:: Neil Young ::

:: Magness Arena :: April 27, 2009 ::

By Brian F. Johnson

Photos by Lisa Siciliano/dogdazephoto.com

It was hotter than hell in the Magness Arena, and the floor was packed soild, but the rest of the venue was open enough to find some good sitelines, although the sound from those vistas was less than stellar.

Magness wasn’t designed for concerts and never will sound as great as some of the venues we’re spoiled with around here. On this night it could have sucked worse, and even if it was nearly inaudible, the show would have still been one of the great nights of the year.

With a vast stage, barren of decoration, except for a long series of numbers and letter across the top — which I can only guess is the VIN number from Young’s beloved Lincoln — the famed rocker started his show quietly. A few new songs that unfortunately don’t pack too much a punch were politely received, but failed to get anyone riled up. But song number three did. Despite a mysterious false start “Are You Ready for the Country”may have been several songs in, but it was the real start of the concert, as far as I was concerned.

From there, Young and his band continued through a number of classics, some with nice new little twists, while only peppering the show with the new tracks form his recently released Fork In the Road.

Young’s set highlighted his grunge side, his songwriter prowess, his classic capabilities and his current relevance (even though I’m not a fan of his newest album).

It was a fantastic night and honor to be there.

Setlist:
Love And Only Love
Fuel Line
Are You Ready For The Country?
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
When Worlds Collide
Pocahontas
Hit The Road
Change Your Mind*
Cinnamon Girl
Mother Earth
The Needle And The Damage Done
Light A Candle
Goin’ Back
Heart Of Gold
Albuquerque
Speakin’ Out
Tonight’s The Night
Down By The River
Get Behind The Wheel
Just Singing A Song

Encore:
All Along The Watchtower