Yeah, I was lucky enough to participate in the audience of Neil's last solo tour stop. And it was priceless, especially considering the event marked my very first Neil concert. Let me indulge you with a "virgin" perspective of a great show and the realization of Neil's great impact on modern music.

So I'm caged there at my desk, staring out the window, waiting a few more minutes for 5 o'clock to roll around. Listening to public radio as the DJ raves about Neil's solo performance the previous night and telling all the unlucky listeners that tonight's second, sold-out show is Neil's last on the tour. I was thinking, Why was it again I completely ignored this event? Oh yeah: $75 for what has been satirically labeled the "Fleecing and Damage Done Tour," and no one I know would cheerfully pay that for "Neil Who?" After all, I remember the now 53 year-old rocker's parody of pop commercialism with 1988's This Note's For You. And now he's charging $75 for a solo show? The thought didn't really put a smile on my face.

But then I came to my senses and forgot about the corporate management shenanigans behind the high pricing. This is Neil Young we're talking about. OK, let's review.

With the Buffalo Springfield, he helped pave the way from the folk of Dylan to the country-rock of The Flying Burrito Brothers, Eagles and today's great roots-rock bands like Son Volt. His early solo work and the partnership with 60's super-group Crosby, Stills & Nash has made his name legendary. But he didn't stop with the comfort of mastering an entire genre of rock, once stating that he "found himself in the middle of the road, so he headed for the ditch." The stylistic shift found him recording hard rock, R&B, techno and even rockabilly. He later came full circle, revisiting his country sound with the '92 release of Harvest Moon. All that style stuff aside, it has been the biting attitude of Neil's song that folkies and punk rockers have admired for over three decades. It has never mattered how he packaged it. Whether the song is performed with a backing band and distorted Les Pauls or just Neil alone with a Martin acoustic, the message has remained virtually the same. It has been a vulnerable but strong voice sharing a complete life of love and loss, questioning the wrongs, searching for answers and serving this unique brand of poetry alongside beautifully addictive melodies.

But, if anyone is worth it, it's got to be Neil. Really, how many more chances will we get to see such an intimate show--just Neil alone at a small venue? Or any Neil Young show for that matter? So I went for it, scurrying to get out of the office and finally arriving downtown a few minutes before showtime. And I was fortunate enough to spot a fan with an extra ticket. After downing a few beers, I found my seat, surprisingly with a great view on the side of the stage. This is too much! But right behind me, barreling for the two seats next to mine, were two quite husky fellows who made the end of our row a bit tight to say the least. At first, I thought that flying solo at a whim would turn out to be a huge two-hour mistake. But someone else didn't show, offering us some room to breathe. Actually, the big guys turned out to be die-hard fans giving me the scoop on the previous night's performance and Neil's recent recordings in nearby Austin, thus filling up the dead space before the show began.

Never fear, Neil fans are here.

The 2,400 or so in the crowd started applauding like mad, so I looked up to see him for the first time. It's a bit odd to see someone like that for the first time, as if my mind believed the man only existed in stereophonic sound or a mere two dimensions. But for those of us present that night, he was there in the flesh. He quietly sat down, surrounded by a slew of acoustic guitars and flanked on each side by an upright piano and pump organ. From start to finish, we didn't hear him say much at all except through song. But that's just his way, I guess. And we didn't really need another episode of VH1 Storytellers anyway.

His opener just about floored me. It was the first track from the quintessential country-rock album Harvest, "Out on the Weekend." At the time of this show, Harvest was one of only a few Neil albums I owned, so it was great welcome to my ears. And looking back at the set lists on the internet's hyperrust.org, this tune was performed only three times on the tour, so we were especially lucky.

He also played that album's title track as well as "White Line" and "Helpless" all only once at this last stop of the tour. The latter CSN&Y tune was especially memorable with Neil on twelve string and hearing the crowd hum soft harmony along with the chorus. A unique set is one of the benefits of seeing Neil live. Of 38 shows, 14 different songs were performed only once. With such a wealth of material to draw upon-the hits, fans' favorites, rare gems, unreleased tracks, and new material--the wide catalog makes every tour stop pretty damn special. He shared some 24 tunes with us that night. New or unreleased songs included "Slowpoke," "Good To See You," "Distant Camera," "Looking Forward," "Out Of Control," "Daddy Went Walkin'," and Buffalo Springfield again.

Neil made hearing some of these for the first time extremely easy in this intimate performance. His music is deep and personal anyway, but in this close, acoustic setting, it was really beautiful. I actually caught myself softly saying, "Wow" in astonishment at the end of a few of these tunes before joining the crowd in the massive applause game. "Maybe if we clap harder and longer, he'll keep playing..."

