Neil Young Surprises Pearl Jam at Toronto Concert With 15-Minute ‘Keep on Rockin’
While many were speculating that either Chris Cornell or U2’s Bono would join Pearl Jam onstage during their Sept. 11 in Toronto as both rockers were in town for TIFF festivities, it was Canadian crooner Neil Young who surprised the stadium-sized crowd by taking the Air Canada Centre stage with the Seattle group.
Pearl Jam — in town to kick off their latest Canadian tour as well as premiere their ‘Pearl Jam Twenty’ documentary at TIFF — were closing their 26-song, 150-minute set with a cover of Young’s ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ when the iconic singer came onstage to help bring the track home. Young would make the most of the cameo, extending the song well into what seemed like the 15-minute range. The response from the sold-out audience was nothing short of deafening.
“Uncle Neil,” as Eddie Vedder called him, then harmonized with Pearl Jam’s frontman — who actually seemed quite surprised by Young’s appearance — on one microphone before rounding things out with a huge finish and hugging it out with the band, who played on his 1995 album, ‘Mirror Ball.’
Young will be joined by Arcade Fire, Eddie Vedder, Dave Matthews, Mumford and Sons, Beck and Los Invisibles featuring Carlos Santana for the weekend festivities.
Other artists listed on concert’s official site include jazz queen Diana Krall (Saturday), Tony Bennett (Sunday) and Foo Fighters (Sunday). Yes, it seems the stars are all turning out for the cause closest to Young’s heart.
Check out the clip promoting the 2011 Bridge School Benefit Concert below and get hyped on the weekend, which raises money for the special school Young and wife Pegi started back in 1986 to help their son Ben. Heavy hitters like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Crosby, Stills, Nash were on hand to kick off the inaugural concert, which has become a staple on the calendar for music lovers (with the exception of 1987 when the benefit was canceled).
Tickets go on sale Sept. 16 via Live Nation, with proceeds going towards assisting children with disabilities and communication needs.
“Lemme tell you something about Neil Young fans-- the REAL fans: They\'re all a bunch of f*%kin\' maniacs.” by Jimmy McDonough, Shakey
Neil Young on Tour
Sugar Mountain setlists
Tom Hambleton provides BNB with setlists, thankfully. His website is the most comprehensive searchable archives on the Internets about anything Neil Young related setlists. Goto Sugar Mountain.