No Doubt, Chris Martin Booked for Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit

Neil Young, No Doubt, Coldplay's Chris Martin, Fleet Foxes, Wolfmother, Sheryl Crow, Gavin Rossdale and the Monsters of Folk will perform at both nights of the annual Bridge School Benefit at Mountain View, California's Shoreline Amphitheatre on October 24th and 25th, the Bridge School Website announced yesterday. Jimmy Buffett will also perform at the Saturday night show, and actor Adam Sandler — who got to rock out in Funny People — will take the stage Sunday.

Young and his wife Pegi established the Bridge School concerts in 1986, and the 2009 dates mark the 23rd annual benefit. The Bridge School assists children with severe physical and speech impairments. Tickets for the concerts go on sale Sunday, September 20th at Live Nation. The Bridge School site also reminds fans to check back as more special guests will be announced.

Besides Young, who has performed at all of the Bridge School Benefits, and Crow, who appeared at the 1999 concert, all of the artists involved are making their Bridge School debuts. Past performers over the past 23 benefit concerts include David Bowie, Pearl Jam, Wilco, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Phish, Thom Yorke, Green Day, Tom Waits, Dave Matthews Band and countless more. By tradition, all of the musicians perform using acoustic instruments, which resulted in an interesting set when Metallica played for the Bridge School in 2007.

Curious to know how Wolfmother may handle their acoustic set? We threw Andrew Stockdale an acoustic guitar and demanded he interpret songs from the band's new Cosmic Egg recently. Check out how he fared here.

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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?'" 

More Song Stories entries »

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