Love Rocks NYC is back for the fifth year in a row, benefitting God's Love We Deliver and its mission to provide essential services to New Yorkers in need.
The annual benefit concert is always one of the city's most star-studded. It will be presented by the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation on Thursday, June 3, from the historic Beacon Theatre and live-streamed worldwide for free courtesy of Fans.Live.
The all-star lineup includes Sara Bareilles, Joe Bonamassa, Jon Bon Jovi, Gary Clark Jr., Billy F. Gibbons, Warren Haynes, Emily King, Ledisi, Pedrito Martinez, Tash Neal, Fantastic Negrito, Ivan Neville, Robert Randolph, Nathaniel Rateliff, Jimmy Vivino, Yola and more.
The show is executive produced by John Varvatos, Greg Williamson and Nicole Rechter, and it will be hosted by Jeff Garlin, Michael Imperioli, Bernie Williams and special guest Tina Fey.
"This year, in addition to raising money for God's Love, we're honoring all frontline heroes in New York City, who obviously have stepped up in such a major way during the pandemic," Williamson told Q104.3 New York's Jim Kerr Rock and Roll Morning Show on Wednesday. "It's going to be a really magical year for us. And in true Love Rocks form, we have some new, incredible artists to welcome to the Love Rock's family — and some of our friends that are coming back — to make it a real party for us and to make that really warm and tremendous feeling of coming together and playing music together."
It's all to support and celebrate one of New York City's most cherished not-for-profit organizations, God's Love We Deliver, now in its 36th year, dealing with another unprecedented crisis.
"It's been an extraordinary time, as you can imagine," Karen Pearl, President and CEO of GLWD, told Q104.3. "Literally overnight, we've just had to switch everything, change all of our protocols, start sanitizing everything, social distance, wearing masks and on and on and on. But the one thing that hasn't changed, of course, is the love that goes into everything that we do for our clients."
Founded during the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, God's Love We Deliver home-delivers nutritious, medically tailored meals to clients living with severe illness.
Thanks to the livestream, music fans can enjoy the Love Rocks NYC concert from anywhere with an Internet connection. All you have to do is sign up for a free link to the livestream. A $20 donation buys at least two meals for New Yorkers in need.
Since launching the concert benefit in 2017, Love Rocks NYC has raised more than $13 million and funded more than 1.3 million life-sustaining meals for New Yorkers living with severe illness.
Pearl says God's Love We Deliver has been busier than ever during the pandemic-related shutdowns. The morning after New York City declared a State of Emergency last March, GLWD got 3,400 calls from people who didn't know how they were going to get their next meal.
GWLD never turns away someone who asks for help, and during the height of the shutdowns, the organization delivered over 10,000 meals every weekday.
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