Neil Young | Doin' what he does - and it's rock solid

WaMu Theater became heaven on Earth for Neil Young fans Tuesday night as the grandmaster of rock, the godfather of grunge, the dean of California singer-songwriters put on a great, unforgettable, powerful show of classics, obscure gems and impressive cuts from his new album, "Chrome Dreams II," released earlier that day.

He raged on guitar, playing extended jams on several songs, especially the set closer, an electrifying "No Hidden Path," which must've been 20 minutes long. His distinctive high singing voice was sweeter than ever, with a soft, ringing tone at the end of phrases.

Young was loose and happy and comfortable with the adoring crowd, especially after anarchy broke out, three songs into the second of his two sets (the electric one), with fans spilling down in droves to the front of the stage, where they happily danced the night away.

He opened with "From Hank to Hendrix" and the reference to the local hero drew a cheer. "Here I am with this old guitar," he sang, "doin' what I do."

His first set of 11 songs was acoustic, with Young switching from guitar to harmonica to piano to organ and even banjo. He played some of the songs that established his career back in the '70s, including "A Man Needs a Maid," "Love Is a Rose" and "Heart of Gold."

The landmark lyric from "After the Gold Rush," "look at Mother Nature on the run," was updated from "in the 1970s" to "in the 21st century," which also got a big reaction from the crowd.

A couple of blues songs, "Ambulance Blues" and "Love Art Blues," were highlights, along with "Homegrown" and "Harvest."

Young and his three-piece band came out rocking for the second set, opening with "The Loner," the first song on his first solo album, released in January 1969. They followed with the raucous, hilarious "Dirty Old Man," a song from the new album, which brought the house down. The one that drew much of the crowd down to the front was another new one, the intense "Spirit Road." About the only mellow song in the second set was a slow version of "Oh Lonesome Me," the Don Gibson hit from 1958.

After the extended "No Hidden Path" closer, Young and band returned for a set-ending one-two punch of powerful encores, "Cinnamon Girl" and "Like a Hurricane."

Pegi Young, his wife, opened with an eight-song set of mostly original songs, backed by a versatile three-piece band. Her simple, unadorned, wise and pleasant songs were engaging and refreshing, a soft beginning to what became a rocking night.

Patrick MacDonald: 206-464-2312 or pmacdonald@seattletimes.com