Neil Young and Crazy Horse at Old Princeton Landing
Part II

Those fortunate enough to have a wristband started to take up their places in front of the stage around 8 pm. The stage was a wooden panel with an elevation of about six inches that some say concealed the reverb unit for Neil’s guitar and replaced two pool tables that were normally at this end of the room. With the exception of about fifteen stools that lined the bar, all of the tables and chairs were removed, such that it was standing room only. During the later shows, one of the pool tables served as a support for the road tour's mixing console.

The stage area looking head-on. Bob Lacey is on the left with Ciarán, Vickie, Christine and Richie in the center (pic:Flo).

Larry Cragg gives the set-up one last check before his boss delivers the sermon. (pic:Richie).

Sound check preparations for the performance. Senior Roadie Rocky jams with Armando (Poncho's guitar technician) and Larry Cragg (Neils guitar technician). Larry sometimes joins Neil onstage to play keyboards or pedal-steel guitar, though not at OPL (pic:Richie).

For most of the shows the sound was mixed by Mark Humphries from the side of the stage. (pic:Richie).

During the June shows, the mixing console to be used on the Broken Arrow road tour was set up at the back of OPL, under strict control of Tim 'HandleBars' Mulligan. (pic:Richie).

The stage lighting for all performances was provided for the most part by about fifteen candles, some quite large in diameter, that were placed at various points about the stage, including some atop the equipment. This intimate lighting arrangement was adopted for the subsequent Broken Arrow Tour of Europe and North America. It is believed that the candles symbolized a spiritual element of the performances that reflected the recent death of Neil's long-time record producer David Briggs.

Poncho and Billy's hardware set-ups on stage. Ralph may be seen giving his drum kit the once over to ensure everything is ready for the show (pic:Richie). The window to the left in the above photograph is that which remained uncovered during the shows. It was quite a trip to peer in through this window on June 5th and see Neil and the Horse open with Cowgirl In The Sand while Flo stood at the head of the congregation.

Poncho's axology and amp. There's some keyboards in behind there too. (pic:Richie).

Neil and Ralph's set-ups on the other side of the stage. The red box in the foreground is Neil's effects gizmo (pic:Richie).

Neil's set-up includes this '53 Gibson Les Paul Gold Top. His primary guitar, Old Black (actually also a '53 Gold Top), only appears on stage just before it's owner. The Strobe-O-Tuners are in the background and the Whizzer sits atop the Fender amp on the left. (pic:Richie).

"The Travelling Echos" amp / drinks cabinet ? (pic:Flo)

During the show at OPL on the 22nd May, the song 'Big Time' was played in public for the first time. This song would become the first, and only, single from the forthcoming 'Broken Arrow' album and the hallmark tune for the subsequent Broken Arrow European/US Tour.

On the morning of June 4th, as the early birds waited in line for Bob to arrive with the wristbands, the figure of Jim Jarmusch was observed prowling the surrounds of OPL. Neil had recently collaborated with Jim by providing the music score to the latter's Dead Man movie (see here). As it transpired, Jim was on hand to shoot some footage of the band that would later be incorporated into the Big Time music video. Some scenes of the band playing in OPL were shot that afternoon, and that evening Neil and Crazy Horse opened the show in an unprecedented manner by playing the entire Broken Arrow album, as yet unreleased, straight through in the correct song order.

Jim Jarmusch sets up for the Big Time video shoot in OPL. Tim 'HandleBars' Mulligan fiddles with the road tour's mixing console in the background. (pic:Richie).

The interior of OPL (pic:Flo) during the time that the Big Time video was being shot by Jim Jarmusch and his team. The markings on the ground were part of this process. The face of the girl in the cut-off jeans is featured in the Big Time video and is talking to Eddie 'the T-shirt guy'.

Eddie and Ron ran a T-shirt printing operation which they used to produce a bunch of shirts for the occasion that they distributed free to those attending the shows. Their design included the Old Princeton Landing logo on the front and a screen printing of the 'Echos' poster advertisement on the back. Richie is on the left. At the end of the bar lies the door to the courtyard, which served as the backstage area during the shows, and contains a few picnic tables and benches.

The opposite end of the bar from the stage (pic:Flo). The ladder was used to elevate a cameraman above the crowd. The mixing console can be seen on top of one of the OPL pool tables in the background. Two dartboards are usually on this wall, and have been a point of embarrassment for some that stray across the Canadian border :). The rafters at OPL are stuffed with a lot of assorted items - including a bra of quite staggering proportions.

Neil at OPL
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