It was a beautiful day in August 2000. My friend Mark and I were going to see Neil at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on August 15 during the Music In Head Tour. We had arrived early enough, so we walked around the venue a bit. When it was getting close to start, we went to our seats and settled in for an evening of good music.
The Pretenders opened up the show and played a rocking show that included Needle and the Damage Done. Neil came out and started playing Harvest Moon just as a beautiful harvest moon was rising. The roar from the crowd was deafening. It was a surreal experience and a heck of a beginning to Neil’s show. I also got to see Neil play his Gretsch White Falcon for the first time, which was a treat for me.
The show ended and we started the 250 mile drive back home. Once we were on the New York State Thruway, the sky turned black and opened up to a downpour of rain like I had never seen before. We had to pull over and wait a couple of hours before we could continue on. I wondered if Neil was caught in the storm. To me it felt like we were in Like A Hurricane.
Thank you, Neil, for all the years of great music and all the new music to come.
Bernie Bradley – – A fan trying to spread word of Neil’s music.