VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: 2014 Bridge School Benefit Concerts - Pearl Jam, Florence & The Machine, Brian Wilson, Norah Jones, + More

Here's a 15 minute video compilation of highlights from this year's 28th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concerts.

Performances include:

Neil Young
Pearl Jam
Florence and the Machine
Tom Jones
Brian Wilson
Soundgarden
Norah Jones and Puss 'n Boots
Band of Horses
Pegi Young and the Survivors

Photo by Hounds That Howell

Also, see HIGHLIGHTS: 2014 Bridge School Benefit Concerts - Pearl Jam, Florence & The Machine, Brian Wilson, Norah Jones, + More.

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HIGHLIGHTS: 2014 Bridge School Benefit Concerts - Pearl Jam, Florence & The Machine, Brian Wilson, Norah Jones, + More

Lukas Nelson, Neil Young, Micah Nelson & Promise Of The Real
Photo by Jay Blakesburg | Facebook
(Click photo to enlarge)
As always, many, many highlights from this past weekend's 28th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concerts (the best being at the final seconds on Sunday night.)

Here are a few, thanks to one of our favorite Rusties, sweet, sweet Joni up in Malibu Heaven. Thanks Joni!!!


"Down by the River" - Neil Young, Norah Jones & Puss N Boots


"Throw Your Hatred Down" - Pearl Jam & Neil Young


"Southern Man" - Neil Young & Florence Welch & The Machine


"California Saga" - Neil Young, Al Jardine & Brian Wilson


"Who's Gonna Stand Up" - Neil Young & Friends

Neil & Pegi + Ben & Friends
Photo by Chuck N. | Rusties | Facebook

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Bridge School Benefit Concerts - October 25 & 26, 2014

Pearl Jam w/ Neil Young performing "Throw Your Hatred Down" live @ the Bridge School 10/26/2014

Setlist via Sugar Mountain:

2014-10–26
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, California, USA
Bridge School Benefit 28
w/ Lukas Nelson & The Promise Of The Real

1. Sugar Mountain (acoustic guitar - solo)
2. On The Way Home (acoustic guitar - solo)
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3. Down By The River (acoustic guitar; guests with Norah Jones and Puss N Boots)
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4. Surfin’ USA (vocals; guests with Brian Wilson and Al Jardine)
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5. Throw Your Hatred Down (acoustic guitar; guests with Pearl Jam)
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6. Pocahontas (12 string acoustic guitar - solo)
7. Heart Of Gold (acoustic guitar - solo)
8. Mother Earth (pump organ - solo)
9. Mansion On The Hill (acoustic guitar; accompanied by Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real)
10. Country Home (acoustic guitar; accompanied by Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real)
11. Southern Man (acoustic guitar; accompanied by Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real and Florence Welch)
12. Who's Gonna Stand Up? (acoustic guitar; accompanied by Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real and others)

Micah Nelson, Neil Young & Lukas Nelson
Photo by Roel van Dijk's post in Rusties

Setlist via Sugar Mountain:

1. Sugar Mountain
2. I Am A Child
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3. Down By The River (w/ Norah Jones and Puss 'n Boots)
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4. California Saga (w/ Brian Wilson and Al Jjardine)
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5. Pocahontas
6. Heart Of Gold
7. I'm Glad I Found You
8. Mansion On The Hill (w/ Lukas Nelson, Micah Nelson, Promise of the Real)
9. Country Home (w/ Lukas Nelson, Micah Nelson, Promise of the Real)
10. Who's Gonna Stand Up? (+ Eddie Vedder)

Florence Welch & Neil Young
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

After a breakup, Bridge School concert keeps rocking By Aidin Vaziri:

With a bill that also included Bridge School veterans Band of Horses and newcomers Florence and the Machine, it was septuagenarian Welsh crooner Tom Jones who elicited the biggest reaction of the night with chest-pounding versions of “It’s Not Unusual” and Leonard Cohen’s “Tower of Song.” For what could be the first time in the annual fundraiser’s 28 years, the stage was hit with a small flurry of panties and bras.

