An Easygoing Night With Sting, John and Downey at Benefit

Robert Downey Jr. has certainly had some good breaks and second chances, so it’s nice to see him scoring breaks for others. Downey spearheaded “Silver Lining Silver Lake,” a pair of concerts benefiting the Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic, beginning Thursday on the grounds of the lavish Paramour Estate in Silver Lake with a show headlined by his pals Elton John and Sting.

But Downey got a couple of breaks himself Thursday, as both of the English stars, who had anchored John’s AIDS benefit Wednesday at the Universal Amphitheatre, let the actor duet with them. Downey, who showed off his pipes on “Ally McBeal” last season, proved a credible partner on John’s rueful new song “I Want Love” and Sting’s Police classic “Every Breath You Take.”

The privilege didn’t come free, as the host had to endure some ribbing from Sting, who introduced their pairing by saying, “I’ll do a line and you’ll do a line-but not cocaine.”

It was that kind of night, with more intimacy and less formality than at the already intimate and casual Universal show. Sting was especially frisky as he and his band played semi-acoustic, lounge-jazzy versions of some of his biggest hits, peppered with jokey banter. But it was John, opening the night alone at the piano, who again provided the most poignancy while shifting from AIDS’ global perspective to Thursday’s local focus. Where his previous night’s set framed the 20-year presence of AIDS between somber new songs and celebratory ‘70s hits, the Silver Lake selections-with just four of 11 songs repeats-centered on such portrayals of help on an individual level as “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” and “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.”

Few of the nearly 2,000 people, who had paid $250 and up per ticket, remained after Sting for a set by singer-songwriter Deborah Falconer (Downey’s former girlfriend and mother of his child) and her band. Even fewer heard Daniel Lanois send bracing electric guitar soundscapes and lilting folk-based vocals into the night.

A second show was scheduled for Friday with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beck and Aimee Mann among the performers. A concert planned for tonight at the Hollywood Palladium was canceled after headliner Third Eye Blind withdrew due to illness.