Concert film carefully concocts compassion

By Paul Tsikitas
Collegian Editor
March 1, 2006

Neil Young is one of the finest singer/songwriters of our time. His career spans four decades, and his catalogue of albums is one of the most impressive in music. His latest effort, Prairie Wind, is a stunning tribute to his father, who passed away months before Young wrote it. Young also survived a possibly fatal brain aneurism and was faced with the possibility of his own death. He recorded his newest opus in Nashville, and on Aug. 19 of last year, he previewed the album to a large crowd at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. This is what would later become the amazing blend of sound and picture that is called Neil Young: Heart of Gold.

Director Jonathon Demme, who also filmed the prolific Talking Heads’ concert film, Stop Making Sense, brings an amazing look at the inside of a songwriter’s heart through his music. The teaming up of Demme and Young is virtually flawless. The feeling of the album is conveyed perfectly through the eyes of Demme and his crew. The film begins with interviews with some of the major players in the concert and their thoughts on Young and his career.

The first half of the film is composed of songs from Prairie Wind. Young’s backing band is composed of some of his closest friends and long-time co-mates in music-making. People like bass player Rick Rosas, folk legend Emmylou Harris and Young’s wife Pegi are all onstage with him for the emotional experience that the concert becomes for him. Songs like “Here For You,” which Young states is an “empty nest” anthem, and “Falling off the Face of the Earth,” which is a touching thanks to the things his father did for him, bring out some of the best moments onstage through the raw emotion of the songwriting and the amazing musicianship of all the players coming together.

The most moving song of the first section is “When God Made Me.” Young brings the Fisk University Jubilee Choir onstage with him for backing vocals that add a heavenly feel to his song about what happened when he was made in God’s hands.

During the second half of the film, Young digs into his catalogue and plays some of the classics. He does a beautiful rendition of “Old Man” and tells the story behind the song along with other hits from Harvest. For his ’90s hit “Harvest Moon,” one of Young’s bandmates played with a broom to add percussive effect to the beautiful country ballad. Young’s solo performance of “The Needle and the Damage Done” is also a great moment of the film, where a single spotlight lights up his stoic figure as he sings to those lost to drugs.

One of the most impressive parts of this section of the film was the rendition of “Comes a Time.” Every member of the ensemble (minus the rhythm section) garnered acoustic guitars and played the song as tribute to Nicolette Larson, who did original harmony vocals on the stunning track. She passed away in 1997 from a cerebral edema.

The entire film is a tribute to everyone that Young has loved throughout his almost 40 years of songwriting. Beyond the tributes to those he lost, it’s also a tribute to the collaborators who helped his career to be as prolific as it was. This is shown through the large ensemble of guests who fill the stage to maximum capacity on some songs.

As the credits role, the audience is filled with a love of Young’s music and passion for songwriting. During this time, Young plays “The Old Laughing Lady” alone on stage to an empty Ryman Auditorium. This is a stunning move on both Young and Demme’s part, as when he finishes and packs up his guitar a little subtitle comes up that says “For Daddy.”

This film is for fans of Neil Young alone. He does not play many of his rock-out hits, as he focuses on his more country-influenced tracks. However, any fan of Young will fall in love with this sweeping image of loss and musical genius. Young never stilts in his performance of his new songs and old standards. This film is a perfect mirror for the album itself as the songs manifest themselves with back story and moving performances.

tsikitp1@lasalle.edu