After Pixies, Soundgarden and Justin Timberlake all announced concert dates in Israel, a folk legend is following suit: Neil Young will arrive in Israel to perform on July 17 in Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park.

Folk and rock master Neil Young – Photo: AP

“After years of negotiations, I am happy to announce the arrival of one of the greats to perform a full show — between 2, 2½, 3 hours of pounding rock ‘n’ roll and emotive ballads, accompanied by his original, legendary band,” promoter Shuki Weiss announced on Wednesday. “It’s a great honor and huge joy for myself and the community of fans in Israel. There’s a growing thirst for quality, real rock ‘n’ roll, artists who can move everybody. In my opinion, Neil Young totally fulfills that expectation. Young’s arrival in Israel is like a dream come true.”

Young, a 68-year-old singer-songwriter from Canada who has been performing songs for more than 50 years, has released dozens of albums, composed hundreds of songs and performed at thousands of concerts. Still full of energy, he has yet to stop searching for new ways to express himself, and remains ever relevant to the music world. If there’s anybody out there in music who embodies “Forever Young” (like the song by Bob Dylan), it’s Young.

At times, however, his age is reflected in his performances, during which he sometimes reclines on stage from exhaustion. But Young’s voice, unlike Leonard Cohen or Bob Dylan, has remained ever sweet. And his guitar, that epic, powerful, plaintive, elegant and wailing guitar, is incomparable.

When he sings “Keep on Rocking in the Free World,” he’s not just talking about rock music, but about fighting for one’s freedom, a life’s mission he has been fulfilling for decades, perhaps more than anyone else of his generation save Sir Paul McCartney.

This won’t be Young’s first visit to Israel. He performed his album “Mirror Ball” in Israel in August 1995, with Pearl Jam (minus Eddie Vedder) as his backing band. While a Facebook campaign to bring Pearl Jam to Israel was launched on Facebook several months ago, this time Young will be performing solo.

Despite a brush with death after doctors diagnosed him a brain aneurism about a decade ago, Young has focused all of his energies on his music, which has only grown more popular and complex. He relaunched the legendary folk band, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. He also recorded dozens of new songs with his group Crazy Horse, who will accompany him on his stint in Israel.

View original Israel Hayom publication at: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=14787