Neil Young & Crazy Horse Bring the Fuzz to The Garden

Neil Young and Crazy Horse visited Madison Square Garden last night on their tour to promote their new album "Psychedelic Pill," and as you'd expect from hearing that disc, jamming and fuzzed-out guitar ruled the night. (See NPR Music's review of the album.)

Neil Young, Crazy Horse, and stagehands standing at attention during the playing of the national anthem.

With an album featuring two discs and one song of 27 minutes and another more than 15, it's no surprise that Tuesday's show probably featured fewer songs than you'd find in previous Neil Young shows, and that was the case. Even some relatively short older songs had a verse repeated twice. (See set list below.)

The good news is that Young and his old mates can still rock with power and lots of distortion. Hearing Crazy Horse, it's easy to see how grunge rockers such as Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam were inspired by the Canadian-born Young.

The bad news is that many of the songs would have been just as enjoyable if they hadn't been extended in length, and this would have allowed the band to fit at least a few more songs into the set. ("Fuckin' Up," in particular, went on much longer than we felt it should have.)

We would have preferred to hear more older songs, especially from Young's classic album "Harvest" (he played only one tune from it, a solo acoustic "The Needle and the Damage Done.") Other older tunes included "Powderfinger," "Cinnamon Girl," "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)," and the Buffalo Springfield rocker "Mr. Soul."

Songs from "Psychedelic Pill" that were played included "Born in Ontario," "Ramada Inn," and "Walk Like a Giant."

Neil Young and Crazy Horse during Tuesday's show.

Neil Young doesn't seem like someone you'd necessarily expect to have a crazy sense of humor or eye for stagecraft, but the show featured some wacky touches. The stagehands were dressed either as construction workers (in orange vests and yellow hardhats) or as mad scientists, complete with white lab coats and Einstein-style unkempt hair. And they all stood at attention, side by side, as the national anthem was played (with an American flag projected on the back screen) before Young's set began. (We're not sure if he's doing this before every show, or just in ones played in sports arenas.)

The stage had a retro cartoon look; it was adorned by several large structures made to resemble giant Fender amps, and an oversized model of an old-style microphone stood at the front of the stage.

Neil Young and Crazy Horse play the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Monday, Dec. 3rd; tickets are still available here. 

Everest started off the show (I arrived too late to catch them), followed by a brief set by Patti Smith.

 Patti Smith during her opening set.

Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Madison Square Garden, Nov. 27th, 2012
Set list: (via Brooklyn Vegan)
"Love and Only Love"
"
Powderfinger"
"
Born in Ontario"
"
Walk Like a Giant"
"
The Needle and the Damage Done"
"
Twisted Road 
Singer"
"Without a Song"
"
Ramada Inn"
"
Cinnamon Girl"
"
Fuckin' Up"
"
Mr. Soul"
"
Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)"

Encore:
"
Roll Another Number"

The Black Keys & Arctic Monkeys Rattle the Garden with Straight-Ahead Rock

Although The Black Keys have exploded from a moderately successful act to arena headliner in just a few years, the band kept its no-frills approach to performing at Thursday's concert at Madison Square Garden.

The Black Keys + two at MSG Thursday. 

 The duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney unleashed one bluesy rocker after another, starting with "Howlin' For You," with Auerbach occasionally pausing briefly between songs to thank the audience and ask how everyone was doing. Other than that, he was content to zip into another tune, several times saying things like, "Let's keep it moving right along" or "We're gonna move on to the next one, huh?"

The simple stage layout featured guitarist and singer Auerbach and drummer Carney up front and side by side, with two multi-instrumentalists (identified only as "Josh" and "John") behind them to fill out the sound. At about the middle point of the show, the backing players left the stage and Auerbach and Carney reeled off about a half-dozen tunes by themselves. But with the chops and chemistry the two share, their bare-bones guitar-and-drums-only sound managed to fill the Garden.

Carney (left) and Auerbach performed a set of tunes without their backing musicians. 

