Neil’s “Greendale” Comes Alive
Neil Young has lined up another fifteen tour dates for the summer,
during which he’ll preview his new album, Greendale, in
its entirety. Young is also planning to make a full-length concert
DVD of the song cycle, filmed earlier this year, available as part
of the album’s release.
Young performed a solo, acoustic Greendale cycle in
Europe earlier this year, before putting the set of songs on stage
before American audiences this summer backed by longtime ensemble,
Crazy Horse. One of the European shows, at Vicar Street in Dublin,
will be included with the CD release later this month. Also on the
way is Young’s new feature-length Greendale film, which
will be issued on DVD later this year.
As for the Greendale concerts, Young has enlisted a cast of more
than fifty to bring the fictional musical portrait of the Green
family — who reside in Greendale and face an impending
eco-disaster — to life. “There’s not a bunch of people who like
these kind of things, who are coming to see this,” Young says.
“It’s a bit of a shocker for them. But I found that the audiences
are challenged and they leave satisfied. But for me, the real
success of it is that after doing this for forty years, I can stand
there today, do ten new songs and live to talk about it.”
Though Greendale is the focus of the sets, Young
begrudgingly offers a few chestnuts in the mix. “It’s not about
reliving and celebrating some great historic event in somebody’s
life,” he says. “If they want to do that, they can go see somebody
else. Because there’s plenty of acts out there that they can do it
with. But I come back at the end and do a few of the old songs
[laughs]. Sometimes I feel like I do too many of
them.”
Lucinda Williams served as the opener for the first leg of the
tour. Emmylou Harris, who has lent her vocals to previous Young
recordings and who made his “Wrecking Ball” the title cut of her
1995 album, will open the second leg.
Neil Young tour dates:
8/6: The Woodlands, TX, C.W. Mitchell Pavilion
8/9: Kansas City, MO, Starlight Theater
8/10: Maryland Heights, MO, UMB Bank Pavilion
8/31: Aspen, CO, Jazz Aspen Snowmass
9/3: Grand Rapids, MI, Van Andel Arena
9/4: Toronto, Air Canada Center
9/6: Scranton, PA, Montage Mountain Amphitheater
9/7: Columbus, OH, Germain Amphitheater
9/9: Manchester, NH, Verizon Wireless Arena
9/10: Boston, FleetBoston Pavilion
9/12: Holmdel, NJ, P.N.C. Bank Arts Center
9/13: Atlantic City, NJ, Trump Taj Mahal
9/17: Santa Barbara, CA, Santa Barbara Bowl
9/19: San Diego, San Diego Sports Arena
9/20: Irvine, CA, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater