Love Rocks NYC, the over-the-top annual benefit concert, returned to New York’s Beacon Theatre on Thursday for its eighth edition. This year’s concert raised $3.8 million for God’s Love We Deliver, which will allow the organization to deliver 380,000 meals to New Yorkers living with severe illnesses, and featured an A-list lineup of musicians and comedians ranging from Dave Grohl to Tracy Morgan, Tom Morello to Martin Short, Nile Rodgers to Jim Gaffigan, The Black Keys to Conan O’Brien.
“God’s Love We Deliver is unique in New York City,” the organization’s president/CEO, David Ludwigson, said from the stage. “We are the only non-profit provider of medically tailored meals. We started as an AIDS services organization nearly 39 years ago, and now we cook and home deliver medically tailored meals, to people living with more than 200 different diagnoses.” Love Rocks NYC is a similarly unique New York phenomenon, an annual display of star power that consistently delivers once-in-a-lifetime moments for music fans in the so-called “center of the universe.”
Per Love Rocks tradition, Thursday’s four-hour plus show stretched past midnight as a parade of legends and rising talents took turns holding the Beacon’s attention. Whether they were showing off prized jewels from their own repertoires (like Don Felder‘s pair of Eagles classics, Dave Grohl’s moving “Everlong”, Marcus King‘s soul-stirring “Wildflowers & Wine”, The Black Keys’ lively “Lonely Boy”, or Hozier‘s spiritual “Take Me To Church”) or showing love to the artists that inspired them (like Grohl’s “Live and Let Die”, Quinn Sullivan‘s “Dear Prudence”, Betteye LaVette‘s “Things Have Changed”, Hozier and Allison Russell‘s “Living for the City”, The Struts‘ Luke Spiller‘s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, and more), the gathered stars seemed to put everything they had into their brief appearances. Throughout the night, each one brimmed with gratitude for the noble efforts being served—and, of course, for the amazing Love Rocks NYC house band behind them. (Endless shoutouts to music director Will Lee, Larry Campbell, Steve Gadd, Eric Krasno, Pedrito Martinez, Shawn Pelton, and the rest of the ensemble, as well as the God’s Love Singers and the We Deliver Horns. A blowout of this magnitude would not be possible without a band as mighty as this one.)
Even knowing the list of names on hand ahead of time, the collaborations on the Beacon stage made for numerous surprising moments on Thursday evening. In the context of music and culture writ large, the collective magnitude of the various crossovers was extraordinary. In the context of this event, however, the collabs simply continued a long line of monumental moments spread across eight benefit blowouts, a testament to the artistic community the event has helped facilitate over the years: Conan O’Brien playing guitar and singing alongside Jimmy Vivino on Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds”? Naturally. The Eagles‘ Don Felder rocking the “Hotel California” solo on his double-neck guitar with Larry Campbell on the Joe Walsh harmony lines? Of course. Trombone Shorty, Ivan Neville, and Joss Stone turning Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” into a soulful New Orleans slow-burn? Sure, that tracks. Marcus King and New York Yankees legend Bernie Williams trading licks on a Tina Turner-style “Proud Mary”? We were due for our annual Bernie sighting. Lucius, Allison Russell, and Emily King harmonizing on CSNY’s “Teach Your Children Well”? Sounds like a hoot. The Black Keys with Marcus King on Motown classic “I Heard It Through The Grapevine?” They’re all here, might as well.
That kind of mingling of great musical minds has consistently put each eye-popping Love Rocks lineup over the top year in and year out.
It wouldn’t be Love Rocks without some laughs, either, and the evening’s many notable masters of ceremony—including Bill Murray, Conan O’Brien, Jim Gaffigan, Tracy Morgan, and Martin Short—consistently kept the crowd chuckling between performances. Martin Short had particular fun ribbing O’Brien and Gaffigan for their Irish pastiness. (“I would have snorted you in the ’80s … You look like the human personification of the state of Utah.”)
The always irreverent Morgan drove home the evening’s “New Yorker resilience” factor, reminding the audience that John Lennon referred to New York as “Rome,” fawning over seeing Bernie Williams play guitar (he used to hawk pretzels, scalp tickets, and sell, uh, other things outside Yankee Stadium years ago), and underscoring the communal joy at the event’s core with his actions (watching him lose his mind to Joss Stone’s cover of Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It” from the stage right wings was an undeniable highlight of the night).
The immensity of the star power in the building only seemed to grow as the show went on. Tom Morello, the innovative guitarist of Rage Against The Machine fame, captivated the crowd with haunting vocals and feedback-laced, “how is he doing that?” guitar technique on Bruce Springsteen’s “The Ghost of Tom Joad” (a RATM favorite), then went folk and recruited Larkin Poe, Allison Russell, and Luke Spiller for a rousing rendition of Woody Guthrie protest anthem “This Land Is Your Land” (complete with a history lesson on the song’s censored final verse). A grinning Dave Grohl mused about how he was just added to this show the other day ahead of Foo Fighters classic “Everlong” (“Usually end the set with this one, but we’ll start here,” he said), then used his wardrobe choice as a metaphor for his nerves ahead of a rousing cover of Paul McCartney & Wings’ “Live and Let Die” (We think that jacket fit you just right, Dave).
An iridescent Nile Rodgers, the legendary guitarist and producer, showed off both his effortless cool and generational impact on popular music with a famous track he produced and co-composed, Sister Sledge smash “We Are Family”, then reminded the audience of Chic‘s M.O. (peace, love, and good times) with “Good Times”. To close the night, Rodgers led an all-hands-on-deck (and Grohl’s-hands-on-drumsticks) rendition of yet another timeless anthem he helped create, David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”.
Prior to the final performance, Love Rocks NYC co-producer Greg Williamson captured the spirit of the night. Appearing alongside co-producers John Varvatos and Nicole Rechter, he explained, “We love this city, we love music, and we love bringing people together.” Here’s to another fantastic Love Rocks NYC, and here’s to upholding those tenets for years to come.
Click below to view a detailed setlist fromLove Rocks NYC 2024 and scroll down to view a selection of photos and videos from the unforgettable evening.
Founded in 1985 as a response to the AIDS pandemic, the non-sectarian organization continues to serve a vital role in the NYC community: In 2022, with the help of thousands of volunteers, God’s Love home-delivered more than 3.2 million medically tailored meals to nearly 11,000 individuals living with more than 200 different diagnoses. To donate or learn more about how to get involved with God’s Love We Deliver, head here.
Marcus King w/ Bernie Williams – “Proud Mary” (John Fogerty, in the style of Tina Turner) – 3/7/24
Tom Morello w/ Larkin Poe, Allison Russell, Luke Spiller – “This Land Is Your Land” (Woody Guthrie) – 3/7/24
Dave Grohl – “Everlong” (Foo Fighters), “Live and Let Die” (Paul McCartney & Wings) [Pro-Shot] – 3/7/24
The Black Keys w/ Marcus King – “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” – 3/7/24
[Video: Michael Weinbaum]
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