The Black Keys played songs from throughout their catalog, with an emphasis on their two latest albums, "El Camino" and their breakthrough, "Brothers." Fans were treated to "Run Right Back," "Strange Times," "Chop and Change," "Thickfreakness," "Tighten Up," and of course "Lonely Boy," the first single off "El Camino," the last song in the regular set. (See Spinner.com's review for a full Black Keys MSG setlist.) Disco balls descended from the ceiling, and from the general-admission floor, for "Everlasting Light," the first tune in the three-song encore.

Arctic Monkeys opened Thursday's show MSG.

British rockers Arctic Monkeys got the show off to a rousing start. Although they were more communicative with the audience than The Black Keys, they similarly ripped through a set of uptempo songs with a no-frills attitude. The emphasis, as expected was on their latest album, "Suck It and See."

The Black Keys could have sold out Madison Square Garden twice by themselves, but the inclusion of Arctic Monkeys made this show an even more attractive twin bill.

Considering The Black Keys' reputation as road warriors who tour relentlessly, if you missed the band on this leg of their tour you'll probably get a chance to catch them soon.

Black Keys & Arctic Monkeys at the Garden: 2nd Show Added

It didn't take long for the March 12th Black Keys/Arctic Monkeys show at the Garden to sell out today, so a second show has been added on March 22nd. Tickets go on sale Friday, Dec. 16th at 9 a.m.

Since 19,000 tickets have already been sold for the first show, presumably the second show won't sell out quite as quickly. But just in case, you'll probably want to get your Black Keys tickets soon after 9 a.m. on the 16th.

The Akron, Ohio duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney is touring in support of its latest album, "El Camino,"which came out this week.

Prince Adds 4th Garden Show; Tickets on Sale Sat., Jan 15th

Prince at NJ's Izod Center last month.

Prince is bringing his "Welcome 2 America" show to Madison Square Garden one more time, on Monday, Feb. 7th. Tickets go on sale here Saturday, Jan. 15th at 10 a.m.

Prince played two shows at New Jersey's Izod Center and two at the Garden, and has another Garden appearance on Jan. 18th (said to be sold out).

His "Welcome 2 America" concerts have been getting wide acclaim (including from this reviewer). The shows feature a selection of hits and lesser-known songs from throughout his career, and Prince has been including opening acts who have been inspirations to or influences on him, including Cassandra Wilson, Maceo Parker, and Larry Graham of Graham Central Station, as well as the comedian Sinbad.

It's a fun, funky show, and you never know when Prince will tour again. So if you're interested in seeing him in concert, get your tickets when they go on sale Saturday.

Prince Takes Manhattan (and New Jersey) to Kick Off East Coast Tour

Prince emerges from his glyph-shaped stage at the Izod Center Friday.

For a 52-year-old performer who hasn't been touring much lately and has had hip problems, Prince sure hasn't missed a beat so far on his" Welcome 2 America" tour. I got to see him twice last week, on Friday at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ and the next night at Madison Square Garden. Both were very entertaining, high-energy shows with plenty of great tunes and a lot of funk.

The multitalented Prince displayed a wide assortment of musical styles, dance moves, and costumes while performing on a stage shaped like the glyph/symbol that he used to call himself. The Purple One ripped through songs from throughout his career, with a heavy emphasis on the hits.

On Friday, Prince started off his own set with an extended version of "Let's Go Crazy," then followed that up with three of his other best-known tunes: "Delirious," "1999," and "Little Red Corvette." Though the setlists for Friday and Saturday were similar, there were some differences: no "Little Red Corvette" on Saturday, though the MSG show did include couple of my Prince favs: "U Got the Look" and "Raspberry Beret," as well as "Nothing Compares 2 U."

I had hoped to here "When Doves Cry" at at least one of the shows, but it was not to be.

Prince making his guitar wail at the Izod Center.

"So many hits," Prince said during both shows, as if to recognize that there wasn't enough time in any one show to play them all. So in some cases he played medleys that combined two or more songs, similar to his Super Bowl halftime performance a few years back. It was good to hear so many tunes, but having some of them shortened and squeezed into medleys wasn't always satisfying.

Prince's protege Sheila E. was a guest at the Friday and Saturday shows. She came on stage and performed an energetic version of her hit "The Glamorous Life," to the delight of the fans, most of whom knew the words. She looked great and still had her chops on the drums, and she played along on a couple more songs with Prince and the band.

