LIVE: Neil Young Proves He's More Than Just A "Dirty Old Man"
Wednesday November 28, 2007 @ 04:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

November 26, 2007
Massey Hall
Toronto, ON
By Michelle Singerman

Neil Young graced Massey Hall's stage for the first time in 36 years on Monday night for the first of three acoustic-electric shows to support his latest record, Chrome Dreams II.

The last time Young played this venue was in 1971 during the now infamous show debuting his Harvest album. The '71 acoustic show has been called one of the best sets he ever played and fans have craved the opportunity to hear one of the fathers of classic rock play at such a respected venue.

In addition to the romantic construction of the theatre, the acoustics are incredible. When it was announced that Young's Toronto shows wouldn't take place at the Air Canada Centre, but at Massey Hall, fans lost it for valid reasons. And the highly anticipated sold-out show was worth every penny (especially if you snuck in).

Young started the show with an acoustic set, opening with "From Hank To Hendrix" from the 1992's Harvest Moon. Young has opened every show thus far on his continental tour with this song. It's a great track, and even better when heard live.

The rest of the opening set was filled mainly with oldies like "Ambulance Blues," "Mellow My Mind," "A Man Needs A Maid" and "Old Man," among others.

Along with his acoustic guitar, Young had his harmonica strapped to his neck, which he used from time to time, along with a banjo.

The intimate venue lent itself to quick conversations between fans and Young. There were random shouts of "Good to have you back, Neil!" and "We're still living with war!" to which he would often respond. Young was personable and told brief stories in between songs, making it feel more like an MTV Unplugged show than one of the most in-demand concerts of 2007.

After the hour-long acoustic set, Young took a break. He returned from the 20-minute intermission with his band and wife Pegi Young (who opened the show with songs from her recently released self-titled debut album) on backing vocals for an electric set.

This 62 year old rocked like he was playing Woodstock. Not only was he a master of intricacy with the variety of guitars he played, but he worked the stage like a 20-year-old rocker.

Set highlights were "Cowgirl In The Sand" and "Bad Fog Of Loneliness," both of which were played at the '71 Harvest debut at Massey Hall, as well as "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere."

Young played some tracks from his new album, most notably "Dirty Old Man," which has a gritty, dirty sound that worked amazingly. It was awesome to hear the new material live, though you couldn't sing along or get into it as easily as some of the old gold.

The encore was "Cinnamon Girl" and "Like A Hurricane," both of which pleased the crowd with their squealing guitars.

The set list was sweet, but not as fulfilling as those from earlier dates on the tour, as there was a higher ratio of obscure songs for this show. Still, this was one performance that no Young fan within driving distance of Toronto should have missed.

—Michelle Singerman