Watch Keith Richards, Ann Wilson, Billy Gibbons + More at Love Rocks NYC! Benefit Concert
An incredible array of talent came together at New York's Beacon Theatre on Thursday night (March 15). The second annual Love Rocks NYC!, a benefit for God's Love We Deliver, saw performances by Keith Richards, Billy Gibbons, Ann Wilson, Donald Fagen, Mavis Staples, Emmylou Harris, Warren Haynes, Robert Cray, Gary Clark Jr., Marc Cohn, Norah Jones, Trombone Shorty and many others.
The lineup created mix-and-match opportunities throughout the night. Richards sang "Make No Mistake" with Jones, and "Happy," with guitar help from Cray and Clark. For "Sharp Dressed Man," Gibbons was joined by tennis legend and occasional guitar player John McEnroe, whose wife, Patty Smyth, was also on the bill. Gibbons, Clark and Jimmie Vaughan also jammed on Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Pride and Joy."
McEnroe wasn't even the only sports star on the stage. Former New York Yankees centerfielder Bernie Williams riffed on guitar while Wilson sang Heart's "Barracuda" and Led Zeppelin's "The Immigrant Song." Fagen performed a pair of his Steely Dan classics, "Aja" and "Reelin' in the Years."
They were all backed by a band that included Paul Shaffer, his longtime bassist Will Lee, who served as the musical director, guitarist Larry Campbell and session drummers Steve Gadd and Shawn Pelton, as well as a horn section and backup singers. Whoopi Goldberg served as the host for the evening and Bill Murray also stopped by to make an appeal for more cash from the audience. You can see video from the evening below.
According to Jambase, the evening raised more than $2 million for God's Love We Deliver, an organization that prepares and delivers, free of charge, "nutritious, high-quality meals to people who, because of their illness, are unable to provide or prepare meals for themselves." They also "provide illness-specific nutrition education and counseling to our clients, families, care providers and other service organizations." This past September, they delivered their 20 millionth meal. You can learn more about them at their website.