Neil Young
Friday, April 17, 2016
Memphis, TN: Beale Street Festival
As we got up to drive to Memphis, we unknowingly said goodbye to the great weather in Nashville. We could not waste much time as Neil was playing that night. The closer we got to our destination, the harder the rain came down. We stopped at one of our favorite BBQ places before checking into to the hotel. We started chatting with locals at the bar. Lucky for us, we were talking to folks who were also headed to the Beale Street Music fest, only they referred to it as “Mud Fest” or "Memphis in the Mud"... uh oh.
We were not prepared for this and proceeded to scramble for the next hour and a half to find rain boots in Friday rush hour traffic! After several unsuccessful stops, we finally found a Walmart with cheap rain boots!
We reached our hotel with an hour to spare. The effort for the boots paid off because the grounds were absolutely soaked. It started drizzling again as we went through the security, and of course, Neil was on the furthest stage from the entrance.
If you have never been to Tom Lee Park. It is situated right on the Mississippi River. A long and narrow park. We entered from the North gate and sloshed our way to the southernmost stage.
Long drive, rain, traffic, scramble for boots, hotel check-in, long walk in the mud. This is the exact opposite of the Nashville show from the night before, with beautiful weather at Ascend Amphitheatre.
The band comes on. The crowd roars. Guitars are turned on. It’s clear Neil is not playing an acoustic set. He starts getting feedback from his guitar and Promise of The Real joins in on the feedback/drone...this carries on for about 8 minutes as we hear the familiar chords of “Down By The River.” They stretch out for almost 30 more minutes! This is the opening song btw.
A man standing next to me asked: “What is he doing?!” with a very concerned look on his face. I replied exactly what I was thinking “He’s finding out who really came to see him.”
This was a festival crowd in the rain and all the baggage that goes with that. By the end of DBTR…a good ⅓ of the crowd had thinned out, and we kept moving forward. Let it be known I don’t care for most extended guitar solos, but I love every damn note Neil plays.
I love the irony of "Cinnamon Girl" and "Keep on rocking in the Free World" being played back to back near the end. A reward for being good, I guess. Not as commonly played as one would think in recent years. Amazing show.
We trudged in our wonderful muddy new boots back thru the park and into downtown to find post-show drinks and food, smiling all the way.
Setlist: Down by the River / Country Home / Seed Justice / Monsanto Years / Western Hero / Out On The Weekend / Are There Anymore Cowboys? / Someday / Fuckin’ Up / Cinnamon Girl / Rockin’ In The Free World / Love & Only Love
