Billed as the largest charity concert and originally scheduled for June 9, "Concert 4 NYC" brought some 60,000 attendees to Central Park's Great Lawn on Friday, September 30. About 54,000 of the tickets to the event were distributed free through a lottery system. All guests were encouraged to text donations during the show. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Although weather forced the Robin Hood Foundation to postpone its Black Eyed Peas concert June 9, the nonprofit was able to host the live performance Friday, September 30, on
Central Park's Great Lawn and raise more than $4 million in the process. Building on the live
call-for-donations approach used at its yearly benefit, the organization invited the 60,000 attendees—54,000 of which were given free tickets via a lottery system—to text $10 donations onsite (as well as tweet photos, check in on Foursquare, and start a group discussion via GroupMe). Robin Hood also raised funds through the sale of 6,000 V.I.P. "Concert 4 NYC" tickets at a starting price of $100 per ticket.
The following night, Sting held a 60th birthday concert at the
Beacon Theatre, which included performances by Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder, Rufus Wainwright, and Billy Joel. Proceeds from the concert's tickets sales were also donated to Robin Hood, bringing the weekend's total haul to more than $7 million.
