Carnegie Hall
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
881 Seventh Ave. at West 57th St.
Thursday, February 10, $45-$250, 8:00
www.neilyoungcarnegie.com
Music impresario Michael Dorf’s annual benefit honoring rock-and-roll icons this year turns to Canadian Hall of Famer Neil Young, after previously paying tribute to such megastars as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, the Who, R.E.M., Elton John, and others. Dorf, the Knitting Factory guru who now runs City Winery, has once again put together a stellar lineup of musicians to play songs from throughout Young’s long, diverse career, which took off when Young was part of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young in the mid-to-late 1960s, then exploded with the success of his early-’70s solo albums, AFTER THE GOLD RUSH and HARVEST. The ridiculously prolific anticorporate rocker has released more than thirty studio albums and eight live records (in addition to those with the Springfield and CSNY), ranging from acoustic folk and country to rockabilly and grunge, from electronic noise and the blues to environmental activism and antiwar screeds. The tribute, taking place at Carnegie Hall on February 10, raises funds for such music and arts programs for underprivileged youth as Fixing Instruments for Kids in Schools, Church Street School for Music & Art, the Pinwheel Project, Music Unites, the American Symphony Orchestra, and Young Audiences New York. The impressive roster of performers includes Patti Smith & Jesse Smith, the Roots, Nada Surf, Cowboy Junkies, Juliana Hatfield & Evan Dando, Bettye LaVette, Shawn Colvin, Bebel Gilberto, Aaron Neville, the Wood Brothers, Keller Williams, Joan Osborne, Jakob Dylan, J Mascis, Glen Hansard, Mason Jennings, DeVotchKa, Ben Ottewell, Pete Yorn, Joe Purdy, and house bandleader Larry Campbell, who will be hosting a sold-out live rehearsal of the show tonight at City Winery. In past “Music of” shows, the Boss and members of R.E.M. participated in their own tributes, so there’s always a chance that car and train enthusiast Young might be on hand, although we wouldn’t bet on it.