Heart Of Gold
I’ve seen Neil Young and Crazy Horse a couple of times over the years. I have to say that when he’s on fire, no one– older or younger–rocks like this guy.
But the Heart of Gold DVD is something different and truly magnificent. It’s a fabulous collection of old band mates (Spooner Oldham, Grant Boatright, Ben Keith) along with the heavenly Emmylou Harris and others. Jonthan Demme directs this gorgeous show from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorum (the Grand Ole Opry) and Neil points out that he is playing ‘Hank’s old guitar’ (which hasn’t seen this stage since 1951). It’s a mix of old and new songs, apparently made more poignant by the loss of Neil’s father just months before as well as his own struggle with a recent brain anuerism.
The ending scene with the credits rolling where Neil plays The Old Laughing Lady solo is amazing. It displays a guy who’s played this ax for decades, a true guitar strangler. The choice of notes and phrasing and artifice is brilliant.
I like watching guys like Neil Young and Bob Dylan getting old. There’s a mastery to their playing, a different level of weilding the instrument, the way they make the hard things looks so easy and effortless. There’s also that freedom of coming so far and seeing so much that allows you to not care what others think, a relaxation that comes with that maturity.
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