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----------( Musical Chairs ) R.E.M., SHAWN COLVIN, CIBO MATTO, PHILIP GLASS AND OTHERS MIX IT UP AT THE TIBET HOUSE BENEFIT CONCERT. BY JONATHAN COHEN | Although world policy on the issue of Tibetan freedom has yet to change, there remains a group of activists who will not let the plight fade into the background, and the music industry is leading the charge. The annual Tibetan Freedom Concerts have served as a soapbox for artists such as the Beastie Boys and R.E.M., and the Tibet House benefit in New York City, which graced Carnegie Hall Monday night, is now in its 11th year. Although much thinner on pure rock 'n' roll than the Freedom Concerts, the Tibet House shows have always fostered unique onstage collaborations, and Monday's performance was no exception. Composer Philip Glass, the vice president of Tibet House, hosted and performed at the event, inviting Tibetan performance group Chaksam-Pa onstage for a colorful ritual dance before Cibo Matto took over just before 8 p.m. Set to release a long-awaited follow-up to the band's 1996 debut "Viva La Woman!" Miho Hatori and Yuka Honda got the show off on the right foot. Backed by Sean Lennon on bass and beat-boxer Duma Love, the band offered the evening's most electrifying moment with the hyperactive funk of "Sugar Water." But Love's mouth magic was the only percussion needed for a soft cover of Henry Mancini's "Moon River." Guests drifted on- and offstage all night long, reinforcing the benefit's team effort. Shawn Colvin followed Cibo Matto with "84,000 Different Delusions," a dark and lovely track from her 1996 "A Few Small Repairs" album. Colvin was joined by R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck for a steady rendition of Crowded House's "Personal Universe" before she made way for the rest of R.E.M. With R.E.M. came Patti Smith, a mainstay at this benefit over the past few years. Smith's haunting backup vocals were showcased on R.E.M.'s dreary "E-Bow the Letter," which suffered through singer Michael Stipe's barely audible verses. R.E.M. settled into a better groove on a surprising cover of Pearl Jam's "Long Road," accented by Nawang Khechog's otherworldly horn tones. A short but sweet "At My Most Beautiful," from the band's most recent album, "Up," featured both Glass and R.E.M.'s Mike Mills on piano and some semi-tuneful backup singing by Colvin. Gambian musician Foday Musa Suso was one of the concert's highlights, playing the kora solo and in ensemble with Glass and Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio. Suso made the most of the kora's incredible tonal range on his hypnotizing solo piece, and added a delicately fingerpicked counterpoint to Anastasio's guitar lead on Phish's "Brian and Robert." Anastasio was clearly the crowd favorite. Pianist Peter Kater assisted him for a beautifully slow-building rendering of "Billy Breathes," the title track of Phish's 1996 LP. Smith kicked the energy up a few notches on the caustic "1959," a song about the initial Chinese takeover of Tibet, as well as with a brand new song that took aim at the recent shooting death of an unarmed African man by police in New York City. The evening concluded with each of the show's performers onstage for an appropriately hard-hitting "People Have the Power," a Smith classic that found the capacity crowd singing along at top volume. Mixing music and social activism can sometimes be tricky, but judging by the enthusiasm shown for Monday's performance -- onstage and off- -- it's clear that the Tibet House and its supporters have their hearts in the right place. SALON | Feb. 25, 1999 Jonathan Cohen is a freelance music writer in New York.