The surprise set took place at a benefit concert honoring Canadian environmental activist
David Suzuki on his 90th birthday

Neil Young canceled all of his 2026 concert dates earlier this year, and has otherwise kept a fairly low public profile, but he reemerged May 22 for a surprise acoustic set at David Suzuki’s 90th birthday benefit concert, which was held at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

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.

David Suzuki is a prominent Canadian environmental activist, former host of CBC’s The Nature of Things, author of 55 books, and an emeritus professor 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 participated in his birthday concert, which raised funds for the David Suzuki Foundation.

Young is a longtime advocate for David Suzuki’s work. On November 9, 2014, he performed at a Vancouver stop on his Blue Dot tour, sharing the bill with Barenaked Ladies, Margaret Atwood, and Wanting Qu. His set that night featured “Human Highway,” “Pocahontas,” and “Who’s Gonna Stand Up?”

In February, Young canceled a planned tour of Europe with the Chrome Hearts and special guest Elvis Costello. “I have decided to take a break and will not be touring Europe this time,” he wrote. “Thanks to everyone who bought tickets. I’m sorry to let you down, but this is not the time. I do love playing LIVE and being with you and the Chrome Hearts. LOVE Neil be well.”

He recently finished work on a new LP, Second Song, that he recorded with the Chrome Hearts at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La studios in Malibu, California. In April, Young wrote that the album includes three unheard songs from his archives that he wrote in 1963. Earlier this month, however, he stated that they were just two archival songs, and they come from 1964.

Young’s concert calendar remains empty, but the annual Farm Aid benefit is taking place September 26. They have yet to announce a lineup or even a location, but Young has played nearly every one since the founding in 1985, only staying home in 2021 and 2022 due to concerns about the spread of Covid at live events.

On May 29, Young and the Chrome Hearts are releasing the live album As Time Explodes. It documents their 2025 world tour, and features “Vampire Blues,” “Like a Hurricane,” “Ohio,” “Cortez The Killer,” and many other classics.