Recommendations of the Editorial team
At the beginning of the year, Neil Young canceled all concert dates for 2026 and otherwise largely withdrew from the public – but on May 22nd he surprisingly appeared with one Acoustic set at the David Suzuki 90th birthday benefit concert held at the Queen Elizabeth Theater in Vancouver. Young performed “After the Gold Rush” and “Heart of Gold” – his first live performance of any kind since the Painted Turtle benefit show on October 25, 2025.
David Suzuki is a renowned Canadian environmental activist, former host of CBC’s The Nature of Things, author of 55 books and professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia. Bruce Cockburn, Tara Cullis, Jane Fonda, Al Gore, Rick Hansen, Chantal Kreviazuk, Janelle Lapointe, Sarah McLachlan and Danny Michel also attended the birthday concert, which raised money for the David Suzuki Foundation.
Neil Young and David Suzuki: Long-standing relationship
Young has long been an advocate for Suzuki’s work. On November 9, 2014, he performed on his Blue Dot tour in Vancouver – alongside the Barenaked Ladies, Margaret Atwood and Wanting Qu. His set that evening included “Human Highway”, “Pocahontas” and “Who’s Gonna Stand Up?”
In February, Young canceled a planned European tour with the Chrome Hearts and guest star Elvis Costello. “I have decided to take a break and will not be traveling Europe this time,” he wrote. “Thanks to everyone who bought tickets. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but now is not the time. I love playing LIVE and being with you and the Chrome Hearts. LOVE Neil, stay safe.”
Most recently, he completed work on a new album, Second Song, recorded with the Chrome Hearts at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, California. In April, Young wrote that the album contained three unreleased songs from his archive that he wrote in 1963. However, earlier this month he corrected himself: There are only two archive tracks, and they are from 1964.
Farm Aid and new live album
Young’s concert schedule remains empty, but the annual Farm Aid benefit concert is scheduled for September 26th. The lineup and venue are not yet known, but Young has attended almost every edition since it was founded in 1985 – he only stayed at home in 2021 and 2022 due to the risk of Covid infection at live events.
On May 29th, Young and the Chrome Hearts will release the live album “As Time Explodes”. It documents their 2025 world tour and includes “Vampire Blues,” “Like a Hurricane,” “Ohio,” “Cortez The Killer” and many other classics.
