Forever Young--Still Inspiring and Challenging

Neil Young’s concert on Wednesday at the Forum with his longtime allies Crazy Horse was great in a disappointing way.

The classic singer-guitarist and the sonic assault trio delivered flat-out spectacular versions of his most tenacious ‘70s rockers, including “Like a Hurricane.”

In his typical style, Young started those and other power-based numbers with exploratory jams--as if searching for the right emotional tone before launching formally into the song.

He also went through a similar exit process--holding on to the tune instrumentally until he seemed convinced he had wrung every nuance from it. Even though it stretched some songs to 15 minutes or more, the approach is one of the most enthralling in rock.

Elsewhere in the two-hour performance, Young served up wonderfully intimate renditions of a few songs from his new “Broken Arrow” album--highlighted by “Music Arcade,” a shrewdly crafted tune that balances the comforts of music with the disquieting realities of life.

So what’s the problem?

The balance.

Instead of concentrating on material that the audience hasn’t heard live with Crazy Horse, Young gave us a retrospective of his most popular concert numbers.

Yes, we also heard--again--such signature tunes as “The Needle and the Damage Done,” “Cinnamon Girl,” “Heart of Gold” and “Sugar Mountain.”

These are substantial songs and they still comment on the human condition--”Needle” was especially poignant at a time when heroin has reinvaded the rock scene.

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In a concert year dominated by ‘70s retreads, it’s easy to see how some uninformed skeptics could be tempted to point to Young and Patti Smith, who is the main support act on the tour, as yet more nostalgia fodder. Young and Smith were stars before many of the returning ‘70s bands, including the Sex Pistols, surfaced.

Amusingly, Young opened his set with “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black),” a late-’70s song that mentions the Sex Pistols’ Johnny Rotten as part of a commentary on what was then fashionable in rock.

The difference between Young and Smith and most of the ‘70s reunion crews is that these two continue to make music that is challenging and inspiring.

Young, in recent years, has made five of the strongest back-to-back albums ever in rock, from 1989’s “Freedom” to 1996’s “Mirror Ball.” While less ambitious, “Broken Arrow” also includes some stellar moments. But Young played only one song from the five key albums--the playful but inessential “F----- Up”--and just half of the new, eight-song album.

“I’m still living the dream we had,” Young sang in “Big Time,” a song from “Broken Arrow” that he performed early in the show. “For me, it’s not over.”

Young has frequently alluded to dreams in his lyrics, but the recurring one in recent years is symbolized by the continued idealism and promise of rock ‘n’ roll itself. In that spirit, Young delivers--in his feedback-driven music with Crazy Horse (Poncho Sampedro on guitar, Ralph Molina on drums and Billy Talbot on bass)--a sound so spiritually cleansing that it could almost be showcased in a cathedral.

It’s just too bad Young--who was also scheduled to play the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre on Thursday--couldn’t have turned to some more current scripture to show just how alive the dream remains in his own music.

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After taking a 17-year break from live shows while raising a family, Smith, a revolutionary figure in ‘70s rock, has returned with one of the year’s strongest albums. Titled “Gone Again,” it includes reflections on death and renewal.

In a brief 40-minute set Wednesday, Smith acknowledged her ‘70s material with “Redondo Beach,” but she focused, crucially, on newer tunes--”Wing,” which she dedicated to bluegrass king Bill Monroe, who died this week, and “About a Boy,” which is about the late Kurt Cobain.

The Gin Blossoms, the young folk-rock quintet that opened the show, were understandably outclassed on a bill with Young and Smith, though their music--as melodic as it is--would probably be a touch anonymous under any circumstances.