The Tibet House Benefit Concert has long been one of the more popular charity events held in the music industry on a yearly basis and once again the lineup seemed to be a good one: The Flaming Lips, Miley Cyrus and Patti Smith were among the headliners (from Billboard).
Smith has appeared at nearly every on of the Tibet House concerts, a series that is now in its 25th year. She performed several songs but perhaps the highlight of her oeuvre wasn't performed by Smith herself. Wayne Coyne, frontman for the Flaming Lips, got his buddy Cyrus to take the stage and perform "People Have The Power," a message in line with the night's cause, promoting the rights of the Tibetan nation (currently under Chinese occupation...depending on who you ask).
The Lips themselves performed of course, keeping things relatively quiet compared to the band's typical bombast, according to Billboard. The group performed two covers: The Beatles' "She's Leaving Home" and David Bowie's "Warsawa."
Composer Philip Glass was emcee, director and curator, but he got his attempt to perform as well. He took to the piano while his cousin, This American Life host Ira Glass, read poetry from Allen Ginsberg for one of the night's most creative moments.
Speaking of glass, Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry was another of the bigger-name performers, and she included the band's "Heart of Glass" within her set.
Even the "opening" acts were eye-catching. Among the critically acclaimed acts familiar with American listeners were Sturgill Simpson, the country musician who caught critical acclaim for his Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, as well as Dev Hynes (better known as his R&B alias Blood Orange). Some "world music" acts that American audiences may want to get to know includes Canadian fiddler Ashley MacIssac and Tibetan native vocalist Tenzin Choegyal.
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
