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Neil Young & Promise of the Real played Camden, NJ's Susquehanna Bank Center (setlist)

Neil Young @ Susquehanna Bank Center 7/16/2015 (photo via @coreymccormickmusic)
Neil Young at Susquehanna Bank Center 2015

At the Susquehanna Bank Center on Thursday, Nelson, 26, and his youthful band seemingly energized Young, 69, who treated fans to a three-hour-and-15-minute slow burn marathon tour of his career bookended by a pair of his greatest hits.

He opened the show by appearing out of the darkness sitting at his piano for a solo rendition of “After the Goldrush” and wrapped up at midnight with a squealing “Cinnamon Girl” send-off, showing the dynamic range that has marked his more than 50 years in the spotlight.

The only sign of time slowing the still-hard-charging Young was a pink wrap around his right wrist. Everything else was there: his gentle, well-preserved voice, the distinctively eccentric stomps and Crazy Horse-style guitar freakouts. -[Delaware Online

Neil Young, backed by Promise of the Real (Willie Nelson’s sons’ band), played his first of three NY-area shows on Thursday night (7/16) at Camden, NJ’s Susquehanna Bank Center. His new, anti-corporate concept album The Monsanto Years, whose title takes aim at agriculture behemoth Monsanto, plays a big part in the stage show, with roadies dressed as farmers, planting seeds on stage before the show began:

Young’s lack of faith in corporate America to heed that was expressed in the next bit of kooky stagecraft: Before POTR took the stage, a team of hazmat suit wearing roadies came on, play acting that they were poisoning all those precious seedlings by spraying them with pesticides. It seemed like the hectoring was about to begin.

But no. Instead it was the start of the next stage in a shambling show that would stretch over three hours, eventually finding time for most of the bluntly artless Monsanto songs, but also taking a winning tour through Young’s vast catalog. -[Philly.com]

The three-hour-plus, 28-song show included loads of classics along with all but one of The Monsanto Years‘ songs. Setlist is below.

Neil Young & Promise of the Real play Bethel Woods on July 17 (where Woodstock was located), and Jones Beach on July 21, both of which are with Norah Jones’ country band Puss ‘N’ Boots. Jones Beach also has fellow Monsanto hater Reverend Billy. Tickets are still available.

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A photo posted by Brian Mecca (@brianmecca) on

SETLIST: Neil Young & Promise of the Real @ Susquehanna Bank Center 7/16/2015
1. After the Gold Rush
2. Heart of Gold
3. Long May You Run (The Stills-Young Band)
4. Old Man
5. Mother Earth (Natural Anthem)
6. Hold Back the Tears
7. Out on the Weekend
8. Unknown Legend
9. Peace of Mind
10. From Hank to Hendrix
11. Harvest Moon
12. Wolf Moon
13. Words (Between the Lines of Age)
14. Flying on the Ground Is Wrong (Buffalo Springfield)
15. Walk On
16. Bad Fog of Loneliness
17. A Rock Star Bucks a Coffee Shop
18. People Want to Hear About Love
19. A New Day For Love
20. Down by the River
21. Workin’ Man
22. Big Box
23. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
24. Monsanto Years
25. If I Don’t Know
26. Love and Only Love
27. Cortez the Killer
28. Cinnamon Girl