The show at Central Park turned out being magical(If I can say that word without sounding like an old wizard). The show was organized to draw attention to world poverty and had many guest speakers including Olivia Wilde, Katie Couric, Selena Gomez, Catherine McPhee, John Legend and a completely unnecessary pre-recorded message from Beyonce (who was probably right over in Brooklyn at the Barclay Center for her douchebag husband, Jay Z's concert). The irony is that Jay Z could probably write a check that could end world poverty and still leave him in the (in his words) "demonized 1%". Maybe save that video for him?
We(me and my older sibling, fellow weirdo) did not have the best spot, although certainly not the worst. The place was divided up into pens, and the one nearest to the stage seemed to be inaccessible. My assumption was that the people in the first pen were the ones who bought the VIP tickets for $190 and up. However, after looking at pictures online of the front row, in which you can see teenage boys and girls, some with "Free Hugs" t-shirts on, I realized that they had just gotten there earlier and the section was closed off once it was full. Judging from the younger generation that seemed to surround us, me and my bro felt hopeless that the message of the concert was even reaching anyone. One girl, during the tear inducing videos of poor diseased children in 3rd world countries, just laid down on the grass and periodically cried out "We want Foo Fighters!!!". A horny group of young gentlemen beside us, only quieted there chatter when an attractive female hit the stage and began speaking, in which they applauded and cheered when she was finished. "Now I'm listening!" I heard one of them say.
The aroma of marijuana was also spread throughout the crowd. One source seemed to stem from the long haired gentlemen behind us wearing a King Diamond t shirt, who called Katie Couric a "bitch" when she began speaking.
The first act, Knaan, was not totally my thing, but the singer, Kn'aan I guess? seemed pretty sincere about what he was saying and he played only 3 songs so it was more than tolerable.
Band of Horses sounded really good, and played only about 4 or 5 songs. They started playing a few of their slower tender jams, that I like, but it could've been a test of patience for the audience if they had kept going.
Next up was the Black Keys. This marked my first time seeing them. The song selection was good, however the guitar sound was a little strained. I almost felt like the battery on his distortion pedal was dying (the Big Muff, for you fellow guitar nerds). Between that, and the fact that the drummer seems to have tempo issues, I was a little let down. The drummer also looks like the perfect combination of Stephen King and Greg Germann, but I'm not sure if that had anything to do with his performance.
The highlight of the Black Keys set was the closer "I Got Mine" complete with a mid-song jam. They definitely had the audience fired up, and closed strong.
The Foo Fighters came out next. Dave Grohl led off the set alone with a verse and chorus of "Times Like These", then the band kicked in and rocked the fuck out. The energy was relentless, Taylor Hawkins was completely shredding the drum kit, the whole crowd was singing along and I couldn't have expected anything more. The set was hit after hit, ending with a phenomenal version of "Everlong", making all of the previous acts seem like amateur hour. Dave Grohl made mention a few times that there was no next show booked for them, and he was not sure when they might ever play again. This, minus only being a 9 song set, would've been one hell of a last show. My only complaint, since I tend to complain here and there, is that it seemed they were ending all the songs the same. The song would get very quiet, as if it were over, then with a few moments of hesitation, it would crescendo back in with one final chorus. It became very predictable. I would have preferred an extra song in the setlist, maybe something off the first album which was completely omitted.
Last of the night was Neil Young & Crazy Horse. They opened the set with a drawn out version of "Love and Only Love", followed by "Powder Finger". Next they launched into two brand new songs, that seemed to have no set time to end. Just when one would imagine they were nearing the end of the song, another verse would kick in, and this happened several times. The leads were killer regardless, noisy and bleak sounding. I know Neil is famous for those 9+ minute songs like "Down By The River" and "Cowgirl in the Sand", but with an aching back and hungry stomach I was thinking "Damn Neil, can't you give us the brief edit and then play something we know?" But, that's what makes him the man...he simply doesn't give a fuck! The second new song "Walk Like A Giant" stayed in my head for the rest of the night and the following morning...maybe that's why he did it? Afterwards, we got solo Neil on acoustic for a few tunes including "Needle and the Damage Done", and then the band came back for "Fuckin Up" and a grand finale 10 minute version of "Rockin in the Free World" featuring Grohl and Dan Auerbach on guitar. At this point though, I had made it to the train to avoid the crowds. I hate people.
Excellent show all in all.
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