Cinnamon Girl live...tonight...sold out

The sole purpose of this editorial is to take a crack at Gonzo journalism - a type of journalism founded by the late Hunter S. Thompson.

The countdown was now to days rather than weeks. A legend of rock and roll was coming to Newfoundland and I was willing to walk to St. John's to see Neil Young in his old denim jacket sing Harvest Moon if I had to.

Bob Dylan's show was good - not great - so anticipation was high for this show. Dylan was far from energetic and his voice had failed him with age. Neil, on the other hand, was spectacular.

Have you ever seen a legend? The moment we walked into Mile One Centre on Tuesday evening, April 7, is a moment I will never forget. I walked unto the Mile One floor and gazed upon what seemed like an endless ocean of strange faces. However, they weren't strangers on this night - just fellow Neil fans I haven't met. We were about to witness a once in a lifetime show and everybody was ready for what was to come.

With four expensive beer already consumed, paid at a price where two beer should do the job of eight regularly priced beer, we wandered to the floor for the second time. All of a sudden, without warning, the lights went out. No, Elvis didn't leave the hockey rink, but Neil was making his slow walk on a magnificently choreographed stage. Four or five songs in and he starts to play a recognizable tune and all of a sudden thousands and thousands of arms went up in a now hazy, marijuana smoke-filled stadium. With thousands of backup singers, Neil sang Cinnamon Girl and it was, to say the least, incredible.

The scene was surreal. For only a few hours we weren't standing in Mile One stadium on a Tuesday evening in 2009. For a few spectacular hours, the thousands in attendance weren't in Newfoundland - it was like we were standing in a huge grassy field under a bright blue sky in Bethel, New York in 1969 - Woodstock for those of you who don't know.

Through the haze and commotion, Neil played such hits as Harvest Moon, Old Man and The Needle and the Damage Done. When it was all said and done and I found my way back on the Trans Canada Highway, I popped in a Neil Young Unplugged CD, set cruise control to a non-ticket-threatening speed and tried to relive Tuesday night.

Sometime down the road, maybe when I'm in my 40s, I'd love to meet one of my fellow Neil fans in a pub somewhere who was also at Neil's show. It's a show you'll never forget...one that proves why legends are legends and why we love them.

editor@thecoaster.ca