The Bridge benefit is the Bay Area’s feel-good concert of the year, with proceeds going to the school Neil and Pegi co-founded in 1987 to help children with speech and physical impairments like their son Ben, 35, who was born with cerebral palsy.

Even though advance ticket sales were once again sluggish, the 22,000-capacity venue started to fill up by the time Young opened the concert under clear blue skies with his traditional afternoon set, serenading the schoolkids — who always get the best seats in the house, onstage behind the performers — with his song “Sugar Mountain.”

To keep people focused on the cause, Young reportedly ordered Shoreline’s bar not to show the World Series on its televisions.

Instead, we got a stool-perched Pearl Jam, who seemed to draw the largest swath of fans in the audience, holding its own with a set of old favorites like “Daughter” and “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town.”

Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine also captivated, bringing a dose of showmanship to a show that, with its usual eight-hour run time, tends to get dragged down by its overwhelming sense of solemnity.

They may have teamed up onstage, but Neil and Pegi Young’s fractured relationship couldn’t help but have an impact on the shows.

Earlier this month, Pegi hinted that the concerts could soon come to an end. “We know we can’t do this forever,” she said in an interview with The Chronicle. “We are mere mortals. We really need to look at ways the school can continue to go on after the concerts.”

As if to underscore the point, she closed her early afternoon set with the song “Starting Over.”

Pegi Young
Photo: Jessica Christian, The Chronicle

Photos: 28th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concert - Mercury News Media Center

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28th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concert Lineup

October 25-26, 2014
Shoreline Ampitheatre
Mountain View, CA

Neil Young
Pearl Jam
Florence and the Machine
Tom Jones
Soundgarden
Norah Jones and Puss 'n Boots
Band of Horses
Pegi Young and the Survivors

Got a report? Drop us a comment below.

Check Sugar Mountain for setlist updates and Chronological Grid, Recording Summary, Statistics and Extras.

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THIS WEEKEND: 2014 28th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concert

2014 28th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concert Lineup Announcement.

October 25-26, 2014
Shoreline Ampitheatre
Mountain View, CA

Neil Young
Pearl Jam
Florence and the Machine
Tom Jones
Soundgarden
Norah Jones and Puss 'n Boots
Band of Horses
Pegi Young and the Survivors

Here are highlights from last year's 27th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concert.

A nice little recap of another memorable weekend of music, friends and Kids.


▶ 2013 Bridge School Concert Highlights Part 1


2013 Bridge School Concert Highlights Part 2

"What Are Their Names"
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
The Bridge School Benefit - 10.26.13
(Click photo to enlarge)
Many, many highlights from this weekend's annual 2013 Bridge School Benefit Concerts in what will go down as another wonderfully memorable weekend.

For most, this was another triumphant weekend of great music and fun people coming together for a worthy benefit concert. Others -- as we'll come to later -- saw and heard things differently, naturally.

In the Neil department you could not have been disappointed this weekend whatsoever. You had Jack Johnson and Neil Young on "Out On The Weekend", My Morning Jacket and Neil Young on "Harvest Moon", Arcade Fire and Neil Young on "I Dreamed A Neil Young Song", Heart and Neil Young on "War Of Man", and Velvet Underground/Lou Reed tribute “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’” with Neil Young, Elvis Costello, Jenny Lewis, and My Morning Jacket. Plus the solo songs that opened each day and the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young headline reunion.

Neil Young
Photo by John Green/Bay Area News Group
Lots of the little magical delights that make the Bridge School Benefit Concerts so special. Like Arcade Fire introducing a new song inspired by a Neil Young dream. See @ 06:07:00 YouTube below for "I Dreamed A Neil Young Song":

“I had a dream … We’re playing the song at soundcheck and I remembered, I woke up and remembered everything. I was half asleep and I started playing it and wrote down the lyrics and listened back to my tape recorder and it was basically a Neil Young. So this song is called ‘I Dreamed A Neil Young Song’ and Neil’s gonna come sing it with us. So this song is by Neil Young in my head.”

