Such was the electricity that the benefit concert brought to life with an incredible roster of musicians who were as dynamic as one could have predicted. The three-hour-plus revue, which moves to New York’s Beacon Theatre on Wednesday, was the brainchild of Burnett, the producer who enlisted an array of musicians he has worked with, and a few he simply admires.
The ground rules were simple: With a few exceptions, most everyone played only songs they’ve recorded with Burnett, ensuring the evening was fresh and unique. Burnett’s presence felt like it often comes across on record — minimal but essential. He briefly plugged the new documentary “Waiting for ‘Superman,’ ’’ which looks at the need for education reform in public schools, but indicated early on that everyone was here for the music.
The first act was smartly curated to intersperse rising acts with legendary ones, meaning if you didn’t like the virtuosic bluegrass quintet Punch Brothers (but how could you not?), Mellencamp was just a few songs away.
Costello served as an amiable host, kicking the show off with “Brilliant Mistake,’’ flanked by Elson and the Secret Sisters clustered around a microphone. Led by mandolinist Chris Thile, Punch Brothers were in fine rhythmic form — particularly on a raucous take on Jimmie Rodgers’s “The Brakeman’s Blues’’ — and later added some texture to other performers’ sets.
Meanwhile, Costello was right about the Secret Sisters in his introduction: They certainly did turn the crowd on its ear with their intertwined harmonies, never so beautiful as on a soaring rendition of Bill Monroe’s “The One I Love Is Gone.’’ British-born Elson was more ethereal, a vision of spooky Americana rendered right out of a Coen brothers film — floor-length white dress, flame-red hair, and a voice that could have used some color of its own.
