The Concert for New York City
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The Concert for New York City was a benefit concert, featuring many famous musicians, that took place on October 20, 2001 at Madison Square Garden in New York City in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. Most of the attendees were families and fellow members of the New York Fire Department and New York Police Department, honoring those lost in the attacks and those who had worked in the ongoing rescue and recovery efforts in the weeks since then.
The concert was organized by Paul McCartney and included many of his legendary British contemporaries, including Mick Jagger with Keith Richards, The Who, David Bowie, Elton John, and Eric Clapton. American artists included Bon Jovi, Jay-Z, Destiny's Child, the Backstreet Boys, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Melissa Etheridge, Five for Fighting, and John Mellencamp with Kid Rock, as well as an "Operaman" performance by Adam Sandler, singing about Osama Bin Laden being a coward. Various celebrities and political figures appeared in between the acts.
Firefighter Mike Moran's speech that evening can be said to have signaled the change in the mood of the American people from that of grief to that of rage. [citation needed]
The crowd itself was extremely emotional, with family members and colleagues holding up portraits of lost ones and a good amount of beer being consumed. Three of the speakers were booed: actress Susan Sarandon (for plugging New York mayoralty candidate Mark Green), actor Richard Gere (for speaking about non-violence), and New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (before saying anything at all). Hillary Clinton did not overtly acknowledge the reaction, and spoke over the noise of the crowd by raising her voice. (In constrast, President Bill Clinton also appeared, but was positively received by the crowd.) Richard Gere did acknowledge the crowd's jeering of his peaceful stance, stating, "I know that sentiment isn't popular right now, but that's okay." [citation needed]
Musically, the audience responded most fervently to The Who, especially as they came on stage with a roiling "Who Are You". Other highlights included David Bowie's opening tandem of Paul Simon's "America" and his own "Heroes", dedicated to his local ladder company, Bon Jovi's "It's My Life", Billy Joel's eerily accurate "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)" where Joel says after singing it, "I wrote that song 25 years ago as a science fiction song never thinking it would be a reality, but unlike the end of that song, WE AINT GOIN' ANYWHERE!!" Elton John's sentimental "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters", John Mellencamp's and Kid Rock's vamp on "Pink Houses", and Paul McCartney's closing new song, "Freedom".
The concert also included several short films made by New York City's most notable filmmakers - Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, and Spike Lee.
The concert was broadcast live on VH1, and over $35 million was raised. An additional $275,000 was also raised with a connecting auction. A one hour highlight show was broadcast on CBS the following month. An album and DVD of the event was released in January 2002.
In 2004 Rolling Stone magazine selected this concert, along with the earlier America: A Tribute to Heroes telethon, as one of the 50 moments that changed rock and roll.
