20th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concert

This weekend was the 20th annual Bridge School Benefit Concert – one of our favorite events in the Bay Area. The Bridge School is an institution for kids with severe physical impairments that was founded by Pegi Young.  Unbeknownst to many, musical genious (and fellow Canadian) Neil Young and his wife Pegi, have a son Ben, who suffers from such impairments. After shuffling Ben through a variety of public schools 20 years ago, Pegi opened the Bridge School to accommodate Ben and other children like him.

Pulling from their vast selection of musically-inclined friends, Pegi & Neil threw together a first-class event featuring some of the world’s most talented performers to raise money for the school. There was one hitch – the performances had to be acoustic, a novelty in pre-MTV Unplugged days. Past line-ups have included seasoned musicians such as Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Simon & Garfunkel. The acoustic requirement was harder for some than others - as Foo Fighters front man Dave Grohl pointed out, the first time they played Bridge School, in 2000, they had no idea what they were doing.

Bridge School students and their parents get first class seating on stage while concert-goers fill the field that surrounds the Shoreline’s outdoor amphitheater with blankets and picnics. Repeat performers like Dave Matthews and Eddie Vedder get to know the students and always seem to genuinely look forward to reconnecting with them.

This weekend was another star-studded performance with picture-perfect weather featuring Neil Young, Pearl Jam (Eddie Vedder’s 14th year at Bridge School), Dave Matthews Band, Brian Wilson, Foo Fighters, Trent Reznor, Death Cab for Cutie, Gillian Welch and Devendra Banhart. Neil Young opened the show and snuck in a duet with Pegi; Pearl Jam pleased the crowd with some old favorites; and Dave Matthews showed up once again with a croaky throat (last year he claimed he’d been partying in Vegas, this year he gave no excuse but still sounded great). It’s a sign of the times (and that we’re getting old) that we had to Google Trent Reznor’s name on our phone before realizing he was the front man from Nine Inch Nails. He’d left the band behind fearing they’d never pull off an acoustic set, and instead undertook a first-time performance with a string quartet.

The most entertaining part of the evening is the experience of seeing these musicians mingle and jam together. Neil Young inevitably joins his guests for a song and thrilled the crowd when he joined Dave Matthews on Cortez the Killer. It was almost as memorable as Ben Harper’s Indifference duet with Eddie Vedder a few years back. The traditional closing features the entire cast in a closing number. This year was an explosive rendition of Rockin’ in the Free World.

 

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Comments

[Alicia]

What a wonderful feeling to attend a concert or a festival. I really feel overwhelmed whenever I attend especially some hot events. The Bridge School Benefit is one of the festivals where great artist perform. I wish I’ll attend this year. I was wondering if I would afford ticket prices. But a friend has just found a site where to compare ticket prices for free. I’ll look for the cheapest prices because my purse is thin and can’t afford some huge prices.
http://www.ticketwood.com/concerts/Bridge-School-Benefit-Tickets/index.php
Tickets

[Santana]

What a wonderful feeling to attend a concert or a festival. I really feel overwhelmed whenever I attend especially some hot events. The Bridge School Benefit is one of the festivals where great artist perform. I wish I’ll attend this year. I was wondering if I would afford ticket prices. But a friend has just found a site where to compare ticket prices for free. I’ll look for the cheapest prices because my purse is thin and can’t afford some huge prices.
http://www.ticketwood.com/concerts/Bridge-School-Benefit-Tickets/index.php
Tickets

[peter]

Oops just realized you were talking about Saturday :)

Last night was great too.

[peter]

Neil Young and Dave Matthews did not play Cortez the Killer. They played Down by the River.