Neil Young hasn’t played in front of a crowd since before the COVID-19 pandemic, but that all changed this weekend.
Rolling Stone reports the rocker made a surprise appearance at Saturday’s United For Old Growth march and rally in Victoria, British Columbia, treating the assembled crowd to a performance of “Comes a Time” and “Heart of Gold.”
“I’m only here for those trees up there,” Young said at the rally, which aimed to protect old trees. “It’s a precious, sacred thing, these old trees. They show us the power of nature when we are being threatened. They show us the past. They show us our future. That’s something that I hope our Canadian government and business section will recognize.”
He noted, “This has to do with Canada. It has to do with the ages, if we’re lucky enough to have ages. These trees have lasted so long. They deserve Canada’s respect.”
The performance was Young’s first since Farm Aid in September 2019, but he appears to be ready to get back out there again. His next scheduled performance is at Stephen Stills’ Light Up the Blues charity show, taking place April 22 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.
Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