Prince as seen on an Izod Center video screen.

During both shows Prince had audience members come on stage to dance, but at the Madison Square Garden show the guests weren't just any fans. Prince called out a number of A-listers to join him on stage: Jamie Foxx, Spike Lee, Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Sheppard, and even professor/philosopher/author Cornell West.

Prince was in fine form, as was his band (New Power Generation, from what I've read) and his three female backup singers, Elisa Dease, Liv Warfield and Shelby J. All told, Prince played for nearly two hours, which included several encores. (This included a few brief sessions of downtime for Prince to change costumes.) And yes, he did briefly play that gold-plated Stratocaster than he will later auction off for charity.

Prince's own sets were preceded by those of several veteran performers as opening acts (and sometimes performing with Prince). Cassandra Wilson opened the show on Friday night, followed by a set by legendary soul and funk saxophonist Maceo Parker. I missed Saturday's opening act by Sinbad, but caught the tail end of the set by the other opener, Larry Graham of Graham Central Station.

Prince plays Madison Square Garden again on December 29th and on January 18th. You can check for tickets at the Garden's official Prince ticket page here, or try StubHub if the shows are sold out. (There were several hundred tickets for both the Dec. 17th and 18th shows on StubHub, some listed for below face value.)

Prince hasn't toured the East Coast for six years, so if you've ever liked him music, my advice would be to get to one of his shows. They are fun and funky, and you'll definitely get your money's worth.

Prince Plays the Meadowlands Friday, the Garden Saturday

Prince is associated with the color purple, but he'll be playing this custom-made, gold-plated Stratocaster at his NYC/NJ shows.

Prince has begun his multi-night stand of concerts in the New York area, and it sounds like a great event judging by the New York Times' review of one of his shows at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Prince will play at IZOD again on Friday night the 17th, then at Madison Square Garden on Saturday (where I'll be in attendance, way up in the nosebleed section).  He'll come back to the Garden on December 29th and January 18th.

Tickets are still available for the Prince shows on Friday and Saturday on StubHub, and possibly at the box office as well.

Prince apparently wanted to do something special for his first New York-area concerts in six years, so he's auctioning off for charity a one-of-a-kind, all-gold-plated Stratocaster that he'll be playing at the shows (see photo above). If you're looking for that special gift for the musician who has everything, this might be just the thing. (Read more about Prince's gold-plated Strat at the L.A. Times.)

Arcade Fire Rocks MSG - Watch Webcast Highlights

OK, this will be my last post on Arcade Fire, their new album "The Suburbs," and their current tour... for a while, anyway. Last Thursday's concert at Madison Square Garden was great, and the nine (or 10?) band members on stage had no problem creating sound big enough to fill the cavernous arena.

Of course, being at the show meant that I missed their live webcast of it, directed by Terry Gilliam, Monty Python member and director of films including "Brazil," "Time Bandits," "The Fisher King," and "12 Monkeys." You can see some of the Arcade Fire webcast highlights at their YouTube page, including Arcade Fire favorites "Wake Up" and "Keep the Car Running" and tunes from "The Suburbs" including "Ready to Start," "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)," and "Rococo."



Speaking of Terry Gilliam, he did a video with Arcade Fire before the webcast (below) in which he talks about directing the program. (The video also reveals the band members to be robots whom Gilliam controls with a large computer-game console.)

Listen to Arcade Fire's New Album "The Suburbs" Free Online

Arcade Fire's eagerly awaited new album "The Suburbs" drops tomorrow, and you can stream the entire album FREE online below via NPR Music. The band is on the road with shows in Philadelphia and New York this week (two dates at Madison Square Garden, Wednesday and Thursday). Spoon is also on the bill, so is Owen Pallett, the Canadian singer/composer/violinist/Arcade Fire collaborator who won the inaugural Polaris Prize in 2006 (under his former identity, Final Fantasy).

The Thursday, August 5th Arcade Fire show will be webcast live, in a production directed by Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame. (Tickets are still available for the August 5th Arcade Fire concert, though the August 4th show is sold out.)

