It’s that time of year when the factor of one’s sun-cream ideally should match the average age of the season’s headline acts. When the country’s prodigal musicians return kicking the arse of twice your time on Earth but with double the energy, and an unparalleled bladder prowess that has you speculating on the possible use of catheters.
Anticipation through a crap camera
Where the anticipation of the dizzying call and response routine from huddles of deft guitarists rises with the same speed of your involuntary fist by the time they take the stage. Where 20 minute jammin’ sessions are implored with licks and flicks through semi-century-spanning oeuvres of which the gathered never tire.
When heads are bowed in solemn shakes of sheer joy and feet stomped to the beat of the rhythm of a youthhood its owners are fearful of forgetting. When three hours on a trans-aorta flight makes the soul pop and the wooziness from the jet lag of daily living kicks in from the ankles up.
After which neon lights shiver across the city in joint jubilation and the moratorium on smiling to oneself is momentarily lifted. Then your heart burps. And it’s all over till next time.
Ladies and Webtlemen, Mr….
Freddy Krueger
AKA Neil Young
Belfast, 7th June 2016
department of speculation 
Friends of mine went to Bruce Springsteen last week, I swear it took years off them.
Looks like Neil did the same for you.
Sure did. “I felt like getting high”…til I remembered I already was. Bruce is the business live, and you always know you’re gonna get a life-affirming show. With Neil, it’s a bit more risky. But this was his best yet. By a 26:09 minute guitar jam aka a rock ‘n’ roll mile.
Just as Neil called out during his Rust Never Sleeps (?) Tour, “It’s all the same song.” For me, Neil’s jams don’t last ling enough. A 9-minute Cinnamon Girl could go to 12 minutes and be that much better.
Happy for you that you got out there to see him do his thing. I’m headed out to a Dylan show tonight. As always, it will be great to check in with him.
Nice one, Bruce. Be sure to come back and share your thoughts on it with the group. And raise a beer to his 75th. Hmmm. Another man with triple my stamina. I blame the early recreational drug-use. We got over 26 mins of Down By The River from Mr. Jung after which he turned with a dry “Oh, I didn’t realise you were still here”. Have fun!
Ha. Love Neil’s self awareness, sense of humor, and of course his music.
It’s probably the drugs which have pickled all these Rock Stars so that they can keep going 🙂
That and a bladderoctomy. It’ll percolate down to the rest of us mortals eventually. When it’s too late.
I heard a truly awful way that women of a certain age deal with that….
There’s a Withnail moment for every dilemma.
No, this is worse than that. It takes a lot to phase me. I’m all for the live and let live. But this left me with my chin dangling in a thistle
It is likely to feature in one of your Hammer House of Horror teasers soon? If not, do share it with the group…
No. But I’ll tell you when we meet up for that pint 🙂
I keep adding another S onto pint with each urgent but withheld yarn.
I’ve been keeping count, we’re well into double figures.
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