NEIL YOUNG

NEIL YOUNG

Anton tried this look, too.

Rolled down to the new Nokia Theater next to Staples to check out the least embarrassing member of CSN&Y.

Felt like I was at a "building wealth" seminar somewhere deep inside Topanga Canyon. HILARIOUS crowd. Here's the list, from worst to first:

• 45 year-old Hollywood assholes wearing loud-ass ADIDAS sneakers and gay-ass $300 Ron Jaworski frames

Jaws knows DAMN WELL that he can't wear those glasses around Buffalo. Please, bro.

• ZOSO wizards with rubberbands in their beards and long, flowing, vampire-killing trenchcoats

• Emaciated wicca white chicks trying to pull off the Pocahontas look

This picture is too hilarious and I stopped looking for other more Pocahontas-related looks, which Steven is known to rock.

• "Git Er Done" blue collar WWE fans with their t-shirts tucked into 10-year-old Levis

Sorry, I just can't get enough of this pic

• Skinny IT guys in loud, patterned button-down short sleeve shirts

• One or two old school Neil Young fans rocking the '83 Freedom tour shirts (or whatever year it was), pumping their fists and most likely still living in Mom's converted garage

Yeah, I'll take the doods wearing the 20-year-old tour shits over any of the other posuers any day of the week.

Anyway, the show. I think Neil Young's wife opened up, but she was brutal and I tried to pay attention to the crowd which was much more entertaining.

The venue is pretty nice, even if the LA Weekly calls it a "corporate music money pit." I was in row D facing the right side of the stage and the whole show sounded loud and clear. Then again, the Nokia feels like you're at a hockey game, with press boxes and shit.

Eventually, Neil sauntered on-stage and sat in the middle of a circle of 8 or so guitars. He looked like a luthier. He kicked into "From Hank To Hendrix" and his voice sounded really good. Following that were two songs I didn't recognize and then he broke into "A Man Needs A Maid," which has those annoying synthesizer breaks which always bothered me. Neil also mentioned a Norwegian cover band called the "Young Neils."

Let me tell you, this crowd was vocal. Neil would take a sip of beer and the audience sounded like he had just ended the war in Iraq. They were screaming out songtitles all night. It was a good vibe.

Neil played a few more songs, most notably, "Harvest," "After the Gold Rush," and "Old Man." "Harvest" sounded especially good and "Old Man" would've sounded even better had the high notes not been out of Neil's reach. No "Needle and the Damage Done" or "Sugar Mountain" or "Heart of Gold," but a great set nonetheless.

A half hour later Neil came back out with his band and kicked into "The Loner." Man, this dood still rips up it. In a hobo suit no less. I mean, Neil is up there looking like he just painted somebody's house in his Dad's sportcoat, lurching back and forth like Quasimodo and peeling leads off the fretboard like bark from a tree. Or something difficult like that. Nevermind.

"Dirty Old Man" sounded just as dirty and as old as it needed to--Neil fucking tore that bitch to shreds. "Winterlong" and "Oh, Lonesome Me" sounded really good and "No Hidden Path" lasted nearly twenty minutes. Neil shredded on a couple of Les Pauls (both with Bigsbys, one of which is called "Old Black") a Les Paul Special and a Gretsch White Falcon. He was backed up by Michael McDonald on rhythm and Ronnie James Dio on bass.

The show ended with "Cinnamon Girl" and "Tonight's The Night." I would've liked me some "Cortez the Killer," but I really can't complain: Neil only mentioned George Bush once and the crowd had a lot more balls than I expected. A great show. Steep ticket price, but very satisfying. Neil Young for the Canadian presidency.