| Love Rocks NYC | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Rock and Roll |
| Dates | Annually, in March |
| Location(s) | Beacon Theatre, New York City, NY United States |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Founders | John Varvatos, Nicole Rechter and Greg Williamson |
| Website | www |
Love Rocks NYC is an annual benefit concert, first held in 2017, that benefits non-profit God's Love We Deliver. The concert is held at the Beacon Theatre in New York City and was founded by menswear designer John Varvatos, Nicole Rechter and Greg Williamson.
The annual concert was started in 2017 by Varvatos, Rechter and Williamson, who came up with the idea after speaking together at a fundraising dinner for God's Love We Deliver, of which Williamson is a board member. [1] The concert raises money for the charity, which provides meals for those too sick to make, purchase or prepare meals themselves. [2] [3]
The concert features different Musicians and presenters every year. The house band, led by Will Lee with members Paul Shaffer, Eric Krasno, Larry Campbell, Steve Gadd and Shawn Pelton, plays every year. [4]
The inaugural event was held at the Beacon Theatre on March 9, 2017. [1] [5]
As of June 2020, the event has raised $9 million in proceeds and has funded one million meals. [6]
The inaugural lineup included the following artists and presenters:
The 2017 festival raised $1.5 million. [7]
The second show took place on March 15, 2018, and was hosted by Whoopi Goldberg. [9] [3]
Performers and presenters included:
The 2018 festival raised $2 million. [12]
The 2019 show took place on March 7, 2019, which coincided with the 34th anniversary of the founding of God's Love We Deliver. It was hosted by Bill Murray and Martin Short. [2] Goldberg was also scheduled to host, but pulled out for health reasons. [13]
The show featured presenters and artists like:
The 2019 festival raised $2.3 million. [17]
The 4th annual Love Rocks NYC took place on March 12, 2020, as a restricted attendance-only event and all performances were live-streamed. The evening's emcees were Paul Shaffer and Tamara Tunie and late-night television host David Letterman made a surprise appearance. [18] [19]
The lineup included:
The event raised $3 million, all of which went to God's Love We Deliver, as expenses were underwritten by The Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation. [18] [19]
The 5th annual show took place at the Beacon Theater on June 3, 2021, after being allowed by New York state and city regulations. [21] The lineup included Sara Bareilles, Grace Potter, Jon Bon Jovi, Joe Bonamassa, Nathaniel Rateliff and Emily King. [22] It was hosted by stand-up comedian Jeff Garlin, actor Michael Imperioli and former basketball player Bernie Williams, with special guests comedian, writer and actor Tina Fey. [23] [24]
The 2022 Love Rocks concert took place on March 10, 2022, and featured Keith Richards, Jackson Browne, Warren Haynes, Hozier and David Shaw of The Revivalists. [25] It was hosted by Murray, actor Laurence Fishburne and actors Steve Schirripa and Michelle Buteau from the television series The Sopranos. [26] Browne, who has not billed before the show, appeared as a surprise guest. [27]