Since 1985, Neil Young has hosted his annual Bridge School Benefit, bringing together an assortment of artists for a two-day festival that supports the Hillsborough, CA-based school, which assists children with severe speech and physical impairments. This year’s inclusion, set to take place this weekend at The Shoreline Amphitheatre on October 22-23rd, marks the event’s 25th anniversary, and to celebrate Young has tagged the likes of Beck, Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons, Eddie Vedder, and many more. However, unlike previous years, the organizers are ensuring millions witness the event.

To start, Saturday’s festivities will be webcast online for the first-time ever. Thanks to Facebook and YouTube, fans will be able to watch the surefire spectacle from the comfort of their own home. A special landing page has been designed by Facebook that allows users to interact while experiencing the event. In fact, those actually in attendance at the show will be able to upload content and messages to share amongst those watching from home. Visit the respective pages at Facebook or YouTube for more information, and peep the trailer for the event below. An exact webcast schedule is still to be announced.

Then, on October 24th, there’s the CD/DVD release of The Bridge School Concerts 25th Anniversary Edition. This collection digs deep into the benefit’s history, featuring appearances from Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, James Taylor, Simon & Garfunkel, The Who, Band of Horses, Thom Yorke,  Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, and many, many more musical elite. You can pre-order the DVD set here and the CD set here. NPR Music is streaming the two-disc album portion in its entirety until next Tuesday.

And while your puny 32″ flat-screen and sub-par sound system may be enough to enjoy the all-star footage, the organizers are offering one better: on the day of the CD/DVD release (once again, 10/24), movie theaters across the nation will air the effort’s concert  film. Check out the entire listing of cities and locations below; all showings kick off at 7 p.m. For more information on tickets, head here. The trailer for the release is also available below.

The Bridge School Concerts 25th Anniversary Edition Theater Locations:
Atlanta, GA @ Midtown
Austin, TX @ Alamo Drafthouse Lakecreek
Boston, MA @ Kendall
Chicago, IL @ Century
Dallas, TX @ TBC
Denver, CO @ Mayan
Los Angeles, CA @ The Laemmle Santa Monica
Madison, WI @ Sundance
Milwaukee, WI @ Oriental
Minneapolis, MN @ Edina
New York City, NY @ Sunshine
Philadelphia, PA @ Ritz Bourse
Pleasantville, NY @ Jacob Burns
Portland, ME @ Nickelodeon
Portland, OR @ Hollywood Theatre
San Diego, CA @ Hillcrest
San Francisco, CA @ Embarcadero
Santa Cruz, CA @ Nickelodeon
Santa Rosa, CA @ Summerfield
Seattle, WA @ Harvard Exit
Silver Spring, MD @ AFI Silver Theatre
Washington, DC @ E Street

Each year, Neil Young opens up his Rolodex (and it’s a mighty impressive one) and calls on all his rock star friends to play his charity concert, the Bridge School Benefit. With the shindig celebrating its 25th anniversary this October, Young and the folks behind the event have compiled the concert’s best moments in three-DVD and two-CD sets aptly titled The Bridge School Concerts 25th Anniversary Edition. 

The DVD release includes performances from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Fleet Foxes, James Taylor, Simon and Garfunkel, Devendra Banhart, and a plethora of other big-name acts. The third disc also includes documentaries on the concert’s history along with a bonus feature on the Bridge School.

The two-CD set features even more classic performances from the concert’s past 25 years. Artists include Willie Nelson, Pearl Jam, Thom Yorke, Metallica, Band of Horses, R.E.M. featuring Young, and much, much more.

The two releases, which also benefit the Bridge School, are in stores on October 24th. Check out a video trailer for both sets below and pre-order the DVD set here and the CD set here.

This year’s Bridge School concert goes down October 22-23rd at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA. Acts scheduled to appear include Beck, Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons, Eddie Vedder, and many more. Tickets are available via LiveNation right now.

The Bridge School Concerts 25th Anniversary Edition DVD Tracklsit:

DVD 1
Bruce Springsteen – Born in the USA
Patti Smith – People Have the Power
Pearl Jam – Better Man
David Bowie – Heroes
Ben Harper – There Will Be a Light
Bob Dylan – Girl From the North Country
R.E.M – Country Feedback
Emmylou Harris and Buddy Miller – Love Hurts
Fleet Foxes – Blue Ridge Mountains
Devendra Banhart – At the Hope
Bonnie Raitt – The Road Is My Middle Name
Billy Idol – Rebel Yell

