Neil Young

This week, we take a break from the usual litany of doltish politicians and morally bankrupt businessmen to recognize none other than Neil Young -- troubadour, iconoclast and longtime favorite of wizened rock critics from Hilburn to Marcus.

The occasion was Young's June 11 appearance at Chastain Park Amphitheatre, for which tickets cost (with Ticketbastard fees) from 65 to 85 bucks apiece. With rain starting, Young and backup band Crazy Horse opened not with one new song, or two, or even five -- but 10 new songs. It was, as it turned out, his new album, the not-yet-released Greendale, in its entirety. Described as a "concept" album, it tells the story of the dissolution of a Northern California family in a disturbing new America. Young has told one interviewer it's "basically one long song that is meant to be listened to over and over again."

Eschewing the predictable for the sake of the new and experimental would ordinarily be deserving of patience and praise. And yet, with thousands sitting before him in the rain, their money already securely deposited into his account, Young turned on the audience. Halfway through an acoustic number, he abruptly stopped and growled, "Too much noise." Then he explained that he once tried playing a song in Las Vegas through the chatter and would never do it again. "It's nice to see," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "there's a little Vegas right here in Atlanta."

Noisy crowds at Chastain are nothing new, nor are complaints from artists who play there. But this was a rock show setup; there wasn't a tub of brie to be found. No, what pissed off Young was the audacity of the crowd to grow impatient with a set list that had all the musical variation of a 6-year-old on kazoo. Each song droned on with the same ponderous rhythm, and Young's electric guitar work, which had always been messy and glorious, now sounded like Santana on Valium.

One definition of scalawag is someone who shits where he eats; last week at Chastain, Neil Young took a massive dump.

The Weekly Scalawag is now accepting nominations. E-mail scott.henry@creativeloafing.com.