Stipe, Bright Eyes rock against war in Iraq

NEW YORK (Billboard) - R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe, Bright Eyes,

Rufus Wainwright, Fischerspooner, Public Enemy's Chuck D,

Devendra Banhart and Peaches have signed on for "Bring 'Em Home Now," a March 20 concert at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom.

The event is tied to the third anniversary of the United States' invasion of

Iraq and will feature a speech by antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan.

Proceeds will benefit Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace.

Janeane Garofalo's Air America Radio show "The Majority Report" will broadcast live from the show and feature interviews with the performers.

"It is impossible not to react to the current state of affairs through personal action and artistic production," Fischerspooner's Casey Spooner says. "We have been at war for three years. One desperately feels the need for someone to speak some sort of truth, either poetic or factual."

Afterward, Sheehan and authors to be announced will embark on a speaking tour, which will visit 15 U.S. cities in April.

Reuters/Billboard