N.Y. heroes get their due

By Nekesa Mumbi Moody

Associated Press

NEW YORK – David Bowie kicked off a mammoth benefit concert Saturday with a poignant rendition of Paul Simon’s “America,” then rocked a crowd that included thousands of firefighters, police officers and rescue workers with the appropriately titled “Heroes.”

“It’s an absolute pleasure to play for you tonight,” Bowie told the crowd at “Concert for New York,” which was broadcast from Madison Square Garden live without commercials on VH1.

A telephone number was featured so viewers could phone in donations; all proceeds go to the charities to benefit the victims of New York’s terrorist attacks, organizers said. James Dolan, president and CEO of Cablevision, which helped put the concert together, said ticket sales had already raised $14 million.

Although the concert included performances from superstars including Paul McCartney, Elton John, Billy Joel, Destiny’s Child and the Backstreet Boys, one of the biggest ovations was for the 6,000 firefighters, police officers and rescue workers honored for their heroic efforts in the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center.

“Tonight is dedicated to you,” comedian Billy Crystal said as the crowd roared its approval. Many in the audience held up pictures of police officers or firefighters who had died.

“I met a lot of widows tonight,” former President Bill Clinton said backstage. “I met children who lost their daddies and I met a lot of people who survived. This is the first time they’ve had a chance to clap their hands and shout and dance. This is a great gift to them.”

Celebrity presenters including Harrison Ford and Susan Sarandon brought police, firefighters and other rescue workers onstage and praised them for their heroics. Then they handed over the microphone to allow their guests to introduce the next act.

Firefighters and police officers laughed and danced in the aisles. Will Ferrell got laughs with his impersonation of President Bush, and Adam Sandler reprised his “Saturday Night Live” Operaman character in a risque segment that mocked Osama bin Laden.

“There’s not a day that goes by that people don’t want to laugh,” Sandler said backstage. “People are in great pain, and you want to just laugh and feel good for a minute, and that’s what comedy is trying to do right now.”

When Joel sang the first few lines of “New York State of Mind,” the crowd went wild.

“You look out from the stage and you see a sea of blue,” Joel said backstage. “You see firemen, you see cops, and these guys risk their lives everyday. They do this all the time … to be able to see a smile on some of these people’s faces – they’ve gone through so much, they’ve lost so many of their friends.”

The evening also had its somber moments. Destiny’s Child performed a stirring gospel medley after singing their hit “Emotions,” while the Backstreet Boys dedicated their performance to one of their tour crew members who was on the plane that hit the Tower One of the World Trade Center.

Interspersed with the performances were short films celebrating the spirit of the city by directors including Martin Scorsese.

A two-disc CD set featuring music from the show is expected to be released by Columbia later this month with much of the proceeds going to charity.

The concert is one of three all-star concerts being held this weekend. On Sunday, Michael Jackson, the Backstreet Boys, Mariah Carey, ‘N Sync, Aerosmith and others will perform during an eight-hour concert at RFK stadium in Washington, D.C. That concert will not be televised. But in Nashville, CMT will broadcast a 2 1/2-hour live concert featuring Tim McGraw, Sara Evans, Brooks &Dunn, Alan Jackson and other country stars on Sunday night.