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In the last decade, there have been two confirmed Neil Young sightings in Utah, both in Park City — at the premiere of his concert film "Neil Young: Heart of Gold" at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, and when his concert film "Neil Young: Journeys" played Slamdance in 2012.
It's been 22 years since Young has performed solo in concert in Utah. That changes this fall, as the Canadian rocker and rabblerouser brings his "Rebel Content Tour" to Usana Amphitheatre on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
Young, 70, has provided the soundtrack to a generation, whether as a solo artist, as co-founder of the seminal '60s band Buffalo Springfield, and as sometime collaborator with Crosby Stills & Nash.
His songs have been anthems of protest, from "Ohio" (a cry against the killing of four students by National Guard troops at Kent State in 1970) to "This Note's For You" (a poke at rock 'n' roll commercialism that, ironically, won MTV's Video of the Year in 1989). His 1970 song "Southern Man," which attacked racism in the South, prompted Lynyrd Skynyrd to respond with their own song, "Sweet Home Alabama."
Other well-known songs in Young's repertoire include "Old Man," "Needle and the Damage Done," "Heart of Gold" and "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)."
Young has jumped genres, veering from rock and folk to experiment with country, rockabilly and electronic music. He has been called the "Godfather of Grunge," for his influence on such musicians as Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder.
On his current tour, Young will play an acoustic set and an amplified set, mixing classic songs with new material. Serving as Young's back-up band is the rock group Promise of the Real, fronted by guitarist/vocalist Lukas Nelson (Willie Nelson's son). Young and Promise of the Real collaborated on 2015's "The Monsanto Years," a concept album criticizing the agribusiness giant, and this year's follow-up album, "Earth."
Tickets for Young's Usana show, ranging from $36 to $125, go on sale Friday, 10 a.m., at Smith's Tix.