Photo: joonbug.com
Sixty thousand people filled Central Park’s Great Lawn on Saturday, September 29 to raise awareness for extreme poverty—and listen to some music too. The Global Citizen Festival, billed to be the largest syndicated charity concert in online and broadcast TV history, featured performances by Neil Young, Crazy Horse, Foo Fighters, The Black Keys, Band of Horses, and K’Naan.
The show started up around 5 p.m. with K’Naan, a Somali singer, who rapped about growing up in Harlem and dealing with the INS before transitioning into his hit song “Wavin’ Flag.” Next up, John Legend came on to play John Lennon—an acoustic rendition of “Imagine”—followed by Band of Horses. Once The Black Keys took the stage and the sun came down, the crowd got rowdy, which lasted until Neil Young closed with “Crazy Horse” at the end of the night.
A ton of celebrity changemakers spoke to the crowd between sets. Katie Couric, Erin Heatherton, and Olivia Wilde all urged concertgoers to support women’s access to healthcare and medical support. “Every girl has the power to change her own fate!” Wilde screamed. Help change someone else’s by getting involved here.
