Michael Stipe, Brandi Carlile, and Josh Homme Cover Classics at Private Hamptons Gathering

On June 27, the Gansett Games — an annual Amagansett field day bankrolled by crypto investor Mike Novogratz and once referenced on Billions — closed with a set of covers that felt more like a rehearsal for a rock history revue than a casual party stunt.

Michael Stipe and Brandi Carlile shared a microphone for “Suspicious Minds,” the Elvis Presley lament transformed into a ragged, conversational duet. Josh Homme leaned into Tom Petty’s “Running Down A Dream” with his usual lurching precision. Charlotte Lawrence took on Blondie’s “Heart of Glass,” and former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer also performed. Through it all, a house band anchored by drummer Chad Smith and producer Andrew Watt — who played with Stipe on Kimmel weeks ago — handled the turns without polishing away the lo-fi feel.

Smith and Watt routinely stage short-notice gigs at the Stephen Talkhouse, the Hamptons bar that has long served as an unlikely crossroads for touring musicians and weekenders. Here, the guest list was dictated by one man’s network, not a promoter’s poster. The result was a private show that avoided the sterility of most charity galas, instead landing somewhere between a soundcheck and a genuine tribute.

The songs themselves were crowd-tested enough to blur the boundary between homage and karaoke, but the lineup’s weight gave the afternoon a specific gravity. It was less a concert than a reminder that certain rock songs still hold currency in places where money alone can’t buy them.