Posted on 08/18/2006 10:02:24 AM PDT by raccoonradio
Neil Young has played on some of the peace movement’s greatest songs but last night at the Tweeter Center, he alienated more folks than he has in perhaps his whole career.
Unabashedly unleashing the scathingly unpopular “Let’s Impeach the President,” the Canadian guitar icon turned the packed venue on its ear, splitting the liberals and conservatives right down the middle with his take-no-prisoners lyrics. The same folks who moments earlier were cheering him on CSN classics such as “Deja Vu” and the engaging drug dealer tale “Tree Top Flyer” turned like a top when Young unveiled his in-your-face, anti-Bush mantra.
With the faces of dead soldiers scrolling behind him, Young ignored the boos and stuck to his grunge godfather image, riffing as hard as he could while inspiring as many middle fingers as peace signs.
The night began simply enough with the pro-military “Flags of Freedom” from Young’s latest protest album, “Living With War.” But before the pro-Bushies could say “pinko,” Young’s acoustic threesome softened the blow, joining him on CSN classics “Carry On,” “Wooden Ships” and“Long Time Gone.”
Things continued harmoniously on CSNY classics such as “Southern Cross,” and“Guinevere,” as Crosby, Stills and Nash each ably took their turn at the helm. But relentless in his anti-war stance, Young commandeered the stage with bombarding takes on “Restless Consumer” and “Shock ’N Awe” from his new disc, as well as a rollicking version of “Rockin’ in the Free World.”
Many may have left with a bad taste in their mouth over Young’s anti-war vitriol but the ’60s-bred quartet’s fiery take on the classic “Woodstock” hopefully erased any anger and left all in an apolitical, peaceful mood.
The Herald's Virginia Buckingham: "Teach Your Children Well:
CSNY Spouts Propaganda"
http://news.bostonherald.com/columnists/view.bg?articleid=153336
"Just don’t call it a concert. Call it what it was: A political rally. The aging bleached blonde in the white sundress would surely still have come. She didn’t sit down once during Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s “Freedom of Speech” stop at the Tweeter Center Wednesday. The woman in the sundress cheered equally for “Southern Cross,” “Our House” and “Impeach the President.” And there were thousands like her, singing along to the words “Let’s impeach the president for lying” as pictures of dead soldiers, flag-draped caskets and President Bush were paraded across a giant screen behind four aging musicians turned propagandists."
The Herald's Dave Wedge: "Neil Young, remember: we need you
around"
http://news.bostonherald.com/editorial/view.bg?articleid=153340
(Wedge argues it's Young's right to speak out. And it's our right to boo him of course)
My Neil discs are in the trash dump, where they belong.
Never liked that stupid, whiney, mealy-mouthed voice of his - now I like it less.....
From Buckingham's column:
>> A tepid call from the stage some 90 minutes in: “To all the vets out there, we are your brothers.”
("but...we support the troops!!")
>>Clip after clip of Bush speaking about Iraq followed by the words, so everyone could sing along, “Let’s impeach the president for spying.”
>>“Other than the ‘I hate America (expletive),’ the concert’s pretty good,” a 40ish man said to me during the intermission. “I’m no fan of Bush.”
>>But are you a fan of the United States? Do you understand that by saying - or singing - the president lied about Iraq, you are echoing the very excuse terrorists use to kill: that Bush invaded Iraq as part of a long-held American desire to wipe out Islam and impose Western values on the Arab world?
Neil Young has pretty much always sucked; back in the early 70s, he pretty much embodied everything that was wrong with pop/folk-rock music although he has had a decent number or two like Rust Never Sleeps and Wonderin' (which had a hilarious video.) CS&N started great with Suite Judy Blue Eyes and went downhill quickly from there; I think they're folkie chicks in disguise, really ugly ones.
>>And it's our right to boo him of course
...for spouting propaganda
Nothing more pathetic than an aging hippie.
It's hard to take any musician seriously, especially a Canadian Dylan-wannabe. Sing me a sing about women, rock and roll, love, cars, etc. Keep your politics to yourself, or expect the backlash. Political 'music' is a perversion of the true spirit of music, in this guitarist's opinion.
Frankly the anti-Bush song sucks. Laura Ingraham played part of it some time back. Forget about the lyrics, it's just ba-a-a-a-d.
Well I hope Neil Young will remember
A Southern man don't need him around anyhow
}:-)4
The way I hear CS&N are the back up band for Neil Young on this tour. Most of the concert is Neil's anti war songs from his new album
I still like Neil Young but it's becoming difficult. I definitely would NOT go to a concert to hear this crap. But Neil's recordings endure.
I saw him in Chicago in the 90's at a Farm Aid concert. He gave us what seemed like a never ending lecture on the evils of factory farms. "DOWN WITH FACTORY FARMS!!< DOWN WITH FACTORY FARMS!!" oh, it was bad!
He's embarrassing, and that song sucks.
Peter Jennings lectured Americans for decades. He even did so as a Canadian on 9-11-2001.
He didn't become an American until the 2004 election loomed.
*************
I agree. Neil is just an embarrassment these days.
Tragically the Southern man who wrote that song is no longer around and Neil is still stealing oxygen from the rest of us. Long live Skynrd!
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