Neil Young will no longer host his annual Bridge School Benefit, and the concert is canceled this year, as Variety reports. “Although I will continue in fund raising efforts, for personal reasons beginning this year I will no longer be hosting The Bridge School Concert,” Young wrote in a note posted to the school’s website. The annual event in Mountain View, California raised money for the Bridge School, a special-needs school co-founded by former wife Pegi Young.
The first Bridge School Benefit was held in 1986, and with the exception of 1987, became an annual event. It’s not clear if the benefit is over for good or if it will resume in the future without Young as host. “Stay tuned for updates as we begin to shape what the next steps will be in reaching our endowment goals,” Pegi Young wrote in a statement thanking supporters and the school community.
The annual concerts were known for impressive lineups—David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Roger Waters, Lou Reed, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, Heart, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Beck, Wilco, the Smashing Pumpkins, Arcade Fire, Tom Waits, Jack White, My Morning Jacket, Guns n’ Roses, St. Vincent, and the Dixie Chicks have all appeared over the years. Neil Young has traditionally performed every year.
“I know the concerts have become part of the Bay Area Landscape and we were all there together. I appreciate being part of it,” Young wrote. Read his full message here.
