Hurricane Sandy
| Effects by region |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Other | ||
| Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Benefit concert |
| Starring | Christina Aguilera Jon Bon Jovi Billy Joel Jimmy Fallon Steven Tyler Joe Perry Brad Whitford Sting Mary J. Blige Bruce Springsteen |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 1 hour |
| Original release | |
| Release | November 2, 2012 |
Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together was a one-hour, commercial-free benefit concert television special that aired simulcast in the United States on November 2, 2012 at 8 p.m. ET/CT live from New York City and tape delayed MT and PT.[1] The special raised money for the relief efforts from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which had struck the U.S. Northeast four days earlier.[2] All proceeds went to the American Red Cross.[2]
The concert was an effort of NBC and its affiliated channels, and its origins lay with Today show anchor Matt Lauer suggesting it to NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke.[1] It featured appearances and musical performances mostly by those associated with the affected areas, especially New Jersey and New York.[2][3] At least one, Long Island's Billy Joel, had properties damaged by the storm.[4] Organization for the production was put together in a hurry, in the face of logistical and transportation difficulties in the wake of the storm.[4]
The event took place at The Dr. Oz Show's Studio 6A at the NBC Studios in 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York before a small audience.[2][4] The event followed somewhat in the manner and format of Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast, which raised money for the relief efforts from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and other recent disaster relief telethons.
Approximately $23 million was raised by Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together for the American Red Cross.[5]
The running order of musical performances was:[6]
Spoken appearances were made by Matt Lauer, Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, Brian Williams, Danny DeVito, Al Roker, Whoopi Goldberg, and Kevin Bacon.[6] Clips from NBC News were also aired, showing some of the physical and emotional devastation the storm had caused.[2][6]
Some of the musical acts made their own remarks before their songs, including Aguilera, who opened the show by stating that she was born in Staten Island.[3] Performances were generally stripped-down arrangements of old songs that either reflected feelings of distress or expressed sympathy and offered hope and encouragement;[2] Rolling Stone wrote that the songs "sometimes seemed written for the occasion".[3] In addition, Joel and Blige both modified their songs' lyrics to fit what had taken place.[2] Some microphone failures marked the group rendition of "Under the Boardwalk", the main lead vocal for which was given to Fallon, inspiring a bit of jocularity in the otherwise somber program.[2]