Neil Young, Wilco & Everest @ Air Canada Centre, Toronto
- Dec 10, 2008
Though Winnipeg can legitimately claim to have been where he began his musical journey, Neil Young was born in Toronto. So whenever he comes back for a show â“ or shows, as one date is never enough to meet demand â“ it's a special occasion. Memories of his intimate, three-night stand at Massey Hall last year are still fresh in most fans' mind, but last week he was back yet again for two dates at the considerably larger Air Canada Centre with Wilco and Everest in tow. With his long-awaited "Archives" set still to see the light of day, there wasn't any particular reason for Young to be on the road, but then he doesn't need a reason. He's Neil Young.
Los Angeles quintet Everest are recent signees to Young's Vapor Records label, and they treated those who lined up hours in advance of doors to get a spot up front to a set of genteel, country rock with just enough of an edge to keep ones attention. Pleasant enough for passing the time, but it wasn't until Wilco took the stage that things really got started.
While a bands on a multi-night engagements might opt to keep sets consistent so as to be able to put their best foot forward for different audiences, that wasn't an option for Wilco â“ drummer Glenn Kotche was absent for the second show due to prior commitments to the Kronos Quartet in New York City, so his bandmates were forced to rejig things considerably from night one. Whereas the first performance leaned heavily on their recent works and the set wasn't much removed from their recent tours, the second really mixed things up thanks to a rotation of three guest drummers who were allowed to pick what songs they wanted to play. The result was a heady blend of rarely-aired songs, including a glorious suite from "Being There" that had long-time fans in seventh heaven. It's rare that being down a man can incite a band to raise their game even higher than their usual high standard, but Wilco did it and it was one for the books.
But even with that, there was no question that the nights belonged to Young. Leading his descriptively-named Electric Band through a two hour excursion through his expansive songbook, the set was essentially split into thirds. The first block featured the pure rock side of things, highlighted by extended jams of "Hey Hey, My My", "Powderfinger" and "Cortez The Killer", before quieting down for an acoustic set featuring some of his most-revered compositions, like "Heart Of Gold" and "Needle And The Damage Done". It was then time to turn the volume back up, first with a trio of new songs and then wrapping up with an epic double-shot of "Cowgirl In The Sand" and "Rockin' In The Free World". And then for an encore, a cover of "A Day In The Life" with the orchestral finale of the Beatles' original replaced by Young's feedbacking guitar abuse. Unbelievable stuff, and even though both nights were structured almost identically, seeing it all a second time did nothing to diminish the sense of awe at Young's performance. It's called classic rock for a reason â“ because it is.
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