Music stores around North America are having Arcade Fire listening parties with food and drink, giveaways, and more; to find out about these and other events follow the Merge Records Twitter account.

Arcade Fire Will Stream August 5th NYC Show LIVE on YouTube

Arcade Fire announced last week that it will be streaming its August 5th concert live from Madison Square Garden, the second of its two New York City shows. (The first concert on August 4th is sold out, but it seems there are still tickets available for the 5th.)

The band's new album, "The Suburbs," will be released on August 3rd, with eight (slightly) different album covers.

Arcade Fire Adds Second NYC Show at Madison Square Garden

Arcade Fire has added a second New York City date, on August 5th. Their first NYC show on August 4th, which was announced with the other Arcade Fire North American tour dates, has already sold out -- a pretty enthusiastic reception for the indie rockers, especially considering they have just two albums out (their third, "The Suburbs," will be released in a few weeks).

Spoon will be the opener, as with the first Arcade Fire show.

Tickets for the August 5th Arcade Fire concert go on sale Saturday, June 26th at 9 a.m.

Great NYC Concerts On Sale Now/Upcoming: Ricky Gervais, Josh Ritter, Spoon, Jay-Z, More

The cavalcade of great live shows in New York just keeps on rolling. Here's a selection of some of the most popular or in-demand concerts that are now on sale or are about to go on sale.

Going on sale soon: 
*Mayer Hawthorne & The County, March 4, Webster Hall (on sale Friday, 1/22)
*Joanna Newsom - March 18, Town Hall (on sale Thursday, 1/21)
Ricky Gervais - May 12 & 13, The Theater at Madison Square Garden (on sale Friday, 1/22)
*Josh Ritter - May 20, Town Hall (on sale Friday, 1/22)
Carole King & James Taylor - Madison Square Garden, June 15 (on sale Saturday, 1/23)
(Tickets available at Bowery Presents for shows above marked with *)

Shows now on sale: 
Tinariwen (great guitar-driven African rock) - February 18, Highline Ballroom
Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave) - February 21, Highline Ballroom
Jay-Z - March 2, Madison Square Garden
Jonatha Brooke - March 23, Highline Ballroom
Jonathan Coulton - April 2 & 3, Highline Ballroom
Spoon with special guests Deerhunter and The Strange Boys - March 26, Radio City Music Hall
Shearwater - March 27, Bowery Ballroom
Rodrigo y Gabriela - April 29, Radio City Music Hall
Chelsea Handler and special guest Josh Wolf - May 15 & 16, Radio City Music Hall

John Mayer 2nd Madison Square Garden Show - On Sale Now

The other day I noted in my post about upcoming concerts in NYC that John Mayer was playing at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 25, and that tickets were going on sale today. Well, a second show has been added for Feb. 26, and tickets for that second show also went on sale today.

You can get John Mayer Madison Square Garden tickets here for both shows, directly from the MSG online box office.

Free Music: Jay-Z Concert on Fuse, Amazon Music Downloads, Streaming Albums

Who couldn't use some free music in today's economic climate? Here are a few choice recommendations:

* Jay-Z Concert at Madison Square Garden: The hip-hop mogul knocked it out of the park (the Garden, actually) on Friday night, 9/11, in a concert broadcast on Fuse TV that featured a bevy of guest stars and, fittingly for the date, benefits the New York Police & Fire Widows' & Children's Fund. Fuse is airing the concert again today, 9/13, at 5 p.m. Eastern, and maybe again in the future. Check Fuse's Jay-Z page for broadcast info and exclusive Jay-Z interviews and videos.

* Amazon.com free MP3 song downloads: I'm a big fan of Amazon.com's $5 MP3 albums and free singles, but it wasn't until the other day that I realized that they have a whole huge list of free singles. The list includes everything from The Donnas to Apples in Stereo to Booker T., Jerry Lee Lewis, and even some classical pieces. You can find (and sample) the Amazon.com free MP3 song downloadshere.

* NPR Music free streaming albums: Hear some of today's most-anticipated album releases before they come out with NPR Music "First Listen" series. There are always at least of couple of albums being featured for free streaming; each stays up for a given time that may range from a week to a month. Right now (until 9/15) you can listen to the first CD of the Big Star box set, "Keep an Eye on the Sky"; upcoming are the new albums by the Avett Brothers and Rosanne Cash.

