Just four days after his surprise reunion with R.E.M. at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia, Michael Stipe performed at the annual Tibet House benefit at New York’s Carnegie Hall on a packed bill that also included Patti Smith, Jackson Browne, Laurie Anderson, Gogol Bordello, Orville Peck, Allison Russell, the Philip Glass Ensemble, Angélique Kidjo, and Tenzin Choegyal.
Stipe delivered stunning renditions of David Bowie’s 1970 classic “The Man Who Sold the World” and “No Time for Love Like Now,” which he co-wrote with the National’s Aaron Dessner in 2020. Tibetan artist Tenzin Choegyal provided beautiful harmonies on the latter song.
Earlier in the show, Patti Smith read a segment of Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl,” and performed her 2004 song “Peaceable Kingdom” accompanied by daughter Jesse Smith on piano, Tony Shanahan on bass, and Rachel Foon on cello. She dedicated it to victims of war all across the globe.
Other highlights included Peck’s sparse take on the Leonard Cohen classic “Chelsea Hotel #2,” Jackson Browne’s acoustic rendition of his 2002 song “Don’t You Want to Be There,” and Laurie Anderson playing violin to a haunting recording of Lou Reed vocals taken from his 2011 song “Junior Dad.” Near the end of the night, Beninese-French singer Angélique Kidjo brought everyone in Carnegie Hall to their feet for the joyous “Afrika.” Gogol Bordello closed out the main set with wild versions of “Solidarity” and “We Mean It, Man.”
The evening ended with every performer taking the stage from the evening — with the curious exception of Patti Smith — including Smith’s daughter and bandmates, for the standard Tibet House encore of “People Have the Power.” Wherever Smith was at that moment, she was onstage in spirit. Phones weren’t permitted at the show and ushers were very good about enforcing the rule, but one fan did manage to capture a segment of “People Have the Power” for posterity.
The first Tibet House concert was held in 1992 with guests Philip Glass, Henrich Harrer, Robert A.F. Thurman, and the Gyuto Monks. Over the years, everyone from Iggy Pop and New Order to the Flaming Lips, David Bowie, Eddie Vedder, Keanu Reeves, the Roots, Lou Reed, Sharon Jones, and Carly Simon have played.
