Neil Young at USANA

I have a thing for Neil Young!  I saw him in 2000 during the CSNY2K Tour with Crosby, Stills, and Nash and when they sang "Old Man" it just about blew my mind.  Last year I learned that Neil Young would be performing at Red Rocks Amphitheater during the summer and I got really excited and decided to go (It is not unusual for me to go to Denver to see a concert).  Then I realized that the concert would be at the same time as the Leadership Conference for my officers and, no matter how I tried, I just couldn't make it work.  I was devastated.  I was devastated for months because I really wanted to see him!  Imagine my supreme happiness when I found out that he would be performing the same concert at the USANA Amphitheatre!  I found out about it after I got home from Australia and bought a ticket that same day!  The concert was billed as containing both old and new material with most of it coming from the album Earth which is very much informed by Young's environmental activism.  He came out, alone with just a spotlight, wearing exactly what you would expect: faded jeans, a fringed leather coat, and a black fedora.  He sat at a battered piano and sang "After the Gold Rush," then moved to center stage with a guitar and harmonica and sang "Heart of Gold" and "Long May You Run," and then moved to a fabulous church organ and performed "Mother Earth (Natural Anthem)."  After that acoustic set, he was joined by Promise of the Real (who sounded a lot like Crazy Horse) and let's just say that they rocked the free world!  It was an amazing show and I especially loved "Harvest Moon," an epic 20 minute rendition of "Down By The River," "Cowgirl in the Sand," and, of course, "Rockin' in the Free World."  I heard a rumor that he sometimes plays "Cinnamon Girl" during the encore and I really hoped he would at USANA but, alas, he didn't.  I forgive him, though, because of his performance of "Heart of Gold."  That will keep me on a high for days!  It was extremely cold, and I will definitely think twice about seeing an outdoor concert in Utah in October again, but it was worth it to see such an icon perform!

Note:  He was so funny and personable with the crowd.  At one point, he apologized for how long it was taking for him to tune his guitar and told us we didn't have to pay for this portion of the concert!