Playlist: A Speculative Set for Tibet House’s Big Night
By
March 2, 2011
OLD FRIENDS PATTI SMITH AND MICHAEL STIPE, WHO WILL BOTH PERFORM AT TOMORROW NIGHT’S TIBET HOUSE BENEFIT. PHOTO COURTESY OF FLASHPOINT
Though it’s traditionally the Chinese New Year that gets all the attention in New York, the Tibet House, a non-profit dedicated to the preservation of Tibetan culture, annually rings in the civilization’s New Year by holding an annual benefit concert in New York. The Tibetan New Year, or Losar, is celebrated on the first day of the first month of the Tibetan calendar; this year (2138 and the Year of the Iron Rabbit, based on their system), the festivities will be held at Carnegie Hall on Thursday, March 3, featuring performances by an extraordinary number of musical legends. The concert, a New York institution for the past 21 years, commemorates the Monlam Prayer Festival (usually held at the time of the Tibetan New Year) and will showcase the talent of the likes of recent National Book Award winner Patti Smith (a frequent presence at the show), classicist Philip Glass (the concert’s artistic director and vice-president of the Tibet House), The Flaming Lips, Taj Mahal, Michael Stipe, Angélique Kidjo, Jesse Smith and Michael Campbell, and James McCartney. In the past, musical legends such as Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Paul Simon, Sheryl Crow, Moby, Sigur Rós, Bright Eyes, and Natalie Merchant have graced the stage in support of the endangered culture. We’ll be at Carnegie Hall tomorrow night, bidding adieu to 2137 and (if we had our druthers) wishing Tibet the happiest of new years to the tune of these songs by the featured artists.
Patti Smith Group: “Because the Night”
R.E.M.: “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite”
Taj Mahal: “Never Let You Go”
The Roots: “Adrenaline”
The Flaming Lips: “Do You Realize?”
Angélique Kidjo: “Wombo Lombo”
THE TIBET HOUSE BENEFIT IS TOMORROW NIGHT AT CARNEGIE HALL. TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED VIA THE CARNEGIE HALL BOX OFFICE BY CALLING 212-247-7800.
