Neil Young rocks my world

Monday night we went to see Neil Young at the RAI theater in Amsterdam.  Two nights later I can still hear the music and see the stage in my head.  Neil Young has been my musical hero since I first heard After the Gold Rush, some 33 years ago.  33 years!  How is that possible?  Unlike other old rockers who are still around, Neil has never stopped experimenting and making new music, his own way.  And man this 62 year old man can still burn the house down with his sizzling guitar.  I loved every minute of it.  The first half of the concert was acoustic with Neil moving between his circle of guitars, to the piano, and back again.  The second half was loud and rockin’ with the band backing him up.  I’m not a music reviewer, so I won’t attempt to do that here.  There are plenty of sites with reviews you can google.  I only wanted to post about my own personal excitement and enjoyment of the event.

I’ve been a Neil Young fan nearly all my life.  Who else can you say that about?  No other singer/author/actor/band/act has followed me through my life and has affected me at an impressionable age.  I listened to Neil sing “Oh Lonesome Me” last night and I had to smile when, in my head, I head the skip/click of the worn out vinyl record I played over and over and over as a teenager.

I have to say, I’m very glad the concerts (3 nights in a row) were at the RAI instead of at Heineken Music Hall or somewhere larger.  I wished we all would have stood up and danced through the whole of the second half.  I found it hard to sit still!  It was only during the last 2 songs that everyone stayed standing and rocked out to the end.

I loved the evening.  I loved seeing Neil.  I loved that he was in a good mood and played with the audience as well as played to us.  I loved hearing my old friends played again and hearing new songs I didn’t know so well.

Come back again Neil.  I’ll pay the big bucks. :-0