Neil Young performed a surprise acoustic set at David Suzuki's 90th birthday benefit concert in Vancouver on May 22, his first live show since October 2025. This came after he canceled his entire 2026 tour and maintained a low public profile for months.
Young played "After the Gold Rush" and "Heart of Gold" at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. The event drew Jane Fonda, Al Gore, Sarah McLachlan, Bruce Cockburn, and Janelle Lapointe, among other Canadian performers and activists.
Young and Suzuki have worked together before. In 2014, Young headlined Suzuki's Blue Dot tour in Vancouver with Margaret Atwood and Barenaked Ladies. Young has long been involved in environmental causes.
In February, Young canceled a planned European tour with the Chrome Hearts and Elvis Costello. He wrote to fans: "I have decided to take a break and will not be touring Europe this time." He added that he still loves performing live.
Young recently completed a new album called Second Song, recorded with the Chrome Hearts at Rick Rubin's Shangri-La studios in Malibu. The album draws from his archives and features tracks written decades ago, though Young is uncertain whether some were written in 1963 or 1964.
