Love Rocks NYC 2026: Paul Simon, Mary J. Blige, Hozier and Elvis Costello Assist God’s Love We Deliver

Paul Simon at the 10th annual Love Rocks NYC concert at the Beacon Theatre

16 Memorable Moments from the 10th Annual Love Rocks NYC Benefit Concert at the Beacon Theatre

Paul Simon, Mary J. Blige, Hozier, Goo Goo Dolls and Elvis Costello were among the headliners in a multi-star lineup of entertainers supporting God’s Love We Deliver at the 10th annual Love Rocks NYC concert and fundraiser at the Beacon Theatre on March 5. Unadvertised performers Mavis Staples, Joe Bonamassa, Paul Shaffer, John McEnroe, Robert Randolph and Ivan Neville of Dumpstaphunk surprised the audience of nearly 3,000 music fans. Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Warren Haynes of Gov’t Mule and the Allman Brothers Band, Jon Batiste, Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles, Trombone Shorty, Linda Perry and Preservation Hall Jazz Band also performed.

J.B. Smoove

Love Rocks NYC also utilized actors and comedians as celebrity hosts while stage hands handled set changes in the dark. In these moments, hosts entertained and pitched the audience for donations to God’s Love We Deliver. Oscar winner Julianne Moore, Golden Globe winner Bill Murray, EGOT winner Whoopi Goldberg, Emmy winner JB Smoove, former Late Night with David Letterman music director Paul Shaffer, and stand-up comedians Jeff Ross and Zarna Garg served as this year’s celebrity hosts.

Zarna Garg

Bassist Will Lee once again acted as musical director for the four-hour concert. Guitarist Eric Krasno, multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell, keyboardists Jeff Babko and Michael Bearden, percussionist Pedrito Martínez, and drummers Shawn Pelton and Steve Gadd completed the house band. The God’s Love Horns and We Deliver Singers supported the core house band.

Most of the featured guests performed two songs. In many cases, one song was a cover and the other was a song that the artist had made famous. Most of the songs, much like the artists, were staples of the second half of the 20th century. Numerous songs featured once-in-a-lifetime collaborations. Many of the highlights are listed below.

All photographs are by Getty Images for Love Rocks NYC

Trombone Shorty, Jon Batiste and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band

1. The Concert Begins with a NOLA-inspired Second Line

The concert started at 8:20 p.m. Bill Murray, Jon Batiste and Trombone Shorty led Preservation Hall Jazz Band down the center aisle of the Beacon Theatre to the stage in a traditional New Orleans second line performing “Iko Iko.” Still playing, the musicians assumed their stations, with Ivan Neville joining the ensemble for the Meters’ “Hey Pocky Way.”

Julianne Moore

2. The Concert Marked Two Milestones

Julianne Moore welcomed the audience, sharing her support for the concert’s beneficiary, God’s Love We Deliver, a New York-based not-for-profit organization that cooks and delivers free meals to the city’s home bound. Moore emphasized the evening’s two milestones. This concert celebrated Love Rocks NYC’s 10th annual fundraising concert and God’s Love We Deliver’s 40th anniversary.

Elvis Costello with Trombone Shorty

3. Elvis Costello and Trombone Shorty "Pump It Up”

Two nights before Love Rocks NYC, Elvis Costello was among the headliners at a benefit concert for Tibet House US at Carnegie Hall. This time around, he roused the audience by performing his song, “Pump It Up,” with Trombone Shorty on trombone. Towards the end of the song, Costello inserted a snippet of Bob Dylan’s similar-sounding song, 1965’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” Costello concluded his mini-set, as he often does, with a high-voltage cover of Brinsley Schwarz’s “(What’s so Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding.”

Linda Perry

4. Linda Perry of 4 Non Blondes Generates a Massive Singalong

Linda Perry of 4 Non Blondes started her segment with a cover of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun.” She then introduced 4 Non Blondes biggest hit, “What’s Up?” She explained that the song originated from disturbing relations among fellow San Franciscans in 1993, divisions she believed were arising again in the present era. She extended the performance of the complex song by inviting the audience to sing the popular refrain while the God’s Love Singers carried the counter‑melody.

Warren Haynes and Susanna Hoffs

5. Susanna Hoff of the Bangles Teams with Warren Haynes of Gov’t Mule

Susanna Hoffs, introduced as “the voice of the Bangles,” sang the Bangles’ 1986 hit “Manic Monday,” a song written by Prince under the pseudonym Christopher. She was then joined on stage by Warren Haynes for a duet on Rod Stewart’s signature song from 1971, “Maggie May.” Larry Campbell from the house band played the mandolin parts of the original recording.

