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Neil Young's popularity knows no boundaries |
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Written by Pamela Roth
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Saturday, April 25 2009, 10:38 PM |
It’s not very often a legendary rocker like Neil Young comes to town with his pork-chop sideburns and acoustic guitar, ready to rock ‘n’ roll. So when Barb Janusz and her son Olek heard the news the 64-year-old would be performing at the Enmax Centre, it was an opportunity the pair knew would only come once in a lifetime.
“I thought it was really cool that he would choose such a small, intimate venue to play and also a smaller centre to give people an opportunity not just from Lethbridge, but the surrounding area to see and hear such a class act,” said Barb, 52, a fan for the last 40 years, who had never before seen him in concert.
“I am just hoping that he will really connect with the audience and give us some background as to what inspired him to write the songs and the lyrics, and get back to the history of the times that the music dates from.”
Olek wasn’t even born when Young began climbing his way to the top of the music charts but the 17-year-old is perhaps an even a bigger fan than his mother. The pair made their way from the Crowsnest Pass on Saturday to see the nearly sold-out show.
While they were waiting to go inside the Enmax Centre, Olek was a fountain of knowledge as he began reflecting on Young’s musical career of Young while expressing his admiration for the man dubbed the godfather of grunge.
“Everything he has done is amazing. What he has done for music is unbelievable,” said Olek, who owns much of Young’s music. “He’s pretty much the godfather of grunge. His music pretty much brought on everything from Kurt Cobain to Pearl Jam. There are some artists you have to just see and this is definitely one of them. “
Young grew up in Winnipeg and began hanging out in local folk clubs where he met musicians Stephen Stills and Joni Mitchell.
Throughout his rise to fame, fortune, gold records and performances with various bands, he has maintained a strong following since the early 1970s with his solo acoustic ballads, sweet country rock and lumbering garage rock — all topped off by his trademark flat voice.
Young has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice — the first in 1995 for his solo work, with an induction speech given by Eddie Vedder, and again in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield. He has also added movies to the list, directing five of them under his pseudonym Bernard Shakey which he released through his own Shakey Picture imprint.
In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Young at No. 34 on their list of the 100 greatest artists of all-time and he was nominated for a Grammy for Best Solo Rock Vocal performances five years later.
Aside from his list of accomplishments, perhaps one of the most amazing feats Young has managed to do is leave an impression with audiences from all walks of life.
Devany Service began listening to Young’s records with her dad when she was just a child and, like many people outside of the Enmax Centre on Saturday night, she couldn’t wait to see the show ever since she purchased her ticket a few months ago.
The 17-year-old is among thousands of southern Albertans who have been treated lately to legendary artists such as Young and Bob Dylan at the Enmax Centre, along with country superstars like Carrie Underwood and Toby Keith.
Maggie Brouwer and her husband Art were thankful they didn’t have to travel far to see one of their favourite artists of all time perform last night. The pair have been watching Young’s concerts in other countries on satellite television lately and were thrilled to be seeing him in person — something they never thought would happen in their home city.
“It really takes us back to the ’70s. That was our time,” said Maggie. “I am so excited. This is a real treat.”
Young’s 2009 tour is a continuation of his successful 2008 tour, which started April 6 in St. John’s N.L before heading west to 10 stops across Canada.
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Last Updated ( Monday, August 10 2009, 2:29 PM )
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