Paul McCartney live: Madison Square Garden, New York City – 12-12-12: The Concert For Sandy Relief

Paul McCartney performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City, USA, on 12 December 2012.

The event was 12-12-12 – The Concert For Sandy Relief. Also appearing were The Rolling Stones, The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys, Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, Roger Waters, Chris Martin, Michael Stipe, Kanye West, Eddie Vedder, and the surviving members of Nirvana, playing together for the first time in 18 years.

The concert was a fundraiser in response to Hurricane Sandy, which caused an estimated $60 billion in damage in the USA in October 2012. All proceeds were collected by the Robin Hood Relief Fund to benefit victims of the hurricane in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

I had just taken a holiday to the Bahamas. The day I was supposed to be leaving, they told me there was a storm blowing in. I’d just flown out of there and that evening the storm hit. I heard something like 28 people were killed. It was terrible. I just scraped out of that.

The 12-12-12 concert was broadcast on TV, radio, in cinemas and online, and was released on compact disc and DVD.

McCartney took to the stage after midnight. He performed six songs with his band, plus ‘My Valentine’ with Diana Krall, and ‘Cut Me Some Slack’ with the former Nirvana members. At the end of the set McCartney introduced Alicia Keys, who performed the concert’s final song, ‘Empire State Of Mind’, backed by all the musicians of the night.

McCartney’s band was Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens (vocals, keyboards, guitar, percussion, harmonica), Brian Ray (vocals, guitar, bass), Rusty Anderson (vocals, guitar), and Abe Laboriel Jr (vocals, drums).

McCartney had previously performed at Madison Square Garden with Wings on 24 and 25 May 1976; during the Paul McCartney World Tour on 11, 12, 14, and 15 December 1989; The Concert For New York City on 20 October 2001; the Driving World Tour on 26 and 27 April 2002; and the US Tour on 30 September, 1, 4, and 5 October 2005.

He returned there for the One On One Tour on 15 and 17 September 2017.

Concert setlist

• ‘Helter Skelter’
• ‘Let Me Roll It’
• ‘Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five’
• ‘My Valentine’
• ‘Blackbird’
• ‘Cut Me Some Slack’
• ‘I’ve Got A Feeling’
• ‘Live And Let Die’