Neil Young Performs Solo Acoustic Set For ‘BBC: In Concert’ On This Date In 1971

Fifty years ago today, Neil Young visited the BBC Television Centre in London to record a solo performance that would air later in 1971 as part of the BBC’s In Concert series. Young treated the live crowd and television audience to a set that was heavy on material from his Harvest LP, which wouldn’t be released until February 14, 1972.

Neil starts the memorable performance with “Out On The Weekend” and then tells the story behind “Old Man” before playing the soon-to-be-classic tune. Up next was “Journey Through The Past,” which wouldn’t find its way onto a Neil Young album until 1973’s Time Fades Away. You can hear a pin drop as Young then works his way through “Heart Of Gold” and “Don’t Let It Bring You Down.”

From there, the Canadian native offers a riveting “A Man Needs A Maid” ahead of “Love In Mind,” another song that would appear on 1973’s Time Fades Away. “Dance, Dance, Dance” is the final tune the BBC aired which is featured in the video below. Hopefully one day the rest of the set Neil played will surface, but for now this is 30 incredible minutes of music.

Watch Neil Young’s performance from this date in 1971:

[Originally Published: February 23, 2017]