Warren Haynes and Joe Bonamassa, with Larry Campbell in the background

6. Warren Haynes Introduces Surprise Guest Joe Bonamassa for a Blues Guitar Fest

Warren Haynes probably has performed at the Beacon Theatre more than any other musician in history, with the Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule and Love Rocks NYC. As Hoffs left the stage, she was replaced by surprise guest Joe Bonamassa. Haynes and Bonamassa traded vocals and guitar licks on “Statesboro Blues,” a song Haynes had performed countless times on that stage in the Allman Brothers Band.

Warren Haynes, Mavis Staples, Hozier, Elvis Costello, Will Lee

7. Surprise Guest Mavis Staples Teams with Warren Haynes, Hozier and Elvis Costello

Whoopi Goldberg introduced a second surprise guest, Mavis Staples, the last surviving member of the Staples Singers. Only five nights earlier, Staples had headlined the Beacon Theatre with her own concert. Staples last performed at Love Rocks NYC in 2022, during which she sang a duet with Hozier. This year, in a unique combination perhaps never to be repeated again, Staples and Hozier teamed with Warren Haynes and Elvis Costello to alternate verses on the Band’s “The Weight.” Staples proved to be the centerpiece of the collaboration, with Hozier literally dropping to his knees in reverence to her talent and legacy.

Bill Murray with Paul Shaffer

8. Bill Murray Sings for the First Time at a Love Rocks NYC

Bill Murray has been among the hosts at Love Rocks NYC since its inception in 2017. This year, he also became a performer. Joined by fellow Saturday Night Live alumnus Paul Shaffer on keyboards, Murray sang Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London.” He extended the song by inviting many of the house band musicians to perform an impromptu solo.

Joe Bonamassa, Billy Gibbons, Bay Melnick Virgolino

9. An 11-Year-Old Guitarist Trades Blues Guitar Licks with Billy Gibbons and Joe Bonamassa

Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top started with his band’s 1983 hit, “Sharp Dressed Man,” featuring unadvertised guest John McEnroe on second guitar. The second song, a B.B. King staple, “The Thrill Is Gone,” held a possibly bigger surprise. Joe Bonamassa and 11-year-old former America’s Got Talent contestant Bay Melnick Virgolino traded lead guitar licks with Gibbons. Tiny in size but massive on talent, the youth was a titan among the blues guitar giants.

Goo Goo Dolls' Johnny Rzeznik and Robby Takac

10. Goo Goo Dolls Spark the Second Audience Singalong

Co-founders Johnny Rzeznik and Robby Takac represented Goo Goo Dolls at the concert. The duo first led the house band through a cover of Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me.” They then led the audience in a singalong of the band’s 1998 hit, “Iris.” Once again, Larry Campbell played the song’s mandolin parts.

Jon Batiste

11. Jon Batiste Channels Sam Cooke’s 1964 Protest Song

Introduced by comedian J.B. Smoove, Jon Batiste returned to the stage, sat behind the grand piano, accompanied by guest Steve Jordan. Batiste crooned Sam Cooke’s 1964 song from the Civil Rights Movement, “A Change Is Gonna Come.” The audience responded to the powerful performance with a standing ovation. Batiste then performed a raucous version of his own “Tell the Truth,” with his childhood friend Trombone Shorty adding horn leads.

Hozier

12. Hozier Praises Nile Rodgers

Hozier returned to the stage with his musical director and keyboardist, Ryan Connors, and with the house band performed his “Take Me to Church.” Hozier then introduced and praised Nile Rodgers, who came on stage with his signature Hitmaker guitar. With the house band, the two artists performed Traffic’s 1968 song “Feelin’ Alright,” performing the song in Joe Cocker’s reimagined interpretation of a year later.

Paul Simon

13. Paul Simon Plays to His Homies

Whoopi Goldberg introduced Paul Simon by revealing that he helped her launch her career. Born in Newark but a longtime New Yorker, Simon might have been the evening’s only headliner who could have walked to work. Singing three of his best known songs, his subdued set featured accompaniment from keyboardist Mick Rossi, multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell, bassist Will Lee, and Simon’s long-time drummer, Steve Gadd. Simon performed “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”, “Still Crazy After All These Years” and Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Boxer.” Jim Hynes from the house band added trumpet to the last song. At age 84, Simon has lost a significant amount of vocal range and texture, yet he owned this deficiency boldly and did not disguise it with overpowering instrumentation.

