Air, Arcade Fire, Polyphonic Spree for Bowie's High Line Fest

Seminal rocker David Bowie will curate clothing giant H&M's High Line Festival in NYC, a ten-day event May 9-19 that will feature performances by Air, the Arcade Fire, and the Polyphonic Spree. Deerhoof, the Secret Machines, and Meow Meow, as well as Daniel Johnston, Bang on a Can All-Stars, and comedian Ricky Gervais -- of the U.K.'s The Office/Extras fame -- have also been announced as performing acts for the festival.

"The request was for me to choose artists and acts that I myself would go out of my way to see," Bowie said in a statement on his website. "Although this inaugural year will be modest in scale we've been pretty lucky in that many whom I asked have accepted. I'm also pleased that many emerging artists are participating alongside more established talents that represent a fairly wide cross section of disciplines within the arts community. I would really hope that the exposure this festival affords will help these folk get the attention they deserve."

Tickets go on sale March 30 at 10 A.M., and a portion of all proceeds will benefit Friends of the High Line, a group of activists attempting to preserve the High Line, a historic but now unused elevated train track on Manhattan's West Side that is being turned into a city park.

The High Line Festival events:

5/9, Arcade Fire (Radio City Music Hall)
5/10, Air (Theatre at Madison Square Garden)
5/11, The Polyphonic Spree (Hammerstein Ballroom)
5/15, Deerhoof (Irving Plaza)
5/16, Daniel Johnston, Bang on a Can All Stars, the Legendary Stardust Cowboy (High Line Ballroom)
5/16-17, Ken Nordine (The Kitchen)
5/17-18, Laurie Anderson (High Line Ballroom)
5/19, The Secret Machines (High Line Ballroom)
5/19, Ricky Gervais (Theatre at Madison Square Garden)

>> Listen to Arcade Fire on Napster
>> Listen to Air on Napster
>> Listen to Polyphonic Spree on Napster

On the Web:
highlinefestival.com

Talk: Which band would be most exciting to see Bowie play with live onstage?