Like them, I didn't really want the evening to end. His folk melodicism absolutely left me stuck in time. And it was great therapy. Neil the therapist, soothing the pain of 2400 patients. And I did cry at one point. It's just difficult to avoid some self reflection during some of these songs. I always hear him on a real personal level, even if the intent wasn't always there at the time of the writing.

Instrumentally, his guitar fills all night really caught me by surprise. They had little to do with that searing electric guitar work on the live albums I've almost worn out at home. They were short, crisp and very thoughtful. I guess I didn't realize his full talent as a solo one-man band. The piano and organ work broke up the guitar accompaniment nicely. And his harmonica playing was a pure delight. Hearing a tune like "Southern Pacific" played on the guitjo with the harmonica and the foot stomp left me feeling that I was out there with him along the coastline, hearing the train coming down the line. He just has a way of painting a picture and taking you to that place.

But it's Neil's rhythm that completely pulls me under. And he doesn't need Crazy Horse behind him for me to start painfully slapping my knee and losing control of my feet. This acoustic rhythm often reminds me of the same rhythm popular among Seattle grunge. This comparison is hardly a secret, ever since Young was labeled the "Godfather of Grunge" and later employing Pearl Jam as the backing band on the 95 release, Mirror Ball.

But when critics usually speak of grunge, they bring up the things we can see and hear easily-guys donning workshirts outside torn jeans, playing blistering distorted guitars to the beat of a big kit. But for me it exists in Neil's rhythm with a mere acoustic guitar on his knee. After a while, it's like a giant wave that gets into your body and forces you to float with every punishing crash until it finally lets you go. One writer may have nailed it with Neil's "circular propulsion of chord progressions." I just know it's wavelike.

Some Seattle examples of this appear with Pearl Jam's "Alive" or the almost Doppler Effect sound of "Black" from 91's Ten. The same can be heard (felt) with Soundgarden's Superunknown and Alice in Chains' Jar of Flies. Neil's "Southern Man" from the Goldrush album is one of the easiest songs to use as a forerunner of this rhythm with its hard-driving guitars and very vocal drum track. But it's the main guitar riff with its nasty hook on the end that really completes the grunge sound, and thus the wavelike rhythm. If Pearl Jam were to record this one, you can almost see Eddie Vedder shaking his head to the cutting riff and attitude of the tune.

Distortion obviously helps make the grunge connection, like on "When You Dance I can Really Love." But it's not necessary. Take "Don't Let it Bring You Down," which Neil performed this night. This one sounds grungy from the start, the way we know some of the easily constructed Seattle ballads. The difference lies in the instrumentation. On tour, Neil uses an acoustic guitar for the two-two chord progression with that catchy hook on the end, whereas Seattle would go heavy on the distortion and a throaty voice.

Maybe that's why I like Neil so much. His voice is uniquely his own, completely different than the grunge world of Cobains and Cornells. What Young lacks in a throaty lyrics, he makes up for in content, melody and style. It's so fragile and susceptable. It's completely uncovered. So unlike grunge in a macho kind of way. But the attitude remains. And like his attitude over style, his voice is the essential instrument over all others he uses to share a tune. I find it especially wonderful that he sings so high at times, sometimes humorously reminding me of someone's talented grandmother. But regardless of pitch, he never loses the strength of the song. On this night, it didn't crack or waver through the 24-song set.

Hell, I bet Muppets could sing some of these songs and they would still be hard driving.

Since the show, I've gone on a pretty big Neil kick. I downloaded a load of guitar tablature from hyperrust.org in an effort to learn these great tunes. I've also come quite a bit closer to completing my CD collection with 5 Neil Young purchases, including Buffalo Springfield Again and Tonight's the Night--two real gems.

It was a memorable night. I got the chance to see one of the few rock superstars that has kept his edge and continued to move people for over 30 years. I learned a little bit more about why I love his music so very much. It's all about talent, attitude and a wave, and I can't wait to see him again, regardless of the setting. After all, it's Neil Young. And I believe therapy sessions are tax deductible.

Set List: "Out On The Weekend," "Looking Forward, Goin' Back," "Out Of Control," "Buffalo Springfield Again," "Harvest," "Don't Let It Bring You Down," "Philadelphia," "White Line," "Love Is A Rose," "Daddy Went Walkin'"

[Intermission]

Set 2: "Distant Camera," "Last Trip To Tulsa," "Southern Pacific," "Old Man," "Long May You Run," "Harvest Moon," "Slowpoke," :Helpless," "After The Goldrush

Encore: "Good To See You," "Ambulance Blues," "Heart Of Gold," "Sugar Mountain"