Laurie Anderson, Joan Baez, Maggie Rogers, Maya Hawke, Bowen Yang, Jlin, Gogol Bordello, Christian Lee Hutson, the Philip Glass Ensemble, and Tenzin Choegyal were among the performers who celebrated the Year of the Dragon at Carnegie Hall on February 26. Philip Glass and Laurie Anderson served as the co-artistic directors and curators of the 37th Annual Tibet House US Benefit Concert. Uma Thurman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Arden Wohl, and Jonah Freeman served as the evening’s honorary chairs.
The house band was listed as the Patti Smith Band and consisted of bassist Tony Shanahan, drummer Jay Dee Daugherty, and guitarist Andy York. Shanahan and Daugherty are members of the Patti Smith Band, but Smith and her guitarist Lenny Kaye were reportedly in Mexico on this night.
As in past years, the Tibetan Monks began the program with prayerful chants before Tibet House US President Bob Thurman offered a keynote address. Laurie Anderson performed soundscapes in a guided meditation to “Walk the Dog.” She was accompanied by Martha Mooke, Shazad Ismaily, Tenzin Choegyal, and Gina Gershon, who played the jaw harp.
Tenzin Choegyal remained on stage to perform an experimental rendition of “Gyallu,” a Tibetan composition which serves as the de facto anthem of the Central Tibetan Administration. The performance of “Gyallu” at the concert was a patriotic interlude, as the People’s Republic of China continues to strictly prohibit its performance in Tibet. Choegyal followed with “Himalaya,” backed by the Scorchio Quartet.
Maya Hawke performed an acoustic version of an unreleased song, “Hang In There,” accompanied by Christian Lee Hutson, Shazad Ismaily, and the Scorchio Quartet. She followed with “Black Ice,” dedicated to her uncle Ganden Thurman, who serves as the Executive Director of Tibet House US. Christian Lee Huston performed solo acoustic versions of two new songs, “After Hours” and “Northsiders.”
Photos by Everynight Charley
Jlin performed “The Precision of Infinity.” She told the audience, “I never thought, as a Black woman from Gary, Indiana, that I would be here at Carnegie Hall.”
The Philip Glass Ensemble performed “Part 8” of Music in Twelve Parts. The musicians started performing the composition, stopped to request technical assistance, and restarted from the beginning.
Saturday Day Night Live comedian Bowen Yang joked, “I’m wearing Fenty Beauty concealer, just like Allen Ginsberg would have wanted.” He then read the poet’s “Who Be Kind To,” accompanied musically by members of the house band. The music was composed by Philip Glass.
Maggie Rogers performed “Alaska” and a new song, “Don’t Forget Me,” acoustically. She said that introducing Joan Baez was “the greatest honor of [her] life.” Baez praised Rogers’ performance, then sang and played acoustic guitar on Steve Earle’s “God Is God.” She then sang a duet with Rogers on Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.” Laurie Anderson later joined Baez on Phil Ochs’ “There but for Fortune.”
Gogol Bordello dedicated “Mi Compañera” to refugees and residents of oppressed countries. The band followed with “When Universes Collide” and a cover of the Angelic Upstarts’ “Solidarity,” as Joan Baez, Maggie Rogers, Maya Hawke, and Bowen Yang danced at the wing of the stage. For the finale, all the performers returned to the stage with Gogol Bordello to sing Pete Seeger’s “We Shall Overcome.”
Clairo, Chloë Sevigny, Sarah Morris, Jason Weinberg, and other supporters attended the post-concert gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom.The benefit concert supported Tibet House US, a not-for-profit educational institution founded in 1987 at the request of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The mission of the New York City-based organization is to present Tibet’s ancient traditions of art and culture, preserve and restore Tibet’s cultural and spiritual heritage, and share Tibet’s systems of spiritual philosophy and mind sciences.
Gogol Bordello at Zeigfield Ballroom / Photo by Everynight Charley
Robert Thurman and Philip Glass are among the founders of Tibet House US. Thurman serves as the president of the Board of Trustees at Tibet House US. Glass is the vice president of Tibet House US’ Board of Trustees.
Over the years, the fundraising concert has featured performances by David Bowie, Lou Reed, R.E.M, boygenius, the Alabama Shakes, Phoebe Bridgers, Carly Simon, Stephen Colbert, Sharon Jones, FKA Twigs, the Roots, Jim James, Vampire Weekend, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Blood Orange, Sigur Ros, Emmylou Harris, Jon Batiste, Nathaniel Rateliff, Jason Isbell, Iggy Pop, the Flaming Lips, Keanu Reeves, Eddie Vedder, Annie Lennox, Brittany Howard, Black Pumas, Cage the Elephant, Cyndi Lauper, Trey Anastasio, and many other supporters.
FOR MORE DETAILS & PHOTOS FROM THE 37TH ANNUAL TIBET HOUSE US BENEFIT CONCERT, CHECK OUT EVERYNIGHT CHARLEY’S BLOG THE MANHATTAN BEAT BY CLICKING HERE!
