Watch Neil Young Play ‘Comes a Time’ to an Empty Theater in His Hometown

Neil Young returned to his childhood hometown of Omemee, Ontario, and played his 1978 classic “Come a Time” to an empty Coronation Hall, the site of his 2017 Hometown concert. You can watch the video on the Neil Young Archives, which is free for all users through the end of December.

“Coronation Hall in Omemee, Ontario, is a wonderful old theater,” he wrote. “It holds memories of my family, all together in that little town. My dad played Coronation Hall once in a local show as my mother, my brother, and I sat in the audience.”

The Young family moved out of Omemee when Neil was just seven years old, but it’s always held a special place in his heart; the 1970 CSNY classic “Helpless” was partially inspired by memories of living there. He never actually played a show there until the special gig in 2017, which he broadcast live online.

“I was uncharacteristically nervous that night in 2017 playing Coronation Hall by myself for the first time and streaming to the world,” he writes. “Hometown is an NYA tradition, showing every year, right here through the holidays.”

“I know this time of year is going to be hard for a lot of us as we long to be with our loved ones,” he continues. “Our hearts go out to all of you. We send much love and a Coronation Hall quarantine ‘Comes a Time.’”

Young has spent much of the quarantine at the Colorado home that he shares with his wife, actress Daryl Hannah. They’ve teamed up for a series of special Fireside Sessions concerts that showcase lesser-known tunes from Young’s vast catalog. He’s also spent his time focusing on archival releases, most notably the 10-disc set Neil Young Archives Volume II: 1972–1976 that came out last month.