Dinosaur Jr., Band of Horses Give Smokers Sweet Treats

Tobacco smokers that catch Dinosaur Jr. with Band of Horses on the remainder of their tour will enjoy something rare for those that light up: preferential treatment. At what appeared to be a typical tour stop Sunday night in San Francisco, a marketing company representing Camel cigarettes gave away hundreds of free tickets (to smokers), handed out backstage passes (to smokers) and reconfigured the venue itself with interactive kiosks and lounges -- for smokers.

Among the concert installations are a "make-your-own spin art" booth, a "rock art" poster exhibit and an outdoor smokers' tent with free refreshments and a live feed of the show. The alliance between indie-rock forebears such as Dinosaur Jr. and a corporation that, as one attendee commented, "is basically the devil," raises more than just one philosophical question. But, in the end, we can sum it up with just one: What would Neil Young do?

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