Neil Young and director Jonathan Demme now have a trilogy behind them. Demme and Young first got together for Heart of Gold, the 2006 concert film that had Young premiering his Prairie Wind disc at the Ryman Auditorium. That film was released shortly after Young had a health scare, so the result was something of a family reunion, as he brought in a huge cast, including his wife Pegi, Spooner Oldham and Emmylou Harris. Compared to most of Young’s work, however, it felt more than a little sanitized as he stood up there in the home of the Grand Old Opry in a Hank Williams-esque suit.
Not so much their second effort, the little-seen Neil Young Trunkshow, a straight-up concert film of Young’s Chrome Dreams II tour, easily his best and most raucous of the past decade.
Now, they bring us Neil Young Journeys, filmed at the tail end of Young’s recent solo tour at Toronto’s Massey Hall. The performances, mostly from Le Noise, but with some old gems like “Ohio” and “Down by the River” throw in, are interspersed with footage of Young driving his 1956 Crown Victoria through Ontario. The film will be released this year through Sony Pictures Classics. Stay tuned here for specific dates.
