BuzzFlash Reviews

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First, of all we are eternally grateful to Neil Young for bringing back protest music with his "Living With War" (CD). "Living With War" made you realize how bland, corporate and passive our popular music has become -- and how it took Neil Young to awaken the voice of justice in song once again.

The "Heart of Gold" concert DVD, however, is not about Neil Young's politics; it is about his music, along with some friends, including Emmylou Harris.

As one viewer on another site noted, "In the summer of '05, Neil Young, having just survived a close call with a brain aneurysm, performed two concerts at Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium. Documented here, the concerts premiered Young's most recent, and critically acclaimed release, 'Prairie Wind,' followed by many classics from the gentler compartment of his massive, magnificent catalog. From the opening interview snippets to the final scene of Neil Young alone on stage, Jonathan Demme, as one would expect, has created a masterpiece, a film suitable to its subject. No two-second ADD camera work here, this wonderful film was shot with the same grace, intelligence and intimacy as the music Young and his friends--including Emmylou Harris--perform. I saw this film four times while it was in town, and now I can't wait for the DVD release. Don't miss this (literally) glowing tribute to one of rock/blues/folk/country's genuine icons."

Well, the DVD is now released and you can share in an appreciation of Neil Young's music -- and reward him for his social commitment.

Duane Birge of the Hollywood Reporter, represented many critics, when he raved: "This smart, aesthetically understated concert film from Jonathan Demme will transport Young's legions of baby boomer fans back to the future, as 1969 re-invents itself in 2005 for Young.

In this homey assembly, Young gathers his musical loved ones (Emmylou Harris among them) to the grand ole stage of Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. Confidently hunched under his wide-brim hat, Young strums a family message. Pattering away about 'empty-nesting' and his 21-year-old daughter, Young rambles with a gentle assurance, emblematic of his new music, which was inspired by the awful news of a brain aneurysm. Prior to surgery last year, Young composed in a flurry, but his new music is the stuff of strength and assurance, not of panic.

"A mix of the new with the old, the concert not surprisingly kicks in with the 'oldies' midsection, not paunchy but still cut and vibrant: 'Heart of Gold,' 'Old Man.' Perhaps best is Young's tribute to the old guitar he plays that was originally owned by Hank Williams. In a sobering solo in the cleared-out concert hall, Young shows he's a fitting caretaker for the instrument.

"In perfect harmony with Young's music, Demme's direction is clear and straightforward, serving the music and the artistry."

As Neil Young showed us in "Living With War," he does indeed have a heart of gold.

BUZZFLASH REVIEWS