Victims of Hurricane Sandy victims forget their problems for six precious hours last night, as New Jersey’s favorite sons — Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi — led a world-class lineup that rocked Madison Square Garden.
A mind-blowing gathering of music all-stars, comics and Hollywood heavyweights took the stage at MSG to raise at least $30 million dollars for hurricane relief. Organizers are hoping to top the $56 million raised by the Concert for New York City for 9/11 victims.
As New York songbird Alicia Keys belted out her hit “Brand New Me,” Lana Boychuk — from the hard-hit Staten Island neighborhood of Midland Beach — could barely contain her emotions.
“This concert has brought tears of sadness — and hope that parts of New York and New Jersey can be rebuilt again,” said Boychuk, 24.
The evening’s raw emotions of sorrow and optimism reminded Rockaway Beach resident Ryan Sirgiovanni, 26, what a small price he paid to Sandy — losing two cars in his flooded garage.
“It was tough, but we consider ourselves lucky,” Sirgiovanni said at MSG. “The show’s been great. Bruce was the perfect way to start the show. He really kicked off the crowd, and you can tell he really is passionate about the show and the cause.”
Springsteen’s E Street Band summed up the night in one song, a heart-felt rendition of “City of Ruins” about the fall and rise of his adopted hometown Asbury Park, NJ.
The Boss said he’s praying for Asbury Park and all Jersey Shore towns rocked by Sandy.
“I had tears in my eyes,” said 23-year-old Brooklyn resident Katie Rzevskaya.” He [Springsteen] was unreal.”
And if the show couldn’t get any more Jersey, Springsteen brought fellow Garden State rocker Jon Bon Jovi on stage for The Boss’ anthem “Born to Run.” The two later did Bon Jovi’s famed “Who Says You Can’t Go Home.”
Springsteen, Bon Jovi , Keys, Roger Waters, Eddie Vedder, Eric Clapton, The Who, Diddy, the Rolling Stones, Paul Schaefer and Adam Sandler all performed.
The evening’s inspirational music renewed Jersey resident Mary Lynn Beinhaker’s belief that mere possessions don’t compare to loss of life.
“My parents house got totally flooded. The ocean literally surrounded their house,” said Beinhaker, of Lavalette, NJ.
“There was so much that we lost, but in the end, it was only material possessions. We are all alive and OK. This is our chance to celebrate how we made it through the storm.”
Eleanor Killian, a 24-year-old Manhattan resident who works at a Harlem school, said she was so touched by the struggles of her students that she’s been volunteering in the recovery effort in Breezy Point, the Queens waterfront community hammered both by the storm and a devastating fire the night Sandy struck.
“It was the most devastating thing I’ve ever seen,” she said at MSG last night. “I think this concert is a testament to how resilient and tenacious the city is. It really says a lot about the artists who came together — at such short notice, too — and how they were so ready and willing to help out.”
Additional reporting by Lia Eustachewich and Michaelangelo Matos