Love Rocks NYC at the Beacon Theatre

Chris and Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Dave Matthews, Warren Haynes, Jackson Browne, Leon Bridges, Joss Stone, Emily King, Cyndi Lauper and many other artists agreed to perform at the fourth annual benefit concert for God's Love, We Deliver at the Beacon Theatre on March 12, 2020. What no one anticipated was that a health pandemic would be brewing about that time. Rather than cancel the concert, the promoters cancelled the audience a few hours before show time. The artists would perform, but ticket holders were asked to stream the program instead of attending in person. The theater's doors were open only to core artist personnel, event staff, essential team staff, credentialed media, and immediate family.

Unseen by the public, Alan Kalter, the announcer from Late Night with David Letterman, introduced the artists. The four-hour concert opened with Cyndi Lauper in front of closed velvet curtains performing "True Colors" on an Appalachian dulcimer and backed by a 13-piece string section.

The audience watched a video about the work of the not-for-profit organization. Then the curtains opened and the house band was in place. Led by musical director and bassist Will Lee, the house band consisted of New York's top session musicians: guitarist Eric Krasno, multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell, keyboardists Ricky Peterson and Jeff Young, and the drummers Steve Gadd and Shawn Pelton. For many songs, the core band was augmented by a six-piece horn section and six backup vocalists.

Emily King impressed with her vocal range on her own "Look at Me Now." 

Macy Gray covered Radiohead's "Creep," with Larry Campbell interjecting a stinging guitar solo.

Joss Stone covered Big Brother & the Holding Company's "Piece Of My Heart."

The music paused so that God's Love We Deliver President and CEO Karen Pearl could speak to the audience both in the venue and online, rallying support by comparing how the current pandemic was similar to the AIDS epidemic that launched God's Love We Deliver 35 years ago.

Guitarists Jimmie Vaughan and Jimmy Vivino, along with keyboardist Mike Flanigan, performed "That's Why You Got Me Crying" with the house band.

Guitarist Sue Foley then joined Vaughan, Vivino and the house band for a cover of "Let The Good Times Roll."

Jackson Browne came on stage not to perform but to introduce his friend, pianist Marc Cohn, who sang his own "Walk Through the World."

Leon Bridges sang "Bad Bad News," which was punctuated by a guitar solo from Eric Krasno, after which Bridges slowed the tempo to sing his own "River."

The husband and wife duo of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Blount-Trotter, known professionally as the War and Treaty, made its Love Rocks NYC debut. Before singing, Blount-Trotter dedicated the song to the veterans, including her husband, who served two tours of duty in Iraq. They then performed "Hey, Pretty Moon."

Marcus King covered Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home To Me" and his own "Beautiful Stranger."

Jackson Browne on piano with percussionist Pedrito Martinez jammed on Browne's "Doctor, My Eyes."

Joss Stone and Marcus King joined Browne, Martinez and the houseband for an ensemble version of Stephen Stills' "Love the One You're With."

Ms. Liza Fischer, who sang backup for the Rolling Stones, sang an emotive interpretation of the Stones' "Wild Horses."

Warren Haynes covered U2's "One."

Guitarists Jimmy Vivino, Derek Trucks, and Marcus King then jammed with Haynes extensively on Derek & The Dominos' "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?"

Dave Matthews performed a solo acoustic version of "Don't Drink The Water." The house band returned with Pedrito Martinez for a rocking "Ants Marching, with Larry Campbell on fiddle and Jeff Coffin on soprano saxophone, leading to a percussion duel between Gadd, Martinez and Pelton. Matthews then unstrapped his guitar to lead a vocal cover of Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer."

Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, along with Pedrito Martinez and Paul Shaffer, led the house band in Aretha Franklin's "I Never Loved a Man (The Way That I Loved You)" and the Boxtops' "The Letter," performed Joe Cocker-style.

A long-bearded David Letterman reunited with his former musical director, Paul Shaffer.

Letterman asked Shaffer if Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks would perform Dan Penn's "Dark End of the Street," which they did. Jackson Browne and Shaffer joined them.

Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes, accompanied by keyboardist Ivan Neville of the Neville Brothers, closed with "Jealous Again" and "She Talks to Angels." The closing song, Otis Redding's "Hard To Handle," saw several of the musicians jamming on extended solos.

The entire cast then came on stage to join in the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love."

Since its foundation in 1985, the mission of God’s Love We Deliver has been to improve the health and well-being of men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses by alleviating hunger and malnutrition. Thanks to the help of an army of volunteers, the agency cooks and home delivers 1.9 million meals each year free of charge to New York City residents who are too ill to cook for themselves.