A MusiCares Tribute to Neil Young Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

A MusiCares Tribute to Neil Young Blu-ray Movie Review

Hearts of Gold.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 2, 2011

For all the hoopla and glamor that can accompany a professional music career, the fact is even rock stars are often more akin to blue collar workers than to white collar managers, despite their celebrity. After all, a life of touring can be difficult at best, and unless any given musician has been smart enough to own their own music and/or create their own label, they’re often at the mercy of executives who are bean counters, interested in nothing other than the bottom line. Stepping into the breach that is often part and parcel of a professional music career is MusiCares, a laudable part of The Recording Academy (the fine folks who bring you the Grammy Awards every year). MusiCares’ mission is, to quote their own press materials, [to] provide a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need. MusiCares' services and resources cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies, and each case is treated with integrity and confidentiality. MusiCares also focuses the resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues that directly impact the health and welfare of the music community. Once a year, much like their annual Grammy fête, MusiCares throws a big bash to celebrate its Person of the Year Tribute, and 2010’s honoree was none other than Neil Young. Young, who never went gentle into that good night with his own label (Reprise), and who therefore achieved a certain legendary status among younger musicians refusing to tow the corporate line, is one of the most famously iconoclastic figures in contemporary music. But that very iconoclasm serves this evening’s concertizing extremely well, as it offers an incredibly diverse selection of artists tearing through a wide variety of Young material. Where else could you see everyone from Neil’s former bandmates Crosby, Stills and Nash to (heaven forfend) Josh Groban, with about every genre of artist you could imagine in between, most of whom give authentic and visceral performances? This MusiCares' Tribute to Neil Young is a fitting testament to a side of Neil which often gets strangely overlooked, namely the artistry of his songwriting.

As one fantastic artist after another takes the stage through this way too brief (barely an hour) concert, Neil’s song craft is front and center, and what becomes instantly apparent is how brilliantly he has melded the confessional singer-songwriter ethos to a genuinely universal musical language that easily jumps genres between rock, folk and country. A brief survey of the artists who take part in the evening points out the close affinity Neil has always had for these three elements, as we get everyone from contemporary country superstars like Keith Urban and Lady Antebellum to folk-rock or prog-rock icons like Dave Matthews, Shawn Colvin and Elvis Costello to pop-rock legends like Elton John, Jackson Browne and James Taylor. And the fact is all, or at least nearly all, of them sound completely at home and natural within the rather spacious confines of Neil’s soundworld.

This is an evening of many pleasant surprises, as one great Young tune after another is knocked back by unusual forces. Keith Urban, John Fogerty and Booker T. Jones get things off to a rousing start with a suitably rockin’ rendition of “Rockin’ in the Free World,” but it’s often the quieter and gentler moments of the evening that may have more redolence. Dave Matthews actually sounds like he’s channeling Neil as he performs “The Needle” in an affecting falsetto. And Jason Mraz and Shawn Colvin are just this side of miraculous in their rendition of “Lotta Love,” the unusually “poppy” unapologetically radio ready Top 40 anthem Neil wrote for the late, lamented Nicolette Larson. Crosby, Stills and Nash are similarly wonderful and also wonderfully unaffected (in both senses of the term) in a laid back and very casual reading of “Human Highway.”

In fact in an evening that sees everyone from neo-jazz chanteuse Norah Jones to alt-rockers Wilco having no problem with establishing a visceral rapport with Neil’s music, only Josh Groban seems utterly and hopelessly out of place. Though he tries hard, and attempts to be “one of the guys” by playing the piano as he sings, his quasi-classical insanely rapid vibrato is just not a suitable match for Neil’s more down home, roots oriented music, and this is the one performance of the evening that some may find cringe worthy.

Neil fans have had a lot to celebrate on Blu-ray recently, what with the releases of both Neil Young: Le Noise and Neil Young & The International Harvesters: A Treasure, not to mention the huge (but pricey) Neil Young Archives: Volume 1 of a few years ago. While this particular Blu-ray isn’t Neil per se, it’s a really magical, surprisingly moving at times evening that rightly honors one of the iconic iconoclasts of contemporary music.

The evening’s set list is comprised of:

• Keith Urban, John Fogerty and Booker T. Jones: “Rockin’ in the Free World”
• Lady Antebellum: “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”
• Dave Matthews: “The Needle and the Damage Done”
• Norah Jones: “Tell Me Why”
• Dierks Bentley and Booker T. Jones: “Cinnamon Girl”
• Josh Groban: “Harvest Moon”
• Ben Harper: “Ohio”
• Jackson Browne: “Don’t Let It Bring You Down”
• Wilco: “Broken Arrow”
• Jason Mraz and Shawn Colvin: “Lotta Love”
• Elvis Costello: “When You’re On The Losing End”
• James Taylor: “Heart of Gold”
• John Mellencamp and T. Bone Burnett: “Down By the River”
• Crosby, Stills and Nash: “Human Highway”
• Elton John, Leon Russell, Neko Case and Sheryl Crow: “Helpless”

A MusiCares Tribute to Neil Young Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

A MusiCares' Tribute to Neil Young arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory with an appealing looking AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.78:1. This is one of the nicest, sharpest looking 1080i presentations in recent memory, one which offers a bristlingly sharp picture which never (or at least mostly never) devolves into interlacing artifacts, and which presents few if any problems despite the busy-ness of the lights and screens on stage behind the musicians. Colors are brilliantly saturated and lifelike, contrast and black levels are spot on, and aside from some very minor—and I mean very minor—aliasing issues on things like guitar strings, there's really next to nothing to complain about here. Even with the music being the obvious calling card of this release, it's nice to see such a well presented image quality, one which helps get the viewer up close and personal with an amazing array of artists.

A MusiCares Tribute to Neil Young Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Two fantastic lossless audio options bolster A MusiCares' Tribute to Neil Young's appeal. Both the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix and the LPCM 2.0 stereo fold down offer sterling fidelity, though obviously if you have the ability to enjoy the 5.1 mix, that is certainly the preferred track to listen to. This is impeccably rendered music, with perfect discrete channelization and wonderful clarity presented whether we're dealing with just a singer and his (or her) guitar or a full on band. In fact it's one of the marvels of the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that is segues so effortlessly from musician setup to setup, capturing the intimate solo artists as well as the larger bands. Dynamic range is incredibly excellent, and fidelity is spot on through all frequency ranges. The mix is also very artful, with near perfect balance between vocal and instrumental forces.

A MusiCares Tribute to Neil Young Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Bonus Performances include "Mr. Soul" by Ozomatli (1080i; 4:00) and "Revolution Blues" by Everest (1080i; 4:39).

A MusiCares Tribute to Neil Young Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is probably going to be sacrilege to you total Neil fans, but I've always been fonder of his work with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young than I ever was of his manifold (and incredibly varied) solo outings. I've come to really have a deeper appreciation for Neil's many contributions as I've gotten older and delved more deeply into material of his I may have shrugged off when it was first released. This fantastic concert is such a bountiful assortment of Neil's work over decades that it is a virtual primer in not only what sets Neil apart (and often above), but also in the art of contemporary songwriting generally. Almost all of the artists associated with this evening do stellar work, and the stylistic differences are really amazing to behold, again a major testament to Neil's songcraft. With a Blu-ray that looks and sounds as wonderful as this one, it's not hard to say it's Highly recommended.