(Other highlights to check out include Neil Young joining My Morning Jacket for “Harvest Moon” at 5:10:00 and CSNY’s reunion at 7:45:10.

And the concert reacted to the news of the passing of the hugely influential Lou Reed. In tribute to Reed, My Morning Jacket covered the Velvet Underground’s “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’” with Neil Young, Elvis Costello, Jenny Lewis, and more.



As we indicated above, not all were sufficiently impressed.

In a review in San Jose Mercury News headlined "Bridge School Benefit disappoints at Shoreline" by Jim Harrington:

It was an eight-hour acoustic concert that felt much longer, with very few of the expected highlights translating to lasting memories. Indeed, it may have been the least memorable of the roughly two dozen Bridge concerts that I've attended.
...
One of the most troubling issues with the Bridge concerts is that there are just too many acts. That means short sets, usually around 20-30 minutes, and accompanying set changes that last nearly as long as the performances. It's a poor use of everybody's time, unless, of course, you dig watching stagehands setting up instruments.
...
Then came the hipster-approved portion of the night, as My Morning Jacket, Arcade Fire and Queens of the Stone Age filled the next three slots on the bill. Regardless of the quality of the offering -- and Arcade Fire did deliver the set of the night -- it was still too much new music grouped together. In retrospect, organizers should've mixed it up a bit, and given Heart and Johnson later starts, so that the majority of the crowd didn't have to go so long without hearing a song that it recognized.

It is sad that a veteran music critic like Jim Harrington seems to miss the entire point of the exercise, i.e., it's a benefit concert to help disabled kids. An acoustic concert for the kids and their parents who are literally sitting on the stage. About celebrating the miracle school known as "The Bridge" and what Neil and Pegi Young have achieved. About all the school staff, volunteers, and supporters.

Bridge Kids, Parents and Neil Young
Critic Harrington approaches the review with a perspective of wanting to be impressed and entertained. Which is OK but misses the point and is like saying Woodstock really wasn't that great because of the crappy sound and weak lighting.

Besides all of the once in lifetime combinations cited at top, where else in mainstream music will you encounter the following scene mid-point of the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young set?

David Crosby introduces the song "What Are Their Names" by saying that "We're political." Next, Neil Young pulls up his hoodie and begins to stalk the stage (see top photo) -- all in clear reference to the whole Trayvon Martin saga.

Again, the weekend allows one to experience many, many hours of music, an incredible diversity of artists, and some one-off combinations that often work out splendid.

So don't be a doubter. Be a believer. Take a chance on love.

"War Of Man"
Heart and Neil Young
Photo by Mario Di Sandro

Tom Waits "Raised Right Men" Live Acoustic @ Bridge School Benefit, Shoreline 10-27-2013

Lastly, a shoutout for the webcast. Our stream seemed glitch free and there were very few audio/video problems during the webcast -- a pretty flawless experience as these things go. So if haven't already, go to Bridge School: Donate to the Bridge School.

Also, see Photo of the Moment: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Bridge School Benefit - 10.26.13 and more highlights from 2013 Bridge School Benefit Concert Webcast and re-broadcast/re-stream info.

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Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Photo by John Green/Bay Area News Group
(Click photo to enlarge)
The wide range of reactions to this weekend's annual Bridge School Benefit Concerts continue to roll in.

The Comment of the Moment is on 2013 Bridge School Benefit Concerts by Dan1 in reference to the negative San Jose Mercury News review by Jim Harrington:

Yea the reviewer missed by a country mile, love how these days the masses can review the reviewer and so there's a bit more accountability than there was pre-internet.

Bridge School is a whole world in itself, they should make a video series of all the years and sell it to NetFlix ... so many incredible acts over so many years and then Neil and Pegi woven into the fabric of every one ... and then the kids, which is the real point, and their joy ... and the fact that the whole thing exists to help these courageous kids and families.

