Young and Restless

When I was young, my older brother would repeatedly blast "Rockin’ in the Free World" in his bedroom. Through osmosis (thin walls), I learned the words. Although some may not have rowdy brothers, many can recite the deep lyrics to several Neil Young classics. Young nears the end of the two-month tour of his album, Chrome Dreams II, at the Tower. He’s made the promotion a family affair — his wife, Pegi, is the opening act for all shows. And what would a Neil Young concert be without excessively lengthy ballads? Chrome Dreams II boasts two songs at 18:13 and 11:31 ("Ordinary People" and "No Hidden Path", respectively) while the album itself is over an hour. Woodstock veteran, environmental activist, film director, godfather of grunge, and the fourth to Crosby, Stills and Nash, he is, simply put, one of our better gifts from Canada. The gift that keeps on giving, apparently: purchase a pair of tickets and get a copy of the new CD.

Neil Young, December 9-10, Tower Theater, 69th and Ludlow Sts, $64 to $159, 7:30 pm, ticketmaster.com, stubhub.com