Mary J. Blige

14. Mary J. Blige Ignites a Dance Party

Whoopi Goldberg introduced Mary J. Blige as “the queen of r&b and hip-hop soul.” Making her debut appearance at Love Rocks NYC, she received a rousing reception. The New York City native has been covering U2’s “One” for two decades, and she sang it again on this night. She followed with her biggest hit song, “Family Affair.” The late-night dance party had begun!

Paul Shaffer and Nile Rodgers

15. Nile Rodgers & Chic Transport the Audience to 1979

Nile Rodgers & CHIC was the final artist to perform, and the New York-based group had the audience shimmying to the dance grooves. The trio started with “We Are Family,” a song that Rodgers co-wrote in 1979 for Sister Sledge. Paul Shaffer returned to the stage and the dance party continued with 1979’s “Good Times,” one of the most-sampled songs in music history. Rodgers inserted a snippet of the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight," also from 1979 and perhaps the first song to sample “Good Times.”

Finale

16. The Concert Ends Near Midnight with a Little Help from Friends

Love Rocks NYC 2026 ended literally with a little help from friends. Nearly the entire cast returned to the stage for a celebratory finale. Various artists sang the verses from the Beatles’ 1967 “With a Little Help from My Friends,” delivered in Joe Cocker’s 1968 reinterpretation. The choruses featured gang singing from the cast. The set closed a highlight-filled event.

Nicole Rechter, Greg Williamson and John Varvatos

The 10th annual Love Rocks NYC, as all the previous events in its decade-long history, was produced by the team of fashion designer John Varvatos, real estate broker Greg Williamson and events producer Nicole Rechter. To date, the concerts have raised more than $65 million for God’s Love We Deliver. Since its founding in 1985, this not-for-profit agency has served New York City’s home bound residents with more than 40 million meals. With a community of 20,000 volunteers, the agency will cook and home-deliver 4 million medically-tailored meals to 15,000 individuals this year.

Terrence Meck

“Volunteering with God’s Love We Deliver is an experience that will stay with you forever,” said the agency's president and CEO, Terrence Meck. ”Because understanding what we do – and why we must exist- is very simple. Life is precious. Most likely everyone in this theater tonight has loved someone who’s been sick. And I think we can all understand what it feels like to be overwhelmed and scared. And when that happens to our vulnerable neighbors and they call on God’s Love We Deliver, We Show Up. And with your help, New Yorkers who need our services – will never face illness alone.”

For more information, visit glwd.org.

Setlist

Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Jon Batiste, Trombone Shorty, Bill Murray

1. Iko Iko (Sugar Boy and His Cane Cutters cover)

2. Hey Pocky A-Way (The Meters cover, with Ivan Neville)

Elvis Costello

1. Pump It Up (Elvis Costello & the Attractions cover, with a snippet of Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” accompanied by Trombone Shorty)

2. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding (Brinsley Schwarz cover)

Linda Perry

1. Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)

2. What's Up? (4 Non Blondes song)

Susanna Hoffs

1. Manic Monday (Prince cover)

2. Maggie May (Rod Stewart cover, with Warren Haynes)

Warren Haynes and Joe Bonamassa

1. Statesboro Blues (Blind Willie McTell cover)

Mavis Staples, Warren Haynes, Hozier, Elvis Costello

1. The Weight (The Band cover)

Bill Murray

1. Werewolves of London (Warren Zevon cover, with Paul Shaffer)

Billy Gibbons

1. Sharp Dressed Man (ZZ Top cover, with John McEnroe)

2. The Thrill Is Gone (Roy Hawkins cover, with Joe Bonamassa and Bay Melnick Virgolino)

Goo Goo Dolls

1. You Wreck Me (Tom Petty cover)

2. Iris

Jon Batiste

1. A Change Is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke cover, with Steve Jordan)

2. Tell the Truth (Jon Batiste cover, with Trombone Shorty and Steve Jordan)

Hozier

1. Take Me to Church

2. Feelin' Alright? (Traffic cover, with Nile Rodgers)

Paul Simon

1. 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover

2. Still Crazy After All These Years

3. The Boxer (Simon & Garfunkel song)

Mary J. Blige

1. One (U2 cover)

2. Family Affair

Nile Rodgers & CHIC

1. We Are Family (Sister Sledge song)

2. Good Times / Rapper's Delight (with Paul Shaffer)

Ensemble Finale

1. With a Little Help from My Friends (The Beatles cover)

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The Manhattan Beat covers New York City's live music circuit. All articles are written by Everynight Charley Crespo. All photographs are taken by Everynight Charley Crespo, except when noted otherwise.

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For a more complete listing of upcoming performances in the New York City area, visit The Manhattan Beat's March calendar.