Neil Young Returns to Stage at David Suzuki's 90th Birthday Benefit, Plays Acoustic Set
By
Andy Greene
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· 2 sourcesNeil Young made his first live appearance of 2026 on May 22 at a benefit concert for environmentalist David Suzuki's 90th birthday in Vancouver, Rolling Stone reported. Performing a surprise acoustic set at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, he played "After the Gold Rush" and "Heart of Gold," marking his first live performance since October 2025. Stereogum noted that Young had canceled his 2026 tour in February, citing a need to take a break, and that the event also featured guests including Jane Fonda, Al Gore, and Sarah McLachlan.
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Summary
Neil Young made his first live appearance of 2026 on May 22 at David Suzuki's 90th birthday benefit concert in Vancouver. After canceling all his 2026 tour dates earlier this year, Young performed a surprise acoustic set featuring "After the Gold Rush" and "Heart of Gold" at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. This marked his first live performance since October 2025.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledNeil Young canceled all of his 2026 concert dates earlier this year, and has otherwise kept a fairly low public profile
he reemerged May 22 for a surprise acoustic set at David Suzuki's 90th birthday benefit concert
Young played 'After the Gold Rush' and 'Heart of Gold,' marking his first live performance of any kind since the Painted Turtle benefit show on October 25, 2025
