.. look at me now ...
I saw Herr Young (Neil Y. to be exact) in Oberhausen (a six thousand seater hall he had sold out) yesterday. A first time for me. 5 to 6 hour drive both ways, but it was worth it. He sure is old, but he doesn't lack passion and his voice sounds as it always did, cutting through the sonic melée at any given time with ease.
I marvel at his ability to still play guitar with the rawness and childlike wonder of someone who just picked that instrument up a year ago. He is constantly soloing, bum notes, risque timing and missed strings and all, in the electric part of his two hour set which has all the songs stretch out endlessly. But he makes you watch him because he is taking chances and his playing has Jack White of the White Stripes sound polished in comparison.
The contrast between his raw electric guitar playing (he plays it like Bob Dylan plays harp
, while Young's own harp playing is very accurate) and his disciplined acoustic guitar and organ playing, his pitch-perfect singing and the smooth harmonies of his (competent if nothing else) backing band really struck me.
And I admire his guts for playing Lennon's "A day in the life" as the (solitary but wholly satisfying) encore. He pulled that song (which is rarely played by anyone) off with all the grandeur it deserves ("Got up, got out of bed ..." part and the grand finale included). And as he stood there at the end, his guitar unstrapped, shaking and knocking it about wildly for feedback and general mayhem while at the same singing the fading vocal lines of "A day in the life" sweetly into the microphone, I couldn't help but think that I was watching the last of a dying breed and that Herr Lennon would have been touched and proud.
Uwe
