappy.

And indeed the only sour note of the evening will be the setlist, which in its middle section rewards some avoidable choices: an unnecessary “Blowin' In The Wind”, even if sung in unison with the crowd, plus the two dispensable new songs “Hole In The Sky” and “Singer Without A Song”, with Neil on piano. Many would have preferred to hear a “Hey Hey, My My” in their place, or an “Alabama”, a “Words” or a “Southern Man”, perhaps thrown in as a surprise at the end of the show, when the crowd loudly demanded “one more song”.

Instead, Young leaves the stage with no surprise twists, though after two hours of an absolutely top-tier show, in which the opening section (with “Love And Only Love” and “Powderfinger” leading the charge) and the final 30-40 minutes stood out for their impact, with a truly breathtaking sequence stringing together “Sedan Delivery”, “Surfer Joe And Moe The Sleaze”, the electric charge of “Rockin' In The Free World”, and in the encore “Cortez The Killer” (the ultimate goosebumps moment) and “Cinnamon Girl”.

But the three tracks drawn from the Canadian's most recent work, “Psychedelic Pill“, also cut fine figures, particularly “Walk Like A Giant” and “Ramada Inn”, compositions with nothing to envy in the great classics of the past. The performances are often stretched out compared to the canonical versions, leaving room for those solos that get under your skin and devastate your soul. Good old Neil has his usual personal touch, one that time has failed to erode, just as his voice still retains the nuances of his best years. Young looks like a shaman, with that big black hat the wind manages to snatch off his head on just one occasion - a wonderful musician and songwriter, still able today to gather under his stage at least three generations of fans.

The middle section of the show centers on a mini acoustic set, with the band catching its breath while Neil entertains the fans alone, with acoustic guitar and harmonica, stirring up the crowd's spirits especially during the classic “Heart Of Gold”.

In the end it's a triumph, only slightly marred by the fact that many would have liked one more song, perhaps that “Like A Hurricane” that Neil often plays at the end of his shows, in eighteen minutes of sheer delirium. But all in all the crowd goes home satisfied, after a performance that completely overshadowed the otherwise good Devendra Banhart, who took the stage for an hour-long opening act. A chance not well played by a singer-songwriter with plenty of tricks up his sleeve, and all in all used to taking on major stages. Devendra focused in particular on the (good) songs from his new album “Mala”, but at times seemed intimidated, putting together a largely intimate set that would have worked wonderfully in a small live club, whereas an arena of that size calls for a bit more energy. No matter: shortly after, the grand old man would take care of injecting some serious doses of adrenaline.

P.S.: breaking news is that the Rome concert will be the subject of an upcoming live DVD release. The finest gift Neil could give to all his fans, and to the audience of this particular evening.

Keep On Rockin’ In the Free World.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google