Neil Young leaving past behind for his latest tour

Spencer Patterson

Friday, July 25, 2003 | 8:42 a.m.

Tickets for Saturday night's Neil Young concert should come with a warning label attached.

Something like: "The show you are about to see will consist almost entirely of music you haven't heard."

Encores aside, Young's performance at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel is not expected to feature any familiar material from his 35-year solo carer, his stint with Buffalo Springfield or his days with Crosby, Stills & Nash.

Instead, the fiercely independent 57-year-old Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer has spent each night on his current tour presenting all 10 tracks from his upcoming concept album, "Greendale," in succession before exiting the stage.

The music, which centers around a fictitious small-town community and its resident "Green" family, will be supplemented by narration and stage theatrics featuring members of Young's road crew. The "Greendale" CD will be released Aug. 19, as will an accompanying DVD.

Reviews have been mostly favorable for Young's latest project, which debuted in Europe in the spring.

Joining Young for the show will be longtime collaborators Crazy Horse. Drummer Ralph Molina and bassist Billy Talbot have played regularly with Young since the late 1960s. Guitarist Frank Sampedro signed on in 1975, replacing the deceased Danny Whitten and the man who played with the band on and off after Whitten's death, Nils Lofgren.

While awaiting Young's new disc, longtime fans have celebrated the overdue reissue of four of his solo albums: "On the Beach" (1974), "American Stars n' Bars" (1977), "Hawks and Doves" (1980), "Re-ac-tor" (1981). Prior to June, none had ever been released domestically on CD.

Young also reportedly continues work on his long-awaited "Archives" box set. The massive, multidisc collection has been in production for years, with the due date pushed back numerous times.

Singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams, a three-time Grammy Award winner, opens Saturday's show. The country-rocker's seventh album, "World Without Tears," was released in April.

Who: Neil Young and Crazy Horse.

Where: The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.

When: 8 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets: $105.50, $205.50.

Call: 693-5066.

Opening act: Lucinda Williams.

Personnel: Neil Young (guitar, piano, organ, vocals), Ralph Molina (drums, vocals), Frank Sampedro (guitar, keyboard, vocals), Billy Talbot (bass, vocals).

Latest release: "Are You Passionate?" (Reprise, 2002).

Album feedback: "Like most of the singer's makeovers -- from the fluorescent computer games of 'Trans' to the grunge touches of 'Mirror Ball' -- 'Are You Passionate?' hums on Young's timeless brand of fossil fuel: love that burns, faith that endures and guitar solos that kept searching for a heart of gold." (Rolling Stone, 3 1/2 star); "Instead of sounding like a refreshing change of pace, it's a muddled, aimless affair from an artist who's had too many middling efforts over the last decade." (All Music Guide, 2 stars).

Essential releases: "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere" (1969), "After the Gold Rush" (1970), "Harvest" (1972), "Zuma" (1975), "Decade" (1977), "Rust Never Sleeps" (1979), "Ragged Glory" (1990).

What to expect: "Greendale" runs close to 90 minutes, after which Young typically returns for one, two or three encore sessions chock full of old favorites.

Recent set list: Chronicle Pavilion, Concord, Calif., Sunday: "Falling From Above," "Double E," "Devil's Sidewalk," "Leave the Driving," "Carmichael," "Bandit," "Grandpa's Interview," "Bringin' Down Dinner," "Sun Green," "Be the Rain." First encore: "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)," "Sedan Delivery," "Don't Cry No Tears," "Country Home," "Rockin' in the Free World." Second encore: "Roll Another Number (For the Road)," "Prisoners of Rock 'n' Roll." Third encore: "Powderfinger." (from fansite hyperrust.org).

Tour feedback: "It was a night of searing but not showy musicianship and great American songwriting." (Miami Herald); "As theater, the show was more problematic, with lots of plot and little connective tissue. It was more a series of vignettes than a linear story." (Boston Herald).

Previous Las Vegas appearances: April 20, 1991 (Thomas & Mack, with Crazy Horse); Sept. 26, 1992 (Bally's, solo); March 25, 1999 (The Joint, solo); Feb. 19, 2000 (MGM, CSN&Y); March 29, 2002 (MGM, CSN&Y).

Says Young: "I don't make a habit of listening to my old stuff. Ever. ... I spend so much time making them that when it's over, I just never want to listen to 'em again. I just send 'em out into the world like an evil father." (Mojo Magazine, December 1995).