Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California
The Bridge School Benefit was an annual charity concert usually held in Mountain View, California, every October at the Shoreline Amphitheatre from 1986 until 2016 with the exception of 1987. The concerts lasted the entire weekend and were organized by musicians Neil Young and Pegi Young. An annual Bay Area highlight, the concerts were billed online as the primary means of funding for The Bridge School; over both days, the reserved seats alone brought in well over a million dollars every year.
Partial proceeds benefited the Bridge School, which assists children with severe physical impairments and complex communication needs.[1] One of the thrusts of the program is the use of advanced augmentative and alternative communication and assistive technology.
Every concert was filmed and a copy of each was given to Neil Young. Young announced in 2021 that he would be slowly releasing all the recordings of the Bridge School Benefits concert via his Archives, starting with the first show in 1986. All the proceeds for viewing the concert videos will go to The Bridge School.[2][3][4][5]
History
The first concert was in October 1986, and, with the exception of 1987, the concert was held every year until 2016. The benefit was known for having a relatively high-profile lineup and strong acoustic-only performances, primarily due to Young's extensive connections within the music industry. He performed as the headliner every year, and oftentimes he would opt to join other artists on stage multiple times throughout the weekend. At times he would bring another artist on stage and do a collaboration of one of his songs with them.[6]
On November 18, 1997, The Bridge School Concerts, Vol. 1, a compilation CD containing 15 songs, was released by Reprise Records.[7]
In 2006, a six-volume set entitled The Bridge School Collection, Vol.1 was released through iTunes. The set contains 80 recordings from the concerts and a digital booklet. Additional volumes from the concerts were released on iTunes annually through 2011.
On October 24, 2011, Reprise Records released The Bridge School Concerts 25th Anniversary Edition,[8] a compilation CD containing 25 songs, with critical acclaim.[9]
The last concerts were held in October 2016. On June 14, 2017, Neil and Pegi Young announced that following their divorce, the Bridge School Concerts would no longer continue.[10]
List of concerts
Bridge I October 13, 1986 in Mountain View, California at the Shoreline Amphitheater
^Chonin, Neva (December 9, 1999). "Performance: Bridge School Benefit". Rolling Stone.(Serial). San Francisco, California: Rolling Stone LLC: 34. ISSN0035-791X.