DVD 2
Brian Wilson – Surfin’ USA
Gillian Welch – The Way It Will Be
The Pretenders – Sense of Purpose
James Taylor – Fire and Rain
Simon and Garfunkel – America
Tom Petty – Shadow of a Doubt
Dave Matthews – Too Much
Neil Young – Crime in the City
Tom Waits – 16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought Six
Elton John & Leon Russell – A Dream Come True
Paul McCartney – Get Back
Metallica – Disposable Heroes
The Who – Won’t Get Fooled Again

DVD 3
Backstage at the Bridge School Benefit Concert
The Bridge School Story

The Bridge School Concerts 25th Anniversary Edition CD Tracklist:

CD 1
Bruce Springsteen – Born in the USA
Dave Matthews – Too Much
No Doubt – Magic’s in the Makeup
Jack Johnson – Gone
Fleet Foxes – Blue Ridge Mountains
Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Love and Only Love
Sonic Youth – Rain on Tin
Pearl Jam – Better Man
Gillian Welch – The Way It Will Be
R.E.M & Neil Young – Country Feedback
Willie Nelson – The Great Divide
Nils Lofgrin – Cry Just a Little

CD 2
Sarah McLachlan – Elsewhere
Paul McCartney – Get Back
Elton John & Leon Russell – A Dream Come True
Band of Horses – Marry Song
Metallica – Disposable Heroes
Thom Yorke – After the Gold Rush
Sheryl Crow – The Difficult Kind
Tony Bennett – Maybe This Time
CSNY – Deja Vu
Norah Jones – Jesus – Etc.
Jonathan Richman – I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar
Brian Wilson – Surfin’ USA.
The Who – Won’t Get Fooled Again

If you don’t know, Bon Iver are not averse to covers. Even when he’s showing The Outfield what’s up, Justin Vernon’s renditions will rend your heart in two. Such was the case on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon as Justin Vernon, accompanied by a solo piano, performed a medley of classic torch songs. Leon Russell’s (as made famous by Donny Hathaway, for one) “A Song For You” and two Bonnie Raitt classics, “I Can’t Make You Love Me” and “Nick of Time”. You can hear the Raitt tunes on the B-side of the “Calgary” single, or just watch the beautiful performance above.

In the interview beforehand, when Fallon asked about the inspiration for “Beth/Rest”, the soft-rock closer from Bon Iver’s forthcoming album Bon Iver, Bon Iver, Vernon detailed the background of the track and explained the tenor of the song with one immaculate quote: “There’s not enough [Bruce] Hornsby in my scene.” Amen. Check out the whole interview below (via The Audio Perv).

Three days of music and beer were back again, with Saturday tickets selling out like they do every year. Three hours of free beer and Buddy Guy would excite anyone; I mean, would you say no? While there were some unfortunate last minute line-up losses with Xavier Rudd and St. Jude, organizers were quick to fill the gaps by grabbing Colorado natives Big Head Todd and the Monsters (and by giving Lubriphonic some stage time the day before their late night jam).

Friday, September 18th

Friday kicked things off with a little sunshine and some serious harmonica from Jason Ricci and New Blood. Looking like a scrawnier Billy Idol, Ricci showed his southern-fueled blues-rock chops with scorching harmonica solos, not to mention the huge guitar sound coming from Shawn Starski who was proving his 2008 ranking as one of the top ten new guitarists, according to Guitar Player. Everyone was riled up and enjoying the last moments of dryness before the field was swamped with rain.

Otis Taylor’s African Orchestra proved to be one of the best sets of the day. His African-inspired blues kept the Animal House-like atmosphere that was in full swing going, peaking with a harmonica battle between Ricci and him. At one point, he disappeared, only to show up again at the front of the crowd, leaning over the stage alongside Ricci, as the two passed licks back and forth.

By this point, the electrified masses were soaked, and the reoccurring mud pit-come-dance floor was forming in the right front corner of the field. Big Head Todd and the Monsters stepped up for the challenge of keeping everyone moving, and were quite successful. The clouds let up, but you could see your breath in the air as the temperature dropped. However, Todd’s blend of 90’s jam rock managed to keep everyone warm. Not bad for a band that until two weeks ago wasn’t even playing. In retrospect, they are local favorites.

Jackie Greene stepped up next with his sleek guitar moves and Dylan-like swagger. The rain returned, making Greene’s killer cover of The Beatles “Don’t Let Me Down” even more perfect. The set was awe-inspiring indeed, even rivaling the night’s headliner, Joe Cocker.

Joe is getting old. If you couldn’t tell that from his cameo in Across the Universe, you could Friday night. That didn’t matter to most, however. As the waterfall from above grew heavier, people bundled up and huddled together for a great moment: Cocker’s raucous rendition of “Feelin’ Alright”. He had it down, everything from the trademark shaking to the painful looks in his face during every gritty note and yell. And man, did he sound good. With another Beatles take, this time with a sleek rendition of “Come Together”, that heavy and infamous bass line rang out into the night. While he carried on, the weather grew worse, though many remained standing. Of course, for some, great songs can’t compete with warmer places.

