The long-anticipated lineup for the 29th Annual Bridge School Benefit arrived today with a power trio of ladies who rock—the Dixie Chicks, Sheryl Crow and St. Vincent—on the bill with benefit co-founder Neil Young.
Ryan Adams, Gary Clark Jr., Spoon and Nils Lofgren will also perform at the two-day concert at Shoreline Amphitheatre on Oct. 24-25. A “plus special guests” caveat on the flyer could mean a few more big names in music will hit the stage, including Eddie Vedder, who seems to make an appearance every year, and other frequent Young collaborators.
By far the most interesting booking this year is St. Vincent, who has challenged rock music conventions since her 2007 debut with angular guitar riffs and avant-garde concepts and arrangements. With filtered guitar tones, synth blasts and other effects, it’s not music that easily lends itself to the acoustic format of the Bridge shows.
Another interesting wrinkle this year—in terms of ticket sales and promotions—Young will also perform at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre on Oct. 18, just one week before the Bridge School concerts this year.
There should be plenty of new music to serve all three shows. The concerts arrive at exceptionally prolific period for Young, who has released five albums and two memoirs since 2012, including this year’s anti-agribusiness LP, The Monsanto Years.
The Bridge School concerts are an annual tradition at Shoreline, marking the end of the concert season at the Mountain View amphitheater. Previous lineups read like a pop music history book with some of the biggest names in music gracing the stage for mostly acoustic performances, from Bob Dylan to Arcade Fire.
The concerts benefit the Bridge School, a nonprofit school in Hillsborough created to help people with severe speech and physical impairments. Neil and Pegi Young’s son Ben attended the school.
The complete Bridge School lineup:
Neil Young and Promise of the Real
Dixie Chicks
Sheryl Crow
Ryan Adams
St. Vincent
Gary Clark Jr.
Spoon
Nils Lofgren
Tickets for the concert go on sale Friday at 10am via Ticketmaster. More info.
