Assured Return

Just as Neil Young was about to begin “Long May You Run” at the start of the annual Bridge School benefit concert Saturday at the Shoreline Amphitheatre here, a dog raced onto the stage.

When someone rushed out to grab the animal, Young just looked over and smiled. “It’s my dog, Bear,” Young explained to the 21,000 fans as the collie-shepherd mix eventually curled up near his owner’s feet.

The scene was typical of the warm, informal spirit of the concert series, launched in 1986 by Young and his wife, Pegi, to support educational programs for children with severe speech and physical impairments.

Not only does Young perform each year, but the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee also picks the other acts with his wife and manager, Elliot Roberts.

As usual, Saturday’s acoustic package featured some of the most celebrated names in contemporary pop-rock, from fellow Hall of Fame member Lou Reed to Metallica, the Smashing Pumpkins, Blues Traveler and the Dave Matthews Band.

But the most newsworthy element of the eight-hour affair was the resurfacing of Alanis Morissette after a lengthy concert hiatus following the whirlwind success of her 1995 album, “Jagged Little Pill.” Not only is that collection headed toward the 20-million sales mark, but the songs--notably the furious “You Oughta Know”--also defined a ‘90s “angry young woman” movement in pop-rock.

From the evidence Saturday, the 23-year-old singer-songwriter seems to be adjusting to the expectations and other pressures of that success quite well.

She appeared extremely comfortable as she walked on stage with her three-piece band, and except for the opening “All I Really Want,” she avoided the temptation to stick to the safe, hit material. Instead, she served up three new songs as part of a mini- set that ended with a strikingly confident version of the Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood.”

The new songs--”Gorgeous,” “London” and the tentatively titled “Pray for Peace”--reflected an artist trying to explore new ground. They did, however, share welcome traits with the “Pill” tunes, chiefly accessibility and point of view. Morissette hopes to have her new album ready by spring.

Metallica also turned in a delightfully revealing set, mixing its own songs and such disarming material as Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Tuesday’s Gone.” The hard-rock quartet displayed such a playful yet surprisingly soulful side that it ought to consider an acoustic sequence amid the full-tilt aggression of its arena shows.

The Smashing Pumpkins, who closed the program, concentrated wisely on compact arrangements rather than the extended jams that they sometimes favor in concert. While the group leaned heavily on formal versions of hits from its album “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness,” it let its hair down appealingly (no easy task for the shaven-headed Billy Corgan) by bringing out shock-rockers Marilyn Manson and his bandmate Twiggy Ramirez for a couple of numbers.

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While Blues Traveler (whose John Popper played harmonica with several of the other acts) and the Dave Matthews Band, especially, drew some of the day’s strongest response from the crowd, their sets tended to be one-dimensional--like paintings with lots of attractive colors but no compelling central idea.

Reed’s turn with a three-piece band was muscular and intense, showcasing two ambitious new songs about the mysteries of love. Kacy Crowley, a hard-edged singer-songwriter out of Austin, Texas, asserted a strong presence in the “newcomer” slot.

Young took a reduced role in the show, putting himself in the middle of the lineup rather than in the customary closing spot. But his version of “Mother Earth,” backed by Mickey Raphael on harmonica, was one of the concert’s highlights.

As Young sang about caring for the environment and for children, the rear of the stage was filled by more than a dozen of the Bridge School’s students, all in wheelchairs, their parents at their sides. The performance--and a photo of that tableau--would be ideal for a second volume of a Bridge School Concert benefit album. A first volume, featuring live tracks by such artists as David Bowie, Tom Petty, Pearl Jam and Beck, is due from Reprise Records next month and is expected to raise more than $1 million for the Bridge School.