Sachyn Mital

Patti Smith, Debbie Harry, Jason Isbell & more @ 2019 Tibet House Benefit (pics, setlist)

February 8, 2019

Sachyn Mital

The 32nd Annual Tibet House US Benefit Concert happened Thursday night (2/7) at Carnegie Hall, which was curated and led, as usual, by artistic director Philip Glass and included a wide variety of performers. Highlights from this year:

Debbie Harry, wearing a cape that read “Stop Fucking the Planet” played a deconstructed version of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” with backing by The Scorchio Quartet (who also joined members of New Order and Jon Batiste later in the evening). New Order’s Bernard Sumner, along with newer NO members Phil Cunningham, Tom Chapman & Joe Duddell, played “Ceremony” and “Love Vigilantes” and then offered up a cover of David Bowie’s “Be My Wife.”

Patti Smith read Neil Young’s “After the Gold Rush” lyrcs before she and her Group played Midnight Oil’s “Beds Are Burning”. When she left the stage, the group continued to play the Rolling Stones’ “I’m Free,” working in portions of Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side.”

Stephen Colbert, who had met his wife at an Allen Ginsberg / Philip Glass event, was invited to read a Ginsberg piece for the benefit. He chose the shorter of two options he was offered, “Birdbrain”, a dark, political poem, accompanied by Philip Glass on the piano. Laurie Anderson, meanwhile, told a story about Yoko Ono screaming following Donald Trump winning the 2016 election and encouraged the crowd to do the same.

Jason Isbell received some of the strongest applause when he came on stage, but he may have surprised fans in the audience when he played an experimental instrumental guitar set as opposed to one of his more well-known songs; still, it was no less electrifying. Nathaniel Rateliff played two of his own songs before welcoming Jon Batiste for a cover of Sam & Dave’s “Hold On I’m Coming.” Batiste would perform his own set later in the evening.

Angelique Kidjo closed out the night with “Malaika” before having all the night’s performers come out for a cover of Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime.”

Check out pictures from the night in the gallery above and the setlist, plus a few instagram videos, are below.