Michael Stipe, Brandi Carlile, Josh Homme and more have come together to cover classic tracks by Elvis Presley, Tom Petty and more at the 2026 Gansett Games.
The event is hosted by billionaire crypto investor Mike Novogratz each year. Taking place in Amagansett, New York, the annual party has gained more traction over recent years due to the huge names who come together to perform there.
For this year’s event, held on June 27, there was a closing ceremony with huge performances from some rock icons. One-off exclusive performances came from Brandi Carlile and R.E.M’s Michael Stipe, who joined forces to deliver a cover of Elvis Presley’s ‘Suspicious Minds’.
Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme took to the stage for a rendition of Tom Petty’s ‘Running Down A Dream’, and Charlotte Lawrence covered Blondie’s ‘Heart Of Glass’.
Other performers on the night included Danielle Haim, Warren Haynes, and Robert Randolph, and the backing band throughout the whole night included Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and producer and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Watt.
Check out footage from the show below.
For Chad Smith, the appearance at the 2026 closing ceremony of the Gansett Games comes after he guest featured on The Rolling Stones’ new album ‘Foreign Tongues’, which is set for release on Friday (July 10).
Others who have contributed to the record include Paul McCartney, The Cure’s Robert Smith and Bruno Mars, and it also has a cover of Amy Winehouse’s ‘You Know I’m No Good’.
As for Josh Homme, Queens Of The Stone Age dusted off some deep cuts recently as they kicked off a run of European shows with System Of A Down, and they have also confirmed their first shows in Iceland since 2005.
