Blue Note Entertainment Group presents Neil Young; Chris Pierce opens the show.
Oxbow RiverStage
1268 McKinstry St, Napa, CA 94559 USA
7:00 PM, Sunday, July 23, 2023

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[7:30 PM] {Greetings from CP}

1. [7:31 PM] American Silence
   [7:36 PM] {CP story for the next tune}
2. [7:37 PM] Mr. McMartin
   [7:41 PM] {CP story for the next tune}
3. [7:43 PM] Chain Gang Fourth of July
   [7:47 PM] {CP talks about honeymooning in Napa}
4. [7:48 PM] Meet Me in the Vineyard
   [7:51 PM] {CP talk about his dad}
5. [7:52 PM] Static Trampoline
   [7:56 PM] {CP merch pitch; Tulsa story}
6. [7:56 PM] Tulsa Town
   [8:02 PM] {applause at end set}

• Chris Pierce: acoustic guitar, harmonica, vox.

[8:32 PM] {Neil out to say hello and get started on 12-string acoustic guitar and harmonica}

1. [8:32 PM] I'm the Ocean
   [8:39 PM] {banter}
2. [8:40 PM] Homefires
   [8:42 PM] {NY swap to acoustic guitar}
3. [8:43 PM] Burned
   [8:45 PM] {banter about baptising the harmonicas}
4. [8:47 PM] On the Way Home
   [8:50 PM] {NY swap to pump organ}
5. [8:51 PM] If You Got Love
   [8:55 PM] {NY swap to upright piano}
6. [8:56 PM] A Dream That Can Last
   [9:01 PM] {banter about Birds}
7. [9:01 PM] Birds
   [9:04 PM] {NY swap to grand piano; unidentified performer – maybe Bob Rice? – on vibraphone}
8. [9:04 PM] My Heart
   [9:08 PM] {NY swap to “Old Black” Gibson Les Paul guitar}
9. [9:08 PM] Throw Your Hatred Down
   [9:13 PM] {banter: Got any travel plans?}
10. [9:15 PM] Prime of Life
    [9:19 PM] {NY back to grand piano; Bob Rice (Neil's keyboard & harmonica tech) supporting at upright piano}
11. [9:20 PM] When I Hold You in My Arms
    [9:26 PM] {NY stalks about before settling at the pump organ}
12. [9:28 PM] Mr. Soul
    [9:32 PM] {banter}
13. [9:32 PM] Mother Earth (Natural Anthem)
    [9:37 PM] {NY swap to white guitar}
14. [9:38 PM] Ohio
    [9:41 PM] {NY swap to piano}
15. [9:42 PM] Don't Forget Love
    [9:46 PM] {NY swap back to acoustic guitar; start next, then abort to change harmonica to the right key}
16. [9:47 PM] Heart of Gold
    [9:50 PM] {banter}
17. [9:51 PM] Comes a Time
    [9:54 PM] {applause at end set; NY off}
     
    Encore
    [9:54 PM] {NY back onstage}
18. [9:56 PM] Love Earth
    [9:59 PM] {final applause; lights up; show ends}

• Neil Young: guitar, acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, harmonica, upright piano, grand piano, piano, pump organ, vox.
• unidentified performer: vibraphone (t08);
• Bob Rice: upright piano (t11).

We arrive in Napa around 4:45 PM, park near the Oxbow Market, and then walk over to Gott's Roadside for a preshow dinner. Sitting outside, we can faintly hear Neil's soundcheck. Sounds to me like multiple takes on From Hank to Hendrix, but since that tune doesn't appear later tonight, I suppose I could be wrong with that attribution. Maybe it was the similar-sounding show opener, I'm the Ocean?

As we finish dinner, some friends arrive, so we visit for a few minutes, then turn the table over to them and walk over to the venue. Our entrance is quick and easy today – none of the panic caused by bad cell service preventing access to our electronic tickets (Jackson Browne, 2021), except that I repeatedly set off the metal detector – maybe it was the metal snap buttons on my shirt? Who knows. Anyways, I got a cursory pat-down after three failed tries, and then they let me pass.

Between the evening breeze and a bit of cloud cover, it was unexpectedly cold tonight, and I was fully layered up by the time Neil came out for his set. Happily, the breeze had mostly died off by this point, so it didn't get much colder over the next two hours. Woulda been comfier if I'd brought warm socks like Ting: note to self: always pack wool socks for outdoor shows!

I enjoyed the opening set from Chris Pierce – he's got a heck of a voice – but I was less happy with the crowd reception. Nothing unusual there: just idiots blabbing rudely away as if they were home in their living room instead of being present before a live performer.

Neil's set was pretty darn good, if not quite as varied as first promised. I was certainly happy to hear classics like Mr. Soul, Ohio, Heart of Gold, and Comes a Time, but they're not deep cuts by any stretch of the imagination. Guess I need to cross my fingers and hit another show or two if I want to hear Vampire Blues.

Big thanks to Ting for the photo gallery!

Whoa! This section is incomplete for now, sorry!

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2023 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2023 event list! ☸ On to the next event!