Forget Canada Day. Neil Young’s concert at Scotiabank Place on Saturday felt like the most epic celebration of Canadian culture the country has ever seen. Kicking off with the maple leaf on the big screen and an O Canada singalong, the Ontario-born rock legend was in peak form as he wrapped up the Canadian leg of a tour that reunited him with his old cohorts in Crazy Horse. Young played hard, sang with intensity and goaded bandmates Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina and Frank ‘Poncho’ Sampedro into a frenzy of psychedelic turbulence over the course of a 140-minute show.
The fun started with a team of crew members in lab coats tending to the giant amps on stage, tinkering to the strains of the Beatles’ A Day in the Life, as if to illustrate the workaday nature of the tour. When they were ready, the ritual was the same as with any hockey game or school day: Everyone, including Neil, stood at attention and sang while the national anthem played over the loudspeakers. The dignity of the moment was palpable, despite the whoops and whistles of excitement.
The concert followed the general structure of earlier shows on the tour, beginning with a ferocious Love and Only Love, in which the plaid-shirted bandleader attacked his guitar and stomped on his pedals. A triumphant Powderfinger ricocheted through the arena before Young let the band take a tiny bit of a breather. “Thank you, folks,” he said. “Thank you for bein’ here.”
The barnburner Born in Ontario was a definite crowd-pleaser, judging by the roar that erupted when Young got to the chorus. But then came the onslaught of Walk Like a Giant, one of the monstrous new songs from Young’s latest album, Psychedelic Pill. A song that seems to find Young considering his legacy, on this night it was a beast that lumbered without mercy, obliterating eardrums with the 10-minute blast of noise that fuelled the ending.
What a relief to hear Young play his acoustic guitar. He delivered a poignant solo version of the classic Needle and the Damage Done, and then stepped into the new tune Twisted Road, still solo and acoustic. Moving to the upright piano, Young plucked out the lament, Singer Without a Song, as a young woman wandered around the stage with a guitar case.
After the blazing Ramada Inn, Young said a few more words, muttering something about breaking out the time machine and rocking in the free world. He never did play that song. Instead, he cranked up Cinnamon Girl, to the delight of the audience, blasted through F—in Up and then unwound a gorgeous Cortez the Killer with methodical deliberation. The swirling Mr. Soul and My My Hey Hey (Into The Black) made for a majestic ending while Roll Another Number (for The Road) was a surprising choice for the encore. As a farewell, Young expressed his gratitude again: “Thank you Canada for the great tour,” he said. Hey, we’re the ones who should be thanking him for the amazing musical experience.
Earlier in the evening, Patti Smith played an opening set, endearing herself to the crowd before most of them really realized who she was. The New York songstress best known for the 1970s hit Because The Night, which she co-wrote with Bruce Springsteen, was a delightful performer, happy to be in Ottawa for the first time, and determined to rock our socks off.
Backed by a superb band, the sixtysomething rock goddess accomplished the task with a well-chosen list of songs that started with Dancing Barefoot and included an ode to Mother Nature, a call for unity (The People Have the Power) and a gorgeous, piano-led cover of Neil Young’s It’s a Dream. She did that one with his permission, she was careful to note.
Tossing off her own socks and shoes, she ended her all-too-brief performance with a rousing cover of Gloria that left the crowd dancing and wanting more. Here’s hoping Smith comes back for a festival performance next summer.
In the first warm-up slot was the Sadies, the veteran Eastern Ontario band led by sharp-dressed twangmeisters Travis and Dallas Good, the talented offspring of the Good Brothers. Along with bassist Sean Dean and drummer Mike Belitsky, they were terrific, turning in a quick but impressive set that packed all their elements – surf guitar, psychedelic bluegrass, brotherly harmonies, ferocious fiddle and impeccable picking – into one cohesive package. It was a perfect snapshot of the band, sure to entice a few more fans in their direction.
