Happy 66th Birthday Neil Young! [VIDEO]

Neil Young is 66 years old today (November 12th, 2011).  Young is rock's ultimate changeling.  He's dabbled in almost every genre of music from country, to electronica, to folk, to grunge...and kept it entertaining and interesting along the way.

Neil is also arguably a part of the fabric of rock and roll, playing in Buffalo Springfield and as a part of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.  He's a consummate songwriter and excellent musician, freely alternating between electric and acoustic guitar, piano, and harmonica.

I've been fortunate to see Neil play live numerous times.  The best shows are the ones divided between acoustic and electric sets.  He will come out and play about 45 minutes of acoustic songs on guitar and piano.  You get 'Old Man', 'Needle and the Damage Done', 'Helpless', 'Heart Of Gold' and several more before an intermission.  At that point, you need to find the earplugs.  The second half of those sets brings out the Les Paul and the volume level rises.  Songs such as 'Hey Hey My My', 'Down By The R iver', 'Rockin' In The Free World', 'Cortez The Killer' and other power chord classics fill another hour and a half.

Check out Neil Young on 'Old Man' performed on solo acoustic guitar, followed by Young with David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash performing the epic 'Down By The River' in 1969: