Ryan Adams Plays Dead At Bridge School Benefit Concert

By Scott Bernstein Oct 26, 2015 7:25 am PDT

Neil and Pegi Young hosted the 29th annual Bridge School Benefit Concerts at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California on Saturday and Sunday. Both shows featured Neil teaming with Promise Of The Real, Dixie Chicks, Sheryl Crow, Ryan Adams, St. Vincent, Gary Clark Jr., Spoon and Ben Harper with Nils Lofgren aboard for Saturday only. While no members of the Grateful Dead were on hand, the Bay Area icons were represented during Adams’ set by a stirring rendition of “Wharf Rat.”

Ryan has covered “Wharf Rat” a number of times over the years including a version at the 2005 Jammys with Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh. Though he hadn’t performed it at one of his own sets since 2006 before last night, he did cover “Wharf Rat” for hospitalized teens and children as part of the MyMusicRX program following his headlining appearance at the Newport Folk Festival in 2014. Last night, “Wharf Rat” concluded a seven-song set from Ryan Adams that also featured “Gimme Something Good,” “Lucky Now,” “Oh My Sweet Carolina,” “Wrecking Ball,” “My Winding Wheel” and “Ashes & Fire.”

Watch Ryan perform “Wharf Rat” at yesterday’s Bridge School concert as captured by woody0228:

Other memorable moments of this year’s Bridge School benefits included Neil Young sitting in with his old friend Nils Lofgren on Saturday before Lofgren returned the favor later in the evening, Spoon covering Van Morrison’s “Jackie Wilson Said” with a horn section, an all-star “One Of These Days” to conclude Neil’s set on Saturday and the Dixie Chicks covering Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games.”

The annual concerts raise funds for The Bridge School, a special needs school founded by Neil & Pegi Young.

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