Modern troubadour Neil Young in show for the ages

THERE was hardly a hit to be heard at Neil Young's concert. They weren't missed.

Neil Young

AS the concert ticked over into its second hour, Neil Young and his 40-plus-years companions, Crazy Horse, had just begun their fifth song. All up they would manage just 15 in 130 minutes, ranging from Buffalo Springfield's Mr Soul to the apparent world premiere of There's A Hole in the Sky. There was hardly a hit to be heard. They weren't missed.

The likes of Powderfinger, Walk Like a Giant, Ramada Inn and F*!#in' Up were extended by one primal, pulverising solo after solo. Neil Young may not get a job as lead guitarist in any other band, but he is perfect for his own. For its part, Crazy Horse just dug in and followed him, with Poncho Sampedro's dense chords creating the bed for Young's six-string journeys.

He switched briefly to an acoustic guitar, a 1941 Martin once owned by Hank Williams, no less, for a singalong on his signature tune, Heart of Gold.

He looked like a modern troubadour as he wandered around the stage singing into the microphone placed in his harmonica brace. Overall, though, it was not a night for nostalgia. Here was a man and his band making music as vital as they had at any point in their long career.

The staging was an update of the one used on his 1979 Rust Never Sleeps tour.

The band was overshadowed by huge speaker stacks and a massive microphone. The crew was dressed as lab technicians instructing the construction workers in setting up the oversized equipment, bringing a sense of fun to the occasion.

Young gave the impression he had set out to please no one but himself - the self-indulgent feedback fest that closed Walk Like a Giant was proof of that - but he also pleased about 15,000 fans. These fans did not stand at the beginning of the show when Young and the Horse (Sampedro, bassist Billy Talbot and drummer Ralph Molina) stood with their hands over their hearts as our national anthem played, but they shot up to give them a standing ovation at the set's completion. The sound was loud, but perfectly mixed so there was no residue ringing in the ears. What did remain, though, was the feeling that the audience had just witnessed a performance for the ages.

Adelaide, tonight; Brisbane, Thursday; Hunter Valley, Saturday; Sydney, Sunday; Melbourne, March 13 and 15; Geelong, March 16. Bookings: 132 849.

MUSIC
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Perth Arena. March 2.