The 2017 Bridge School Benefit Concert with Neil Young Cancelled After 30 Years in Action
Bay Area rock legend Neil Young has ended his involvement with the Bridge School Benefit and the 2017 edition of the concert has been canceled. At this time, it is unclear if the annual acoustic event will ever return but the series has had quite a run.
It started back in 1986 as a fundraiser for the Bridge School, a Hillsborough facility for children with severe speech and physical impairments co-founded by Young’s former wife Pegi Young. All Bridge School shows except one took place at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. The 1988 concert happened at Oracle Arena in Oakland.
According to sources, Neil Young said that said he would no longer host the event due to “personal reasons” but did not elaborate. The news was made public on the Bridge School website and there was no exact explanation as to why the event was canceled or whether it will return. Since Neil Young’s divorce from his wife Pegi in 2014, the benefit concert has been the source of some speculation.
The school’s website also included a statement from Neil Young, “After thirty years of hosting the Bridge School Concerts, I would like to say thanks to everyone involved. Of course, I love the students most of all because the light in their eyes tells me we have been doing the right thing for the last thirty years. We have earned millions of dollars and the school is stable financially, able to go forward although we still need an endowment and would welcome one.” He ensures readers that he will still remain active in fundraising for the school and includes a thank you to Pegi Young for coming up with the idea and for her years of dedication to the cause.
Health concerns could also be a factor in the cancellation. Neil Young battled an undisclosed illness earlier this year, forcing him to miss the induction of friend’s Pearl Jam into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His spokesman later described the health issue as “nothing major” but did not elaborate. Live Nation Northern California, a promoter of the Bridge School Benefit, still hopes that the show could eventually return.
https://youtu.be/XY7wFP-4qr8
Bridge School Benefit has hosted some of the most talented musicians in the industry, including David Bowie, R.E.M., The Who, Phish, Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, Brian Wilson, Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir, Tom Petty, the Cowboy Junkies and Patti Smith.
Last year was Bridge School’s 30th anniversary and saw many performances by Norah Jones, Dave Matthews, Roger Waters, and Metallica.