New York Area Concerts: Bamboozle, Pete Seeger Tribute, Dark Was the Night

It's a busy concert weekend in the New York area, and three multi-artist events look to be very promising.

The Bamboozle festival continues Saturday and Sunday at the New Jersey Meadowlands in East Rutherford. On Saturday Fall Out Boy is the headliner, with Third Eye Blind, the Get Up Kids, Asher Roth, and many more acts on the bill. Sunday boasts headliners No Doubt; also slated for the final day are acts including Taking Back Sunday, Rise Against the Used, Face to Face, and Sum 41.

For set times, tickets, and more visit the Bamboozle Web site above or check them out on Twitter: @thebamboozle.

Sunday features two benefit shows. Over at Radio City Music Hall is Dark Was the Night, the latest show to benefit the Red Hot organization (and the live companion to the recent CD of the same name). On the bill are David Byrne, Dirty Projectors, Feist, Dave Sitek, Bon Iver, My Brightest Diamond, The National, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, and more. Get more info and Dark Was the Night Concert tickets at the Radio City box office Web site.

Madison Square Garden is probably the only venue big enough to hold all the stars, big and small, who'll be performing at the Pete Seeger 90th birthday celebration on Sunday. The music legend has influenced countless performers over the decades, and many of them will be singing and playing at Sunday's show: Bruce Springsteen, Arlo Guthrie, Bela Fleck, Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine), Richie Havens, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Get Pete Seeger birthday celebration tickets here at the MSG box office. Proceeds benefit Clearwater, the environmental organization Seeger founded 40 years ago.

Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Eddie Vedder, Many More to Play Pete Seeger Birthday Concert

Pete Seeger has been a legend and inspiration in American music for decades, and musicians of all genres have cited his influence. So it's no surprise that an all-star tribute concert in May to celebrate Seeger's 90th birthday is going to have top-notch musicians from a wide range of musical styles.

The concert, at New York's Madison Square Garden, will take place Sunday, May 3rd and will also feature rockers Dave Matthews, Eddie Vedder (of Pearl Jam), and Tom Morrello (Rage Against the Machine); country and rock singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris; Joan Baez; John Mellencamp, Taj Mahal, Dar Williams, and Steve Earle, among others. Colombia rocker Juanes will also be there, and Seeger himself will perform, though it's not clear how much he'll actually be singing and playing and with whom. (You can see the full lineup for the Seeger tribute concert at www.seeger90.com.)

The concert is a benefit for theHudson River Sloop Clearwater, the environmental group Seeger founded in the 1960s to protect the Hudson River. Tickets go on sale to the general public March 30th, and you can find more information and tickets to the Seeger tribute concert here.

Bruce Springsteen is the biggest name in the show, and his love for Seeger and his music is clear. A few years ago The Boss recorded the album "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions," which covered more than a dozen of Seeger's classic tunes. And the two acoustic albums from earlier in Springsteen's career owe more than a little to Seeger and his musical colleague from decades ago, the folk legend Woody Guthrie.

John Mellencamp and Emmylou Harris are among the dozens of musicians who will celebrate American folk music legend Pete Seeger's 90th birthday with a gala concert at Madison Square Garden on May 3.

The event, called "The Clearwater Concert: Creating the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders," will raise funds and awareness for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, the environmental organization founded by Seeger in the 1960s to preserve and protect the Hudson River.

The organization sponsors boat trips on the sloop and also presents the Clearwater Festival in Croton, New York (on the Hudson River) each June.

Tickets for Michael Bublé at Madison Square Garden Going on Sale

The immensely popular singer Michael Bublé is coming to New York's Madison Square Garden on December 5th, 2008. Tickets go on sale Monday, September 8th, and the good seats are sure to go fast.

Granted, the huge Garden is not the ideal venue to see this type of singer, but because of Michael Bublé's popularity I guess this type of arena is where he will be booked.

You can get your Michael Bublé Madison Square Garden tickets right from the Garden's ticketing system.