"12-12-12": A Concert for the Age and Sandy Relief

12 Dec. 2012/NEW YORK – “LADIES and gentlemen, keep it down, God is about to play his guitar,” exclaimed one tweet that came in around 9:30 p.m. EST. “God” is Eric Clapton


At around 11:45 p.m., a tweet about Billy Joel went something like, “This is gonna be so good.”

The Twitter universe had a bit more activity than normal on 12 Dec. 2012 from early evening to after 1 a.m. The occasion? Without doubt, the biggest night in music. Certainly, it was the biggest live music concert EVER in terms of the number of people who could watch it live on any number of platforms.

It would be the star-studded, high-energy “12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief.” It went down at Madison Square Garden and the joint was jumpin’! In the video above, Sir Paul McCartney explains why he threw in.

Beauty. Talent. Brains. Compassion. Does Alicia Keys have it all or what? Photos from 121212concert Web site.

Who else took to the stage? Get a load: Bon Jovi, Dave Grohl, Alicia Keys, Chris Martin, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Eddie Vedder, Roger Waters, Kanye West, The Who …

“The Who at #121212Concert. No fire. No dancers. No duets. No lip-synching. That's how you do it,” declared another tweet.

The sponsor-heavy “12-12-12” concert was available to two billion households worldwide on TV, online, on radio and elsewhere. Twitter allowed instant commentary before, during and after the concert.

Bruce and Bon Jovi: Two boys doing Jersey proud.

Even the acts and/or their people dished. From The Rolling Stones, “The #121212concert starts in minutes and the Rolling Stones are ready!"

The Boss opened the show around 7:30 p.m., but the effect of Boss and band was felt after midnight. “Bruuuuuuuuuuce, one fan chimed in close to 12:30.

It was said that Kanye (and a couple of others) "killed it."

President Barack Obama or his people tweeted encouraging words just before 1 a.m., "We will recover, we will rebuild, we will come back stronger, together."

The “12-12-12” concert raised around $30 million and dollars are still rolling in. There is money to be made and raised on concert-related merchandise. Yet more will still be netted when the concert becomes available on iTunes and other platforms.

Mick may be a senior citizen but the Rolling Stones front man can still jump and prance as well as he did 40 years ago.

ALL funds raised are going to Hurricane Sandy relief, according to the Robin Hood Foundation, the New York-based poverty-fighting organization that is the recipient of the largesse through its Robin Hood Relief Fund. The foundation joined the Twitter frenzy, too, reminding donors and potential donors close to the end of the concert of its plans for proceeds.

“FACT: 100% of the money raised from the #121212Concert will go to #SandyRelief.”

Visit http://www.121212concert.org/ to learn more about the “12-12’12: The Concert for Sandy Relief,” including information about donations, merchandise purchases and preordering the soundtrack. Visit http://www.robinhood.org to learn more about the Robin Hood Foundation.