Following last night’s exclusive 5,000 capacity, seated Neil Young performance at Melbourne’s The Plenary, a rumour has trickled through that the extraordinary performance was filmed for an upcoming ‘Alchemy’ tour concert movie.
Yes that’s right, Melbourne could be the city of choice for documenting the still ox-strong Neil Young and Crazy Horse unit, at least that’s according to a heady declaration by Noise 11‘s Paul Cashmere.
In a review of the “powerful” performance, Cashmere writes: “Neil Young’s Shakey Pictures filmed this Melbourne ‘Alchemy Tour ’ show for their next concert documentary and by the set and the setlist you can expect ‘Alchemy’ the concert movie to be ‘Rust Never Sleeps II’,” referring it to be the spiritual sequel to Young’s landmark 1979 concert movie.
Young’s Shakey Pictures production company have released a myriad of performance documentaries over the decades, including the revered two-day Nashville performance in the 2006 movie, Neil Young: Heart of Gold, directed by Jonathan Demme, who partnered again with the Canadian music icon on the 2011 documentary Neil Young Journeys.
Of the Melbourne Plenary show, the Noise 11 writer fine-tooth combed the exceptional circumstances of the night which apparently red stamps this performance as the recorded ‘One’, where unlike other Australian shows which spanned a standard 2hr and 20min, as observed by Cashmere, this performance was extended to an epic 3-hour set.
Melbourne could be the city of choice for documenting the still ox-strong Neil Young and Crazy Horse unit…Also in conjunction with a change in duration, a change in setlist has added fuel to the proverbial fire that the group – Young, Frank ‘Poncho’ Sampedro, Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina – were looking to capture their Melbourne performance for posterity.
Where a switcheroo of the more over-played but still-loved favourites (such as “Fuckin Up” ad “Mr Soul”), for Young’s preserved rarities (“Barstool Blues” and “Danger Bird”) speaks of volumes for those looking intensely between the lines towards a future concert movie release.
However if you didn’t make the cut for ‘Plenary Hall club’ exclusive, have no fear. Tone Deaf’s reviewers have been following Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s Australian saga city to city, and all seem to relay the same enthusiasm, insinuating that the band’s “standard” performances are anything but.
From the wonderful and bizarre theatrical elements which saw “labcoated roadies in Einstein wigs mill… about the stage, supervising the removal of the enormous roadcases, revealing theatrically oversized Fender stacks” as reported by one critic in Brisbane, to the perverse, ‘rock star’ abuse Young inflicted on his guitar by “slowly and deliberately remov[ing] all his strings amongst harsh feedback” observed in Adelaide – what can be expected at Rod Laver this Friday, will be golden.
Whether a taping of the Plenary Hall was conducted or not, it seems a single live dose of Young throughout this Australian tour will sustain Aussie punters regardless.
