News > Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam To Play Bridge School Benefit 2010!
By Johnny Firecloud
Thursday, August 19, 2010
[UPDATE: Pearl Jam has officially been confirmed to play BOTH nights. Check out the full lineup info. See you there!]
We’ve been holding out hope that this year’s Bridge School Benefit lineup would be special, and now we have one good reason to believe it will be:
Pearl Jam lead guitarist Mike McCready appeared onstage with Star Anna at Spaceland in Silver Lake, CA Wednesday night, and before the show passed on word to a friend of ours that all of Pearl Jam will make a return to the annual benefit concert this year, and expect to play both days of the event.
The 24th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concert will be held on October 23rd & 24th, a non-profit charity concert held in Mountain View, CA every October at the Shoreline Amphitheatre. The concerts – which most often feature stripped-down, special acoustic sets from performers – are all organized by Rock legend Neil Young and his lovely wife, Pegi. All the shows’ proceeds benefit the Bridge School, which assists children with severe physical impairments and complex needs.
A vast array of blazing talent has graced the stage in past Bridge School concerts, including Trent Reznor, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Green Day, Elton John, James Taylor, Phish, The Smashing Pumpkins and many more. Frontman Eddie Vedder had been scheduled to perform with Flea & Jack Irons at Bridge School 2007, but cancelled due to a private family matter.
Performers are often known to play rare songs from their repertoire, with new arrangements to accommodate the acoustic setting. Here’s a video of Footsteps (a Jeremy single b-side) from Pearl Jam’s 1999 appearance:
Neil Young will undoubtedly appear, and lineup rumors have included everyone from Nickelback (sadly, we’re not joking) to Alice in Chains, but Pearl Jam’s inclusion would mark the first time in four years the band has made their return to the concert, after playing roughly every other year for the previous decade and change. We’ve also learned the Elton John will likely appear as well.
We’re already making plans – keep an eye on BridgeSchool.org for more info, or just wait for us to shout it from the rooftops the moment we know.
McCready also mentioned Elton John as one of the acts.
Nice, thanks Cosmo – hope last night kicked ass for you.
I have been to 6-7 of these. Such wonderful shows. Sometimes you can even catch an act you hate (Sheryl Crow for example) and they sound pretty ok. Fingers crossed it’s another lineup worthy of a trip up I5 from LA.
After hearing ex girlfriends and fan-freak friends rant about how magical it is for over a decade, I’m taking the plunge this year. Already making plans.
Why take the 5? No need for that slaughterhouse-peppered desert wasteland – the PCH is one of the most beautiful coastal drives you can find anywhere.
I take 5 because it’s faster. Simple as that.
makes me ache… makes me shake…
I have bootlegs from a few of these shows. Last year No Doubt was on the bill, cool to hear them rearrange their stuff for acoustic versions. Would love to see Elton John in such a format. Pearl Jam wouldn’t be bad either :)
Elton played in 1992.
Loving the Bridge!!!
Good News: Nickelback are playing Arco Arena on October 23rd, so if they do play Bridge, it’s Sunday only. And they are playing in Concord on the 26th, so I kind of doubt they will double book the band like this.
I’m so excited for this year! I have been going for the past 4 years. my mom won the 20th Anniversary pellon and it is signed by everyone who played that year. bridge school is by far the funnest events I go to. Get your tickets and prepare to rock your socks off!
P.s. NO DOUBT RULED LAST YEAR! CANT WAIT TO SEE PEARL JAM AND ELTON JOHN!!!!
Anybody know when these tickets are supposed to go on sale to the public? It appears ticket brokers (scalpers) have thousands of them already but the legitimate sites say to check back.
Does anybody here have tickets already?
Thanks in advance.
The lineup hasn’t been announced yet, and ticket sale date hasn’t been announced yet.
i couldn’t wait until tickets went on sale and bought them on ticket liquidator;l they get tickets from brokers before they go on sale to the public. sure, i paid a big price but it’s so worth it – what an organic night of rock and community the bridgeschool concert is!
Why is it worth it? The tickets don’t seem that hard to get ahold of each year, according to reports. Why not wait until the onsale at least…?
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