Sandy Benefit Concert Highlights: Bruce Springsteen, Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney And Nirvana Hit The Mark

Sandy Benefit Concert Highlights: Bruce Springsteen, Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney And Nirvana Hit The Mark

Yesterday’s Concert For Sandy Relief (December 12, 2012) turned into a year’s worth of rock and pop headlines, all rolled into one. Not only were some of the coolest kids on the block performing (Alicia Keys, we’re looking at you), but they were doing it in tabloid-seeking style (Kanye West in a skirt, anyone?). However, it was the older statesmen of rock and roll that really grabbed the nations’ attention last night.

First up, Sir Paul McCartney, formerly of The Beatles and now, apparently… of Nirvana? Well, maybe not quite. But Sir Paul did perform with the surviving members of Nirvana – Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear, playing a new song that they had composed together, entitled ‘Cut Me Some Slack.’ It was part of a wider set performed by McCartney and allayed the fears of devout Nirvana fans, concerned that they would be performing a set of Nirvana covers, with McCartney taking the place of the late Kurt Cobain.

The Rolling Stones made an impressive, if brief, performance, playing ‘You Got Me Rocking’ and ‘Jumping Jack Flash’ before leaving the Madison Square Garden gathered crowd wanting more. Mick Jagger’s seemingly unending reserves of energy put many of the other performers to shame, even if he didn’t have to exert quite the same degree of stamina that he has had to at the band’s recent 2 hour 50th anniversary shows. “Homestate hero” Bruce Springsteen was described by New York Times as “the master of the socially conscious message that’s also a full-tilt rock concert” and last night, he didn’t disappoint. The evening ended on a rousing note, with Alicia Keys joined by a stage full of firefighters to sing ‘Empire State Of Mind Part II,’ with its appropriate chorus of “This is New York… concrete jungle where dreams are made of.” 

Watch Paul McCartney perform with Nirvana