Next week, a very special event will take place in New York as at least 20 artists gather to honor R.E.M. with a tribute concert at Carnegie Hall. This is why the baby Jesus invented things like Bit Torrent and other file sharing programs. I cannot wait to hear what takes place.

The lineup is pretty strong – Bob Mould, Patti Smith (naturally), Marshall Crenshaw, Guster, the db’s, Rhett Miller, and Darius Rucker. That’s right. Hootie will sing some R.E.M. classic. I have no idea which one because they haven’t announced who will do what songs.

True to the band’s nature, the concert will benefit youth musical initiatives. The event is the brainchild of Michael Dorf, who has produced similar tribute concerts to benefit charities. I just wonder why he hosted a Neil Sadaka tribute before an R.E.M. tribute.