Neil Young: Red Rocks Live (2000)

Simply A Masterpiece

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Red Rocks Live: Neil Young, Friends and Family (2000) *** (out of 4)Motorcycle Mama / Powderfinger / Everybody Knows This is Nowhere / I Believe in You / Unknown Legend / Fool for Your Love / Buffalo Springfield Again / Razor Love / Daddy Went Walkin' / Peace of Mind / Walk On / Winterlong / Bad Fog of Loneliness / Words / Harvest Moon / World on a String / Tonight's the Night / Cowgirl in the Sand / Mellow My MindGood concert from Neil Young, which was recorded at Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheater over a two day period on Young's 2000 tour. I've heard quite a few negative things about this concert but I think they were a tad bit harsh. Yes, you're not getting a "greatest hits" setlist but that's just Young. He does what he wants and I think that's why fans enjoy him so if you are looking for that greatest hits package it's probably best that you go for a different show. Those enjoy some of the lesser played cuts should enjoy this concert as it offers up some great performances and nice reworked versions. The show gets off to a nice start with a rocking version of 'Motorcycle Mama' and this is followed by a lesser know but effective 'Powderfinger.' Both 'Everybody Knows This is Nowwhere' and 'I Believe in You' are as powerful as they always are. Over highlights include a nice, slow version of 'Harvest Moon' and the rocking closer 'Cowgirl in the Sand' which has Young's guitar going at full blast. The one negative thing that can be said is that the cinematography is rather lacking and often times poor. There's really nothing professional looking about the video but perhaps this is something Young was going for. Thankfully the audio is great so that's a major plus. You can see that it's raining during the shows and there's also some major wind that's doing some work on Young's hair as he sings but it really does add some atmosphere to the concert.

An amazing show, even without Crazy Horse. Ben Keith, Jim Keltner, 'Duck' Dunn and Spooner Oldham provide a polished yet fresh sounding accompaniment to Neil's unique style of presenting classic songs from various stages of his varied career.Those expecting the obvious numbers like "After the Goldrush" and "Heart of Gold" will be initially disappointed that these are not part of the show, however the sheer quality and heart on numbers like "Razor Love" and "Walk On" more than make up for the non-appearance of some of the better known parts of Neil's back catalogue. The highlight for me is the richly powerful version of "Cowgirl in the Sand", which is lifted in particular by Dunn's powerful bass and Keltner's superb drums. Neil's wild solo is one of the few times in the show he truly lets himself go, and combined with the rain drenched crowd jumping around in delight makes this a true essential for Neil fans.There are also several light moments, Keltner appears annoyed that the rain is getting near his drum kit...which is fair, it probably cost more than a Cadillac. Neil's wife Pegi and sister Astrid (providing superb backup vocals) are clearly freezing...they should have ignored fashion and gone for some coats at the start of the show....Overall, a very enjoyable show, an interesting contrast against 1990's "Weld" and 1978's "Rust Never Sleeps"....