All-star occasions just like the Tibet Home Profit Live performance affords music followers a very distinctive expertise. There aren’t many events the place you’ll see, for instance, Orville Peck overlaying Lou Reed earlier than The Bear star Ebon Moss-Bachrach delivers an Allen Ginsberg studying, Michael Stipe recites a century-old poem after which covers David Bowie, and Angélique Kidjo leads Carnegie Corridor in an “Afrika” singalong — all in the identical evening.
Now in its thirty eighth 12 months, the annual Tibet Home Profit is, after all, about extra than simply star-studded appearances. The aim has at all times been to “shield, protect, and empower the distinctive Tibetan tradition,” and given how these traditions are rooted in private progress and the pursuit of peace, the mission inherently resonates with world struggles.
Therefore, Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hütz calling out that, “The battle of Ukraine, one in the identical with the battle of Tibet Home!” earlier than launching into “Solidarity.” Patti Smith added Greenland to Ginsberg’s “Footnote to Howl,” and Allison Russell modified the lyrics in “Superlover” to reference Israel and Palestine, her voice trembling with emotion. The burden of the geopolitical mess that’s our present world was inescapable — however as an alternative of succumbing, it was acknowledged as an out of doors pressure to be resisted through channeling equanimity, hope, and unity.
And so the night’s eclectic lineup discovered methods to emphasise that magnificence and objective. Arooj Aftab’s mesmerizing performances of “Raat Ki Rani” and “Mohabbat” set a fascinating tone, adopted by Tenzin Choegyal performing “GangeRi Rawe” from his soon-to-be-released album Be the Sky, accompanied by a Tibetan kids’s choir from Queens, plus tUnE-yArDs and Gina Gershon (sure, Gina Gershon). Smith’s rendition of “Peaceful Kingdom” was the icon at her most magical, and Stipe’s cowl of Bowie’s “The Man Who Offered the World” with Choegyal and Laurie Anderson was arguably the evening’s single strongest — maybe solely rivaled by his haunting rendition of his Huge Pink Machine (Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon) collab “No Time for Love Like Now,” devoted to a late good friend he final noticed at 2024’s Tibet Home live performance.
Amidst the lengthy string of performances have been pure delights for music followers. With Merrill Garbus’ distinctive cadence and quirky timbre filling the legendary music corridor, tUnE-yArDs debuted their new single “Limelight” only a day earlier than saying their new album, Higher Dreaming; Anderson, Russell, and Gershon sang backup because the self-proclaimed “Yard Birdies.” Russell additionally joined Orville Peck for under the second-ever reside efficiency of “Chemical Sundown,” their collaboration from Peck’s 2024 duets LP Stampede. Previous to that, Peck coated Leonard Cohen’s “Chelsea Lodge #2,” noting, “I’ve at all times needed to cowl it, and this appeared like a pleasant evening to do it.”
All cool moments, to make certain, maybe solely topped by the all-hands-on-deck “Individuals Have the Energy” led by Gogol Bordello. Nonetheless, they’re not those that ought to most stick to attendees. No, that will be issues like Stipe’s mild studying of Max Ehrmann’s “Desiderata,” with Anderson’s echoing and ethereal taking part in behind him, reminding us to be variety to ourselves amidst a merciless world. It felt as becoming for 2025 because it undoubtedly was within the Twenties.
At completely different instances, Anderson led the viewers in Tai chi strikes Cohen as soon as practiced, and shared their three guidelines for dwelling: “Don’t be afraid of anybody… Get a very good bullshit detector and discover ways to use it… Be actually tender.” She added a fourth, handed down by Tibetan leaders: “Observe feeling unhappy with out truly being unhappy; don’t turn into unhappy your self.”
Jackson Browne capped off the tender requires peace (earlier than Gogol’s rocking finale) with renditions of “Don’t You Need to Be There” and “Far From the Arms of Starvation.” His acoustic set could not have been essentially the most instant, however the message in these songs encapsulated the entire night’s deeper objective.
Such is the great thing about the Tibet Home Profit Live performance: The performances could also be really superior of their scope and exclusivity, however the sum of the expertise holds the evening’s actual magic. Though there have been dozens of “I used to be there” moments to recount to jealous mates afterward, it’s the meanings behind them that hopefully linger.
See a photograph gallery of the 2025 Tibet Home Profit Live performance, together with backstage pictures, beneath.