CSNY ... Stills' new song and overall spunk was really nice to see and the Young/Stills chemistry was palpable ... after reading some of the negative reviews of CSNY I was pleasantly surprised by their performance. I think the nitpicking about whether they practiced enough misses the point, its special to see these guys together after so many years, how many bands (if you can call these guys that) from the 60s are 100% intact? the sheer nostalgia of that is special. But more on nostalgia in a minute.

I personally love Singer w/out a Song ... not sure why all the negativity on it ... reunion or not? I'm betting against it ... clearly CSN wants it to happen and I'm guessing Neil is positively predisposed given these guys are his friends and they could benefit from such a tour. I keep thinking has Neil mellowed enough to stop innovating for a few months and go along with this? Then I think if they had a whole album of new material (instead of one song) or something else thematic (like LWW) then I think the set up would be perfect and it would happen ... but if not, I just cannot see Neil going out there and doing a nostalgia act especially some overhyped 40 year anniversary of '74 which itself was overhyped ... and if a Springfield reunion didn't work I struggle to see how this works ... this against the backdrop of the recent Horse reunion which was totally epic ...

I keep worrying we'll see a full Neil break for the first half of '14, we've ostensibly seen a break for almost the whole second half of '13 ... so, anything is better than nothing and I for one think within the realm of nostalgia acts these guys are impressive and its hard not to root for guys like Crosby and Stills despite my being pessimistic ...

Thanks Dan! Good points, as always.

More reviews, photos, commentary on 2013 Bridge School Benefit Concerts.

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▶ COMPLETE SET HD VIDEO: Neil Young at Farm Aid 2014

Here's Neil Young's complete setlist from Farm Aid 2014 on YouTube.

Highlights include "Rockin' In The Free World" with Willie Nelson's sons Lukas Nelson and Micah Nelson. And of course, the obligatory Farm Aid freestylin' speakin' out session by Neil. "Take those boos to the voting booth."

And, not to be missed, the final minute of "Who's Gonna Stand Up And Save The Earth?". Inspiring and gives us a reason to hope...

Neil Young Setlist

1. Heart Of Gold
2. Comes A Time
[Neil Speaks Out]
3. Pocahontas
4. Standing In The Light Of Love
5. Mother Earth
6. Who's Gonna Stand Up And Save The Earth?
7. Rockin' In The Free World

Lukas Nelson, Neil Young and Micah Nelson
Farm Aid 2014: Photo Images by Jim McKelvey Photography - photo.net
(Click photo to enlarge)

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FULL VIDEO: Neil Young @ Farm Aid 2014 Press Conference

Here is a complete video of Neil Young at the Farm Aid 2014 Press Conference at the Walnut Creek Amphitheatre in Raleigh, North Carolina on September 13, 2014.

Neil Young speaks plainly about the corrupting influence of money in politics and the devastation it has wrought to the family farmer community. Once again, Neil names names and calls out for action. North Carolina's U.S. Senator Richard Burr is criticized harshly for his recent opposition to stemming the tide of the hostile corporate takeover of Washington, DC.

North Carolina's U.S. Senator Richard Burr

Senator Richard Burr opposes Move To Amend which seeks to reject the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, and move to amend our Constitution to firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights.

"Clean Up Washington and You Clean the Earth", says Neil Young.

"All of the things we're talking about here are all about power. It's all about corporations telling us what to do."
Neil Young
Farm Aid 2014 Press Conference
Walnut Creek Amphitheatre - Raleigh, North Carolina - September 13, 2014

Neil Young echoed that view.

(Thanks to Howell Posner at Howell Media for video and editing production!)

be the rain

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HIGHLIGHTS: Farm Aid 2014: Raleigh, North Carolina - September 13, 2014

Neil Young
Farm Aid 2014 Press Conference
Walnut Creek Amphitheatre - Raleigh, North Carolina - September 13, 2014
Photos by TW
(Click photo to enlarge)

"Heart of Gold"

"Mother Earth"

"Who's Gonna Stand Up And Save The Earth?"

