January 5, 2022
Happy New Year!
I hope you all had a warm and peaceful yule after which you feel rested and ready for what promises to be another long year. We’ve certainly got a long one ahead of us here at NYA (I’ve seen the fan-compiled list of expected/hoped-for 2022 releases making its rounds on the message boards, and am daunted by it); I hope through our little labors we can lighten the load for you, our beloved NYA subscribers.
It is in that spirit we bring you a performance guaranteed to please, whatever your preference. Do you long for shades of Dreamin’ Man ‘92’s lovingly rendered acoustic hits? Or would you rather bask in expressively sculpted guitar solos that sound as if they have hung like a mist in the north London air for millenia, just waiting to be dragged down kicking and screaming into the audible frequencies?
This show has it all: a never-released rarity performed only on this tour (Live To Ride), Dock Of The Bay improbably nuzzling up against a Weld-era rendition of All Along The Watchtower in the encore, Neil in a delightfully jocular mood. Plus, a mystery: did the tape run out, or are we not including the bonus encore with Pearl Jam for some more insidious reason? (The tape ran out.)
Whatever you’re craving from us right now, this show from Finsbury Park with Booker T. & The MGs will hit the spot, ease your holiday hangover, and get you started on this new year feeling good.
Thank you to Jamie and Patron Andy S for requesting the show, and thank you all for bearing with me as I shake the rust off and remember how to write these announcements.
best,
john o
p.s. Yes, Andy, we’d love to see photos of both your legitimate and less-legitimate t-shirts bought at this show. We’ll be in touch.