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On this date, Wednesday evening, January 13, 1971, Neil Young made his return to Winnipeg. It had been six years since he last graced a stage there and many old friends and fans came out to welcome him home. He had left Winnipeg years earlier as a rock 'n' roller with a dream; now he had returned as rock's premier singer/songwriter. It had been quite a journey.

With barely any advertising, ticket demand at the Centennial Concert Hall was so great that two shows were scheduled that evening [I attended both]. The word was out that Neil was back. Everyone entering the hall was checked for cameras and tape recorders. Neil did not like to be distracted by camera flashes concertgoers were informed as they shuffled through the turnstiles.

Appearing alone on the stark stage with just acoustic guitar and piano, lumberjack outfit and back brace that kept him stiffly in a wooden-backed chair, Neil proceeded to mesmerize the capacity crowd. Bent over his acoustic guitar, head down, eyes closed, long, straight hair draping past his shoulders, Neil spoke rarely, choosing, like he always had, to let his music speak for him. The odd reference was made to being home and to people in the crowd. "There's a guy out there in the audience who used to tune my guitar," he offered. The intensity of his performance led those in the audience to feel that they were in the presence not of a local boy-made-good, but a world-class singer/songwriter. It was a magical night.

Walking onstage without introduction and offering no greetings, Neil opened the show with the Buffalo Springfield's On the Way Home. It seemed a fitting number for the tour. Throughout the concert, Neil interspersed the familiar with new material, much of it written recently on his ranch. Some, like Heart of Gold, Old Man, and A Man Needs a Maid, appeared a year later on his HARVEST album. Others, like See the Sky About to Rain, Dance, Dance, Dance, and Bad Fog of Loneliness would wait much longer to appear on vinyl. For the Winnipeg show, Neil added Clancy to unrestrained applause.

Afterwards, Neil hosted a party for family and friends at the posh, downtown Winnipeg Inn. The general theme of the conversations floating about the room focused on how each individual present just knew that Neil would make it someday. Neil mingled among the patrons, hugging, shaking hands and reminiscing. As is the case with these post-concert soirees, the room was well represented by hangers-on, the radio and record company set, most of whom didn't know Neil's name from Adam two years earlier. Neil was disappointed that many of the former Squires were not present. In particular, he had wanted to see Allan Bates and Ken Smyth. "I was looking for them but I didn't find them," recalls Neil. "You never realize at the time that you'll never see people again." Asked years later about his absence that night, Ken replies, "We weren't sure if he would remember us." Pam Smith adds, "I was afraid that my life would seem so trivial compared to who he was now and all the things he had done. He was somebody and we were all still just here."

Neil spent some time the next day visiting a few old haunts but the hectic pace of the tour forced Neil to move on. His brief stop in his old hometown had been a personal triumph and a kind of reconciliation with his past.

The Journey thru The Past tour would bring Neil to Massey Hall, Toronto's premier concert venue, on January 19 for another triumphant homecoming and a reconciliation with his father. During the Massey Hall concert, Neil acknowledged his father's presence in the audience. He also sang Old Man which Scott Young heard as a note of reconciliation. The Massey Hall concert was recorded and released decades later as part of his Neil Young Archives series.

Excerpted from "Neil Young: Don't Be Denied - The Canadian Years".

Russell Courtenay
Solemnity and profundity are sublime in inequity.