"Rockin' In The Free World"

More photo highlights at ThrashersWheatNeverSleeps | Facebook

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TODAY: Farm Aid 2014: Raleigh, North Carolina - September 13

"Rockin' In The Free World"
Lukas Nelson, Neil Young & Micah Nelson
Photo by TW
(Click photo to enlarge)

Neil Young Setlist

1. Heart Of Gold
2. Comes A Time
3. Pocahontas
4. Standing In The Light Of Love
5. Mother Earth
6. Who's Gonna Stand Up And Save The Earth?
7. Rockin' In The Free World

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Farm Aid will have its annual concert at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre in Raleigh, North Carolina, today, Saturday, September 13.

Farm Aid 2014 will feature live performances by Farm Aid President and Founder Willie Nelson and board members John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds, as well as performances recorded earlier in the day from additional Farm Aid artists including Jack White, Gary Clark Jr., Jamey Johnson, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Delta Rae and more.

Farm Aid announced that AXS TV will be the exclusive television broadcaster of Farm Aid 2014, to be presented live in high definition (HD) on Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. EDT/4 p.m. PDT. This partnership brings the concert experience to fans who are unable to attend the sold-out family farm festival at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre in Raleigh, N.C.

In addition, the webcast, "Farm Aid 2014 Presented by Amy's Kitchen," will stream at www.farmaid.org.

Furthermore, Willie Nelson's SiriusXM channel (56), Willie's Roadhouse, will air live from Farm Aid 2014, beginning at 12 p.m. EDT. SiriusXM's
Dallas Wayne will host backstage interviews and behind-the-scenes coverage of the event.

Festival fans can put the entire Farm Aid experience in the palm of their hands with the official Farm Aid 2014 mobile app, which is now available for iPhone and Android devices. Fans can view the entire Farm Aid 2014 schedule and add artists, workshops and artist briefings to make their own personalized schedule for the day. To download the app, visit www.farmaid.org/app. 

For more information about joining the #Road2FarmAid, visit www.farmaid.org/Road2FarmAid.

For concert updates and other Farm Aid 2014 announcements, follow Farm Aid on Twitter (@FarmAid) and on Facebook (www.facebook.com/farmaid), and visit www.farmaid.org/concert.

About Farm Aid: Farm Aid's mission is to build a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America.

Farm Aid artists and board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews host an annual concert to raise funds to support Farm Aid's work with family farmers and to inspire people to choose family farm food. Since 1985, Farm Aid, with the support of the artists who contribute their performances each year, has raised more than $45 million to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the reach of the Good Food Movement, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms.

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Lineup Announcement: 2014 28th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concert

2014 28th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concert Lineup Announcement.

October 25-26, 2014
Shoreline Ampitheatre
Mountain View, CA

Neil Young
Pearl Jam
Florence and the Machine
Tom Jones
Soundgarden
Norah Jones and Puss 'n Boots
Band of Horses
Pegi Young and the Survivors

Tickets will go on sale Friday, September 19, 2014 at 10:00 AM PDT at Live Nation.

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Farm Aid 2014: Raleigh, North Carolina, on Saturday, September 13

Farm Aid will have its annual concert at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Saturday, September 13.

Farm Aid 2014 will feature Willie Nelson & Family, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, Jack White and many more artists.

The pre-sale starts tomorrow, Friday, July 25 at noon EDT — see http://farmaid.org/tickets.

Tickets for Farm Aid 2014 will go on sale Friday, August 1, at 10 a.m. EDT. Tickets will be available at www.livenation.com, Ticketmaster outlets, Walnut Creek Amphitheatre's Box Office, or by phone at 800-745-3000. Ticket prices range from $49 to $175.

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