Arcade Fire will shine their Reflektors at this year’s Bridge School Benefit. The indie-rock heavyweights have been added to the lineup for Neil Young’s annual San Francisco Bay Area charity concert, taking place on October 26 and 27. Other recent additions to the acoustic event include Tom Waits and Jack Johnson, who join a slew of previously confirmed performers: Queens of the Stone Age, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, fun., My Morning Jacket, Elvis Costello, Jenny Lewis, Heart, and Diana Krall.
The Killers, unfortunately, are no longer on the bill. “We are so disappointed we won’t be able to participate,” drummer Ronnie Vanucci said in an official statement. “The fact of the matter is, without [bassist Mark Stoermer] on tour with us right now, we simply aren’t able to prepare an acoustic set for one of the year’s most important music charity events properly. We never want to give less than 100%, and in this particular instance, we simply won’t be able to. We know this is a disappointment for our fans in the Bay Area, for which we’re very sorry, but hopefully we will be able to team up with Bridge School again in the future. It’s an amazing charity, and we encourage our fans to show them a lot of love and support.” Stoermer is currently sitting out the Asian leg of the Killers’ Battle Born tour due to “personal reasons.”
Like past installments, the upcoming 27th annual Bridge School Benefit raises money for the Bridge School, which educates children who suffer from severe speech and physical impairments. The two-day showcase will be held at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. Tickets can be purchased through Live Nation.
Arcade Fire’s October 26 set comes just days before the October 29 release of the band’s fourth album, Reflektor. For an early peek at the record, check out SPIN’s 12 Observations After Just One Listen, parse some song lyrics that just made their way onto Facebook, and listen to a 30-second preview of “Awful Sound (Oh Eurydice).”