Saturday, September 19th

Saturday would prove to be the unruly day that it always is — after all, it’s the actual weekend. This meant people thoroughly enjoyed the festival’s other half, the brews, which were flowing like a river. Over 150 beers in all kept patrons busy while the funk and R&B played in the background. Musically, the day would bring the best bands of the weekend. So, having said that, let’s put this in perspective, shall we? Lots of excellent, rare beer and lots of excellent, rare music. In other words, heaven for the greater majority, and boy did they treat it like that. In retrospect, Saturday felt like that toga party scene in Animal House, only for 9 hours and much muddier.

People were slipping and sliding from brewery to brewery, throwing mud, and sipping everything from oatmeal stouts to apple ales and I.P.A.’s galore. Over on the stage, however, one of the weekends best acts was in full swing. Coming from Mali (that’s in Africa in case you needed a globe), Vieux Farka Toure enthralled the audience, and milked the tame weather for all it was worth with their African funk jams.

Anders Osborne and his big old beard added a dose of psychedelics to the blues with a little help from a sousaphone and drums for the rhythm section. An interesting combo to say the least, with the unique piece of brass being a perfect base . That, along with his fancy fret work, sucked you in well enough and stole the show.

A little less blues, a lot more jam, Umphery’s McGee brought a mellower than usual set to the stage. With a little more focus on their earlier days, the set brought out some good old-fashioned rock and roll. It seemed to work, though, and everybody was getting into it, but then again, everyone was loaded anyhow. It made sense why Umphrey’s toned it down though. They would be saving the more progressive set for their late night show, where they busted out the heavy jams and electronics for all the noodle dancing hippies out there. Instead, the day was centered around the Buddy Guy side of music, which meant were longer, Guy-inspired jams, in addition to old school covers, all leading up to the night’s hero.

Buddy Guy is a beast. Not only can he steal a show, he can steel a weekend, playing all the right songs with all the heat of his hay day. He had soul, he had energy, and he played the style of blues-rock he set to stone. Talk about a perfect night for a well lubricated crowd. Sheesh.

Sunday, September 20th

The closing day would be one for the books, so a huge pat on the back for everyone that stuck around, which seemed to be, well, everyone. It rained like hell, and after a fleeting moment of blue skies, the clouds rolled back in, reflected the sunset, and followed with some pebble sized hail. Earlier sets lucked out, with the Lee Boys and Super Chikan and the Fighting Cocks bringing in some barnyard, delta blues. Steel slides and funky homemade guitars helped narrate the story telling and rowdy jams.

When the weather turned, however, so did the music. During the worst of it, Ryan Shaw had to step in for a quick line up change. Yes his voice was incredible, but what people needed was something to keep warm and move to — not slow R&B. As a result, people fled for warmer pastures. Even Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” couldn’t keep people from seeking shelter under tarps and in their hotel room just a couple blocks away.

Relief came with the weekend’s final spectacle, the Bontaj Roulet. Billed as such, it was a combination of Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal each playing solo sets, then coming together at the end for a Prairie Home Companion kind of stage show. Thus, the crowds returned.

While Mahal is indeed a legend, Raitt would blow his more traditional set out the water. The songs were technically impressive, but his energy took a while to kick in. Yes, both are very professional, but Raitt is a true performer, beckoning the crowd in her sassy country way. Even the old tired songs came to life with everyone in the house singing all the words. Her energy was huge, as it ebbed and flowed from her to the audience and back.

When it came time for the Bontaj, Mahal was much more alive, having put down the guitar (and opting for a lyric sheet this time). Throughout the set, he and Raitt would beckon and call eachother with classic country blues duets, and this collaboration bled into their solo numbers, as well. The duo proved to be a celebrated finish for the festival and a real treat for the weathered and muddy audience. It didn’t matter that it was 40 degrees, it was only a minor detail compared to the two powerhouses on stage.

Looking back, Blues and Brews really is a beautiful experience. There’s a dynamic between artist and patron that doesn’t seem to exist at any of the other festivals out there. It’s a meeting place for long time friends both in front and back stage. The music is chosen to fuel the party, and strays far from the summer festival pissing match. It’s about the music, and this year proved to be no different with headliners and day sets that brought all they had, even through some of the worst weather the mountains could muster. But that’s just how it goes at Blues and Brews, and the patrons, knowing this, return year after year. It’s true, you just can’t deny the Blues.

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