Rating: 6.5/10

Director: Jonathan Demme

The NEIL YOUNG TRUNK SHOW could almost be considered a “sequel” to the previous film by Jonathan Demme (NEIL YOUNG: HEART OF GOLD). Young and Demme are back at it, this time giving us raw concert footage from Young’s 2007 Chrome Dreams II tour performances at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA. Word is Young and Demme are looking to make this series into a trilogy and a third film will soon follow.

The concert footage is shown in random order with Young jacketless and covered in paint, followed by him fresh from his dressing room as the next song begins. This disjointed order proves that Young is a true performer and does not depend on his set list to get his vision across to his audience. Young’s performance does not feature lights, screens, or other theatrics. The only thing he supplies along these lines is a painter (Eric Johnson) who creates of-the-moment art on stage inspired by whichever song Young is performing.

Demme utilizes a variety of camera angles to go along with his disjointed “scene” order. Overall, the performances are filmed up close from either the view of a lucky audience member at the front of the stage or actually on stage with Young and his band. However, Demme also throws up ALL angles up at once giving you the different perspectives of someone watching from the back of the house to the side to the front. I found this to be one of the most interesting parts of the film because, as a frequent concert-goer, it was fascinating to see what the show felt like from the last row to the first.

The highlights for me were the back stage moments. In an all too brief “monologue” of sorts, Young spoke about how much he enjoys his talented band (Ben Keith, Rick Rosas, Ralph Molina, Anthony “Sweetpea” Crawford, and wife, Pegi Young) because it allows him the freedom to be creative on stage and not just stick to the same routine night after night. Having many talented musicians on stage with him lets him bring new ideas to songs and keep things interesting, not just for the audience, but for him as a performer. Surprisingly, even when he hints that in the past he had gotten into a “groove” during tours, he does not seem bitter or jaded by the idea of churning out the same show over and over. It was in this moment I saw that Young is a true performer and just loves to get up on stage.

My only gripe with the film was I hoped there could be more behind-the-scenes moments like this to give us a slight insight into Young beyond the performer on stage. There are a few of these moments, but they are rare and quick and always left me wanting more.

I am not a huge Neil Young fan and admittedly, it did affect my overall enjoyment of the film. So if you’re not a huge fan, you may want to skip this one. If you love Neil, GET YOUR TICKET NOW. As a fan of all things electric and loud, I did love the guitar riffs he goes off on. It wasn’t until after the screening that I realized the solo for “No Hidden Path” was 20 minutes long. Even as a non-Neil fan, I was sucked in and honestly would have told you that solo was maybe 10 minutes. Having that immersive experience in a theater without being at the show itself really speaks to Young’s showmanship and raw talent.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQr5vnRMk4w[/youtube]