– Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Live At Auditorium Theatre, Chicago – November 15, 1976 –
Neil Young is arguably one of Rock n’ Roll’s greatest songwriters. With a catalog of unforgettable songs going back decades, Neil Young continues to be a vital force and endless reservoir of great music. Continuing a legacy which began with Buffalo Springfield, transitioned to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and has enjoyed a lasting legacy as a solo artist ever since.
This concert, with his reformed band Crazy Horse from the mid-1970s, came on the heels of a number of personal struggles. It was also a period of transition and a brief reunion with Crosby, Stills and Nash.
This incarnation of Crazy Horse features Frank Sampedro on guitar and keyboards, Billy Talbot on bass and Ralph Molina on drums. It also comes ahead of the release of The Stills-Young Band release of Long May You Run, a project recorded in February of that year as a reunion between the two former Buffalo Springfield founders and an attempt to pick up where they left off during those years.
But an early tour with the Stills-Young Band ended abruptly in July, with Young leaving mid-tour. This particular concert with Crazy Horse comes a few days before Young’s guest appearance with The Band on November 25th in a farewell concert which would become immortalized in film by Martin Scorsese as The Last Waltz.
Recorded in Chicago, at the Auditorium Theatre on November 15, 1976 – Neil Young and Crazy Horse, giving one of their many memorable concerts during a year where a lot was going on, and a career marked by incredible highs and lows. But one of the most enduring and essential artists in the world of Rock whose contributions, not only to the sound of rock, but its poetic conscience has been inestimable.
Play loud – and enjoy often and dive into his catalog if you aren’t familiar – it’s a veritable embarrassment of riches.
