“Well, it’s not literally a specific town so much as a feeling. Actually, it’s a couple of towns. Omemee, Ontario, is one of them. It’s where I first went to school and spent my ‘formative’ years. Actually I was born in Toronto… *I was born in Toronto*… God, that sounds like the first line of a Bruce Springsteen song.” — Neil Young, Mojo, December 1995
Maybe if Neil Young had set his beloved “Helpless” (first recorded and released by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on their 1970 Deja Vu album) in Toronto, Bruce would have covered it sooner?
As it stands, it took Bruce until 1986 to visit Neil’s town in North Ontario, but it was a special moment when he did.
It was at Neil and Pegi Young’s first Bridge School benefit show in 1986, and Bruce was in the house to play an acoustic set that night. (Bruce put on a terrific show that’s available for purchase as part of Bruce’s official archive series–get it here.)
But Neil went first, and in the middle of his set he invited Bruce to the stage, along with Nils Lofgren, a member of both icons’ bands. Side by side for the first time, the three musical legends performed a beautiful acoustic rendition of “Helpless.”
You won’t find that performance on Bruce’s archive release from that night, but that’s only because it’s already been officially released. You can find it on the The Bridge Collection, Volume 2 on select streaming services.
Helpless
First performed: October 13, 1986 (Mountain View, CA)
Last performed: October 13, 1986 (Mountain View, CA)
