Last nite...

Ronnie Wood, Bono, The Edge and U2 manager Paul McGuinness were in the front row of the balcony last night as Neil Young kicked off his three-night run at Vicar St.

Talking to hotpress.com, The Edge described the Canadian troubadour as "Sage-like. You meet him and think, 'My God, there's so much wisdom here!' He's a great human being as well as a great artist."

Young started the night by playing ten songs from Greendale, his upcoming concept album which is set "somewhere along the Northern California coast. Or wherever you want it to be." Assuming the role of narrator, he introduced us to three generations of the Green family – Grandpa and Grandma, their cop-killing son and his 18-year-old eco-activist daughter. Musically, it was a return to vintage Harvest form with Young switching between acoustic guitar, piano, organ and harmonica.

After a ten-minute break, he was back with a 'Greatest Hits' package that included such gems as 'Old Man', 'Cortez The Killer', 'On The Beach', 'Campaigner', 'After The Goldrush' and – swoon! – 'Heart Of Gold'.

Needless to say, we'll have more on the boy Young in the next issue of Hot Press.