User:FeldBum/sandbox/Love Rocks

Love Rocks NYC is an annual benefit concert, first held in 2017, that benefits non-profit God’s Love We Deliver. The concert is held at the Beacon Theatre in New York City and was founded by menswear designer John Varvatos, Nicole Rechter and Greg Williamson.

History
The annual concert was started in 2017 by Varvatos, Rechter and Williamson, who came up with the idea after speaking together at a fundraising dinner for God’s We Deliver, of which Williamson is a board member. The concert raises money for the charity, which provides meals for those too sick to make, purchase or prepare meals themselves.

The concert features different musicians and presenters every year. The house band, led by Will Lee with members Paul Shaffer, Eric Krasno, Larry Campbell, Steve Gadd and Shawn Pelton, plays every year.

The inaugural event was held at the Beacon Theatre on March 9, 2017.

As of June 2020, the event has raised $9 million in proceeds and has funded one million meals.

2017
The inaugural lineup included the following artists and presenters:

The 2017 festival raised $1.5 million.
 * Jackson Browne
 * Joe Walsh
 * Bruce Willis
 * Sam Moore
 * Anthony Hamilton
 * Aaron Neville
 * Mavis Staples
 * Michael McDonald
 * Bill Murray
 * Susan Tedeschi
 * Derek Trucks
 * Warren Haynes
 * CeCe Winans
 * Gary Clark, Jr.

2018
The second show took place on March 15, 2018 and was hosted by Whoopi Goldberg.

Performers and presenters included:


 * Bill Murray
 * Norah Jones
 * Emmylou Harris
 * Ziggy Marley
 * Patty Smyth
 * Lucinda Williams
 * Mavis Staples
 * Marc Cohn
 * Billy Gibbons
 * Gary Clark Jr.
 * Donald Fagen
 * Keith Richards

The 2018 festival raised $2 million.

2019
The 2019 show took place on March 7, 2019, which coincided with the 34th anniversary of the founding of God’s Love We Deliver. It was hosted by Bill Murray and Martin Short. Goldberg was also scheduled to host, but pulled out due to health reasons.

The show featured presenters and artists like:


 * Hozier
 * Sheryl Crow
 * Robert Plant
 * Lukas Nelson
 * Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart
 * Buddy Guy
 * Bernie Williams

The 2019 festival raised $2.3 million.

2020
The 4th annual Love Rocks NYC took place on March 12, 2020 as a restricted attendance-only event and all performances were live-streamed. The evening’s emcees were Paul Shaffer and Tamara Tunie and late-night television host David Letterman made a surprise appearance.

The lineup included:


 * Dave Matthews
 * Chris and Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes
 * Cyndi Lauper
 * Jackson Browne
 * Leon Bridges
 * Warren Haynes
 * Joss Stone
 * Marcus King
 * Susan Tedeschi
 * Derek Trucks

The event raised $3 million, all of which went to God’s Love We Deliver, as expenses were underwritten by The Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation.