Neil Young, Tom Waits, Metallica Highlight Annual Bridge School Benefit

Although it lacked the all-star collaborations of years' past, Neil Young's annual Bridge School Benefit was still full of surprises. Featuring sets by the likes of Young, John Mayer, Tegan and Sara and Jerry Lee Lewis, this year's event (which took place Saturday and Sunday at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, California) did not disappoint, despite a last-minute cancellation by Eddie Vedder, who was replaced by perennial Bonnaroo heroes My Morning Jacket. The undisputed highlight of the concert was Tom Waits, who was backed by the Kronos Quartet during his half-hour set. Headliners Metallica took a break from working on their next LP to frustrate/confuse/entertain the audience with odd covers of Rare Earth ("I Just Want to Celebrate"!), Nazareth and Dire Straits songs, while interspersing some selections from their own albums. To revisit the Bridge School event yourself, check out our photo gallery.

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Song Stories

“Too Close”

Next | 1998

Next was formed in Minneapolis when the uncle of Terry "T-Low" and Raphael "Tweety" Brown, who was a gospel choir director, introduced the brothers to Robert Lavelle "R.L." Huggar. Sounds of Blackness singer Ann Nesby groomed the R&B group before handing them over to Naughty by Nature's KayGee, who wrote and produced "Too Close." The idea for the song was sparked "from a conversation we had with several girls at a nightclub," explained T-Low. "It's talking about the club scene, with guys getting out of hand and the female telling him to back up, asking, 'What are you doing?'" 

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