Find Station
 

Neil Young Sorry Drunk Fans Caused "Distraction" During July 4th Show

What should have been a moving, quiet and intimate Neil Young acoustic show at Detroit's Fox Theatre last week turned into "rough night" when a number of fans forgot their manners after a few drinks.

Young himself reflected on the performance in a recent blog post via his website, while a local reporter blasted the obnoxious audience for ruining the night and treating the one-man show as if it was a Crazy Horse gig. 

Reporter Adam Graham of The Detroit News writes that fans were "yelling out song titles or bellowing Young's name so boorishly and so frequently that it ruined the vibe of the evening."

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer/songwriter says he was prepared for a challenge, but he writes that he's not sure there was anything he could have done differently.

"It was the Fourth of July holiday and some folks were celebrating, already high when they arrived at the show," Young says. "Because it was a holiday, I could see it coming. They were focused on their celebration, kind of like a festival. Any subtle solo performance of songs is very challenged under those conditions."

Young, who is famously prickly, stopped short of condemning the rowdy fans — they seemed to be having a good time, after all — but he did express remorse that the behavior threw him off his game and resulted in a subpar show.

"I could slip deeply into a song if not distracted, but I am just relegated to the surface while fighting off distraction, and so is the rest of the audience," he continued. "Likewise, I may have told a story that sets up the experience of listening to the song, if I was not interrupted while trying."

Some parts of the set went off unassailed by caterwauling audience members, Young noted, but overall he says he was left feeling sour about performing in Detroit again.


Photo: Getty Images