40th Annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, 3 May 2009: Neil Young’s Set List

As previously alluded, I made the sojourn to Crescent City yet again last weekend. Neil’s set was the standout highlight in a weekend full of highlights. For two hours the rain waited patiently overhead for Neil to play his set, finish, come out for an encore, and leave. Said encore – “A Day In The Life” – culminated with Neil agitating the Les, tearing his guitar strings off, dragging it around the stage for good measure and generally causing sonic trouble all ’round. He then walked over to the vibraphone, took the mallets from Pegi, ended the song with a perfectly-executed E major third and split. Immediately following, the menacing sky broke open and the crowd was pummeled and soaked within a matter of seconds. Somehow my Blackberry survived. Set list replete with helpful acoustic/electric notation courtesy Bad News Beat:

2009-05-03
Fair Grounds Race Course, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
Neil Young & His Electric Band

1. Love And Only Love (electric guitar)
2. Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black) (electric guitar)
3. Are You Ready For The Country? (piano)
4. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (electric guitar)
5. Pocahontas (electric guitar)
6. Change Your Mind (electric guitar)
7. Cinnamon Girl (electric guitar)
8. Mother Earth (pump organ)
9. The Needle And The Damage Done (acoustic guitar – solo)
10. Light A Candle (acoustic guitar)
11. Heart Of Gold (acoustic guitar)
12. Old Man (acoustic guitar)
13. Speakin’ Out (piano)
14. Down By The River (electric guitar)
15. Get Behind The Wheel (electric guitar)
16. Rockin’ In The Free World (electric guitar)
—
17. A Day In The Life (electric guitar)

Tour: 2009 Continental Tour – Canada and US
Band:
Neil Young & His Electric Band
Neil Young – guitar, harmonica, pump organ, vocals
Ben Keith – pedal steel, lap steel, guitar, organ, background vocals
Rick Rosas – bass, background vocals
Chad Cromwell – drums, background vocals
Pegi Young – background vocals, vibraphone, acoustic guitar, piano,
percussion
Anthony Crawford – background vocals, piano, electric guitar, acoustic
guitar
Larry Cragg – banjo

(bad news beat)

Suffice say the jams were generous; “Down By The River” ran 18 minutes according to the Times-Picayune. I’m still coming down. Were you there? Talk to me.