MOUNTAIN VIEW — Strong lineups at Bridge School Benefit concerts are often overshadowed by the cause for the annual event; the kids with severe physical and learning impairments at the school started by Bay Area rocker Neil Young and his wife, Pegi.

Saturday, at the first of two 25th event anniversary concerts, one of the arguably strongest lineups ever was also enhanced by the significance of the event.

Artists such as Arcade Fire, Dave Matthews, Eddie Vedder and Mumford & Sons made numerous references to the hard work put in by the Youngs to open and fund the Hillsborough school, and the fans appeared happy to be a part of the occasion.

The performances at the seven-hour show were good but not spectacular, however, with a majority of the crowd remaining seated until Carlos Santana and his new Latin jazz-rock band, Los Invisibles, took the stage a third of the way through the show at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View.

Neil and Pegi Young made a point to thank event organizers and fans for making Bridge School one of the most successful centers of education for children with disabilities in the world. Perhaps that’s why Young started and ended the concert with a cover of the Youngbloods’ “Get Together.”

After an opening two songs by Young, Devendra Banhart and Norah Jones followed and failed to connect with the crowd. Jones performed songs from her country-bluegrass Little Willies side-project rather than the hits many of her fans were accustomed to. Covers of Dolly Parton’s iconic “Jolene,” and Hank Williams’ “Lovesick Blues,” and Little Willies’ original “The Streets of Baltimore,” led by vocalist Richard Julian, were the only songs to register a reaction.

Beck came next, playing his third Bridge show. Rather than playing his alt-rock hits, he chose to focus his song selection on underrated 2002 folk album “Sea Change.”

Although he said he was performing songs like “The Golden Age” and “Guess I’m Doing Fine” for the first time in a decade, word has it he used a Napa gig last week as a rehearsal for the Bridge School shows. The versatile musician was also joined on stage by Young on “Pocahontas,” a 1979 Young tune.

Santana was the first act of the evening to acknowledge his pop songbook. Although his band began with an instrumental number with snippets of “Greensleeves” and other classical bits, it quickly slipped into a best-of 1999’s “Supernatural.”

He got off to a fiery start with “Africa Bamba” and “Corazón Espinado” — the latter was capped off with a spirited drum solo by Cindy Blackman-Santana, his wife. “Maria Maria,” and an extended cut of “Smooth” closed out the lively set.

Vedder, playing his 10th Bridge School show, followed with a selection of covers and tunes from his solo projects.

He made a misstep on Young’s “Don’t Cry,” — which he restarted and got right on the second try, and tore through a bar-roomy cover of the Beatles’ “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away.” Beck came on stage for “Sleepless Nights” and Regine Chassagne of Arcade Fire joined Vedder for “Tonight You Belong to Me.”

But the audience favorite from his set came after he dedicated “Without You,” off “Ukulele Songs,” to a former Bridge student in the audience.

“She has two more college degrees than I have,” he said. “She’s my hero.”

Mumford & Sons got the loudest ovations of the night, beating out Matthews and Arcade Fire. The British folk-rockers talked little and played fast through a seven-song set most notable for new tune “Lover’s Eyes” — which was five minutes long and had three distinct movements — and the absence of the band’s most well-known song, “Little Lion Man.” Perhaps the band didn’t feel comfortable with the curse in the chorus in front of the kids.

The band appeared particular pleased when Young came on stage for one of his own songs, “Dance, Dance, Dance.”

Matthews performed with longtime collaborator Tim Reynolds, a guitarist too skilled to be a sideman. The two formed a strong tandem, however, creating a sound that appeared bigger than just two men on stage.

Following five songs from Matthews’ solo and band songbook, Young joined the two for bluesy rendition of “Oh! Susanna.”

Many in the audience began to clear out at this point, which created an anticlimactic setting for Montreal indie-pop band, and reigning Album of the Year Grammy winners, Arcade Fire’s performance. And that’s a shame because the firsttimers to the benefit concert put on one of their most unique arrangements on songs such as the slowed down to waltz-speed “Empty Room” and a take on “Wake Up” that relied more on the band’s string musicians and less on raw energy.

Still, the energy was there.

“We do not know how to not play loud,” band leader Win Butler said following “Rebellion (Lies).”

As usual, Young closed out the show with a solo set with favorites like “Heart of Gold” and “Sugar Mountain,” which he performed facing the Bridge School kids.

Follow editor Roman Gokhman at Twitter.com/RomiTheWriter.