He’s Forever Young--and Inspirational

If you look back on rock ‘n’ roll history as its own “Survivor” series, Neil Young certainly stands on the short list of winners.

Since coming on the national scene in the late ‘60s as a member of Buffalo Springfield, Young has seen all sorts of movements in rock: from glam to punk, grunge to rap-rock.

But the singer-songwriter-guitarist, who has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, has remained vital through them all, his integrity and artistry intact.

That’s why you understood the genuineness of the moment when Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, Young’s opening act Monday at the Greek Theatre, bent down and kissed the stage in honor of the evening’s headliner.

Hynde, one of the great voices ever in rock and a candidate for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame herself in a few years, also opened and closed her set with Young songs.

The choice of “The Needle and the Damage Done,” a heartbreaking 1973 commentary on the destructiveness of heroin, as the closing number was especially appropriate because two members of the original Pretenders died of overdoses.

Such lyrics as “every junkie’s like a settin’ sun” are both poignant and stinging, and Hynde explained that the song always felt as if it was written just for her.

The remark felt like more than show-biz flattery. Young’s songs have chronicled life’s struggles and comforts with such honesty and insight that at various times in his career he has seemed to speak for everyone in his audience.

The remarkable thing is that Young is able to lift our spirits with both furious rock ‘n’ roll workouts, as he does on his tours with the band Crazy Horse, or with gentle reflections, as he tended to do Monday, the opening of a three-night engagement.

After the foot-stamping energy of the triumphant Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young tour earlier this year, it figured that Young would kick back a bit in his own tour.

And sure enough, Young was in a relatively mellow mood--for the opening 90 minutes.

In keeping with the warm, introspective spirit of his recent “Silver & Gold” and his 1992 “Harvest Moon” albums, Young performed songs that for the most part stressed the values of community and companionship.

In material both familiar and obscure drawn from those and other albums, he spoke of all sorts of relationships--from old musical partnerships (“Buffalo Springfield Again”) to lingering family ties (“Daddy Went Walkin’ ”) to romantic bliss (“Harvest Moon”).

Adding to the tour’s intimacy, Young was joined on stage Monday by two members of his family (wife Pegi and sister Astrid on backing vocals) and a soulful, all-star band that accented marvelously the personal touches of the songs. The players, each of whom has toured with Young at various points over the years, were Ben Keith on pedal steel and other guitars, Donald “Duck” Dunn on bass, Jim Keltner on drums and Spooner Oldham on keyboards.

The danger in all these sensitive, feel-good elements is that the evening might end up a bit precious. But Young helped sidestep that possibility by opening his set with “Motorcycle Mama,” a wacky throwaway from the late ‘70s that served notice that the idea was to enjoy yourself.

And Young picked up the emotional intensity during the final half-hour. First, he closed the formal part of the set by putting down the electric guitar and moving over to an upright piano for “Tonight’s the Night.”

The title track of his landmark 1975 album is one of the darkest songs Young has written, another reflection on death and the destructiveness of drugs.

Singing with such force that his body jerked from side to side on the piano bench, Young expressed the desperation of life’s trials with a conviction and urgency that helped put all the evening’s lighter moments in context--and made you treasure your own blessings.

Coming back with the band for an encore, Young picked up the guitar and tore into an electrifying, 20-minute version of “Cowgirl in the Sand.” Here, it wasn’t the words that so much mattered, but the relentless force of the music.

Bounding about the stage as he slashed at the guitar, Young seemed to be trying to blow away all dark moments of life. It’s his ability to achieve that therapeutic force that has enabled Young not only to survive the changing fashions of the rock scene, but also to remain through them all a standard by which to measure excellence.

* Neil Young and the Pretenders play Thursday at the Greek Theatre, 2700 Vermont Canyon Road, 7:30 p.m. $33-$98.50. (323) 480-3232. Young also plays Sept. 27-28 with Beck at the Santa Barbara Bowl, 1122 N. Milpas St., Santa Barbara, 6:30 p.m. $54-$94. (805) 962-7411.