Neil
Songs can inform pivotal decisions. I’m sure you can remember one that answered a question, solved a problem, whispered for you to get in touch with someone. Sometimes its influence is not so obvious or timely.
My older sister was a Neil Young/CSN fan and she played Four Way Street ALL THE TIME. Our bedrooms were separated by a thin sheet-rocked wall and I heard everything. “Cowgirl In The Sand” was my favorite track. Maybe I wanted to be somebody’s ‘cowgirl.’ Who knows. Someday I’d be old enough to “play this game.” Whatever game that was. What can I say? The song stirred me.
So much so that years later when I was visiting college campuses in search of my next 4-year destination I heard “Cowgirl” wafting from a dorm window. Right then I knew (or believed) that was the school for me. Just like that. The curricula was absolutely secondary. 😳
Also? I was obsessed with Santo and Johnny’s “Sleep Walk” for some romantic reason and after I signed my first publishing deal I heard it on a Mazda Maita TV commercial. It accompanyied the spiffy little vehicle up a windy road. The following week I talked my reluctant accountant-father into driving me to the Mazda dealership and I bought one. Best decision ever. (Read my book!)
But back to Neil. I got 2 Tix to see him at The Greek. Word had it he only played a few classics on this tour. Ordinarily and perhaps for a different artist I would have passed. Sometimes you just need to hear ‘that’ song. For me “Cowgirl” at a Neil concert was like “As It Was” at Harry Styles last month. But I had never seen the legendary Neil. And we’re looking for a heart of gold and we’re getting old. And the Greek was around the corner. And the weather was stellar. And no one would be standing in front of me.
My Northern Cali friend Michelle was going to join me — a detour before flying home after her hundredth Grateful Dead concert (I do NOT get The Dead) but she was reticent about a setlist sans plenty of guaranteed classics. Even my hubby wasn’t sure about going with me but I convinced him. And I don’t think he regrets it.
On the way to our seats I ran into some like-minded colleagues - Stephen (The Color Purple) Bray and Rick (I can’t even list all the hits he’s written) Nowels. Their attendance reaffirmed mine. Hey guys!
And there’s another old pal, producer and radio personality Wayne Jobson who I met a lifetime ago in NYC. I don’t remember the reason for our meeting but I DO recall smoking an abundance of weed together. On occasion.
We sit.
Take me away, Neil!.
I definitely don’t feel as old as I did at Harry Styles. I blend. Lots of gray-well-kempt long hair. Canes and walkers. My foot is still in a boot. Dr. said I can take it off intermittently now but I wore it tonight as it would be unfortunate if I got stepped on. (Note to self and to you guys: if you break a foot make sure it’s the left one…so you can drive! Daily roundtrip Ubers are unsustainable!) Surprisingly, lots of younger humans bought tickets too. By that I mean 40ish. :)
Here comes Neil. In typical army attire. He’s sauntering. Slowly. And not cuz he’s older now. But because he’s in no rush. He doesn’t have to be. He recalls that his first gig in LA was at this exact venue with CSN. He points out that they’re not here right now. We know this, Neil. It’s ok.
On the stage is an upright (Yamaha I suspect), a rickety baby grand, a shiny baby grand, a gas ‘wood’ burning stove, an organ, a potted plant. Or two. It’s a vibe. He’ll move around from one to the next.
He makes jokes. He’s super funny. And dry. It’s part of his schtick.
He commences. He stops after the intro of “On the Way Home.” “It’s too outa tune,” he notes and calls for another guitar. We all silently thank him. (No one wants to sit through “when the dream came” on an out of tune guitar.)
His voice is no worse for all the wear. It’s not Mariah Carey, it’s a warm fuzzy blanket.
Someone near me is wearing way too much cologne. Really? If I can smell you that intensely out of doors you know you over-did it. And I can’t move. Cuz this is my seat. What’s wrong with people? Some people wear cologne at the gym. I just don’t get it. Anyway…
Neil is a one-man-band tonight (with an assortment of harmonicas) except for the addition of our friend Bob Rice on a couple of tunes. No dancers, no lights, no band, no background singers, no video screens.
The Greek is sold out. They added this show. How must it feel to look out and see the tens of thousands of people who come to see you night after night? Does one get used to the adoration? Take it for granted? Or does one earn it and just get so comfortable in ones place (and skin and voice and army attire) that it benefits everyone? I think so. Comfort breeds comfort.
He plays a lot of new songs and shares how he enjoyed rediscovering them. But nada from the masterpiece Harvest Moon. Why? No “Philadelphia.” Wahhh. But yes on “Ohio” and with hundred of kids still getting shot on campuses 53 years after Kent State I think this one is particularly resonant. And… “Heart of Gold” — the ‘radio’ coming to life after all these years. ♥️ I try to tell myself that any other version of “Cowgirl In The Sand” besides the actual record I fell in love with wouldn’t be as good. It’s not working.
While I was/wasn’t holding my breadth for “Cowgirl,” he plays yet another song I never heard before. “Don’t Forget Love.” And I’m transfixed. At its simplicity. At its beauty. At its message. Neil is a master at these things. It’s a ‘What The World (especially) Needs Now’ song. I adjust and appreciate an artist’s desire to share new material. All because of this song. So I won’t hold it against him that he didn’t give me what I came for. I left with a whole lot more.
“Don't Forget Love…”
When you're angry and you're lashing out, Don't Forget Love…
You don't know what you're talking about, Don't Forget Love…
When the wind blows through the crime scene and the TV man starts talking fast, Don't Forget Love…
When you got no one you can confide in, Don't Forget Love…
In every story there's a secret hiding, Don't Forget Love…
When you're taking when you could be giving
When you're dying and you could be living, Don't Forget Love…
When you're waking up with a frown And the world is bringing you down, Don't Forget Love…
Love will bring you back around
Put your feet right on the ground, Don't Forget Love…
When the storm comes and the lights go out, Don't Forget Love…
When the rains give way to sunshine, Don't Forget Love…
There's a secret in every story, in the ways that we remember love
Don't forget love…
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