More than seven years after he performed a hometown concert in Omemee, legendary Canadian musician Neil Young will be performing a benefit concert for Lakefield College School — but ticket prices will be out of the range of the average fan.
According to a media release from the school, Young will perform a solo outdoor concert on the Northcote campus at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 23.
Located just north of the school’s main campus, the Northcote campus is a 160-acre farm that was donated to Lakefield College School in 2007 by Gretchen and Donald Ross. The property is home to a historic farmhouse built in 1878.
All proceeds from Young’s concert will be donated to support the restoration of the farmhouse and adjacent cabins.
The idea for the concert began when Young and his wife, actor and director Daryl Hannah — the couple moved from Colorado to the Omemee area in 2020 during the pandemic — visited the farm last fall. Hannah and a friend joined the students in harvesting vegetables and learning preparation and dying.
“While exploring the farmhouse and surrounding land, they were struck by the character of the site and the school’s commitment to sustainability-focused, hands-on education,” reads the media release, and “offered to help restore the farmhouse and cabins.”
“This classic turn-of-the-century farm, restored to its original greatness, is a testimony to the history of Canada,” Young said.
Lakefield College School says it hopes the Northcote campus, which is home to the school’s organic educational farm, will one day also be used to celebrate music and the arts.
As a child, Young lived in Omemee — the “town in north Ontario” mentioned in Young’s 1967 song “Helpless.” The Young family moved there at the end of August 1949, when Neil was almost four years old.
He lived in Omemee for four years (it was where he contracted polio, during the 1951 epidemic) until 1953, when his family moved to Winnipeg. Many years later, his father — journalist and author Scott Young — returned to live in the area until he died in 2005 (a public school in Omemee is named in Scott Young’s honour).
Young returned to visit Omemee many times since then and, on December 1, 2017, performed a by-invitation-only “Home Town” concert in the village’s Coronation Hall. Directed by Hannah, the concert was livestreamed to fans both in Canada and around the world.
As for Young’s benefit concert for Lakefield College School, it’s taking place during Lakefield College School’s “Home to the Grove” alumni weekend from May 23 to 25. Around 2,500 tickets — which were offered first to alumni — will be sold for the concert.
Tickets range from $500 to $1,500 plus fees, depending on how close you are to the stage, and are available via Ticketmaster.
Gates open at 6 p.m. for the May 23rd concert and no on-site parking is available.
For those who can’t afford tickets, a new documentary on Neil Young called Coastal will premiere in theatres on Thursday, April 17. Directed by Hannah, the film follows Young on a coastal road trip and musical journey during his solo tour, offering intimate backstage moments.
