Bridge School Benefit

Ok. You've heard/read about our trip to San Francisco for the 2010 Bridge School Benefit show.
Here we are...FINALLY!
Almost three weeks have passed by and I think -or at least I'm trying to convince myself- that writing about that show after a long time can be an interesting exercise.
Indeed, what's left of that "whole-day-show"? Instead of a long and boring description of each artist/band/duo's set, I'm gonna focus on what surprised and moved me.

Going to the Bridge School Benefit show - which happens to be in the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, right next to the Google headquarters - was a mix between going to a music festival and an American fair (you know how I love them!): friendly people of all ages, cars parked everywhere, (bad) food and drinks stands, souvenirs stands and of course...the music on a huge stage. On top of that, there is also the feeling that you're doing something good and that you are being altruistic because by buying a ticket to attend the show you are helping the financing of the Bridge School, funded in 1986 by Neil and Pegi Young, for children and young adults with physical and speech impairments.

M and I attended the first day out of two of this 24th Bridge School Benefit concert.
During the whole show, all the artists seemed truly honoured to be performing for the BSB but among the eight sets we saw, the ones which really struck me are those of Pearl Jam and Buffalo Springfield.

Eddie Vedder on the big screen

Even if Eddie Vedder's band is a regular visitor of the BSB, the acoustic set they gave us that night was really moving and I wished it would have lasted longer. The band performed nine songs in total, among which their classics Black and Last Kiss, the very good Unthought Known from the latest album Backspacer, a beautiful cover of Patti Smith's Dancing Barefoot and Neil Young's new single Walk With Me, with Vedder on lead vocal and Young himself on lead guitar.

Pearl Jam and Neil Young at the end of the band's set

From another point of view - less emotional maybe but more historic - I really appreciated Buffalo Springfield's set too. The show they played that night was Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay's first reunion in over four decades. No need to say how much the audience was excited and how, despite the pouring rain - M and I were wearing YELLOW plastic ponchos...- everyone in the 20.000 people audience was dancing, claping and singing.

Richie Furray and Neil Young

On the overall, the show was very energetic but I regret that, because the show was acoustic, Stephen Stills didn't do one of his breathtaking guitar solos which amazed me this summer when I saw Crosby, Stills and Nash in Paris.

Stephen Stills and Richie Furray

However, Neil Young and his wife closed the show accompanied by all their guests: newer indie bands Grizzly Bear and Modest Mouse, multi-instrumentalist David Lindley, singer-songwriters Jackson Browne, Lucinda Williams and Kris Kristofferson, pop rock musicians Billy Idol (who was indeed dancing with himself) and Elvis Costello and headliners Pearl Jam and Buffalo Springfield.

The big final

All together they performed a very joyous version of Neil Young's traditional Keep On Rockin' In A Free World, thanking us and reminding us the reason why we were there before leaving us with smiles on our faces and stars in our eyes.

The Big Final

A.C.

ps: because we were quite far for our camera, the quality of the pictures is what it is - but at least you get the idea of what happened on stage.