Tonight”s 12-12-12 Sandy benefit Concert in New York will be sure to be full of fun collaborations and surprises. Among the artists performing are Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys and The Who. In addition to some of the rumors already out there, we chatted with some of our sources for some other moments to keep your eyes open for at Madison Square Garden.
Here are seven things to watch for:
*Paul McCartney performing with Nirvana”s Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic. British tabloid The Sun broke this story and ran a hilarious photoshopped pic of Sir Paul in a Nirvana photo sporting Kurt Cobain”s hair. They will reportedly play a new song. McCartney and Grohl played together at this year”s Grammys, but we have no idea on if this rumor is true, and, quite frankly, we”d rather see the trio play some classic rather than a new song (though certainly not a Nirvana classic). We reached out to Grohl”s publicist who would neither “confirm nor deny” the rumor and cheekily added, “You”ll have to wait and see tonight.”
*Pearl Jam”s Eddie Vedder and Pink Floyd”s Roger Waters. Waters spilled the beans on his performance last night on “Last Night With Jimmy Fallon.” Vedder will join him for “Comfortably Numb,” which already has us drooling. Here”s the thing: the show is riddled with Vedder”s favorite artists. He could also show up with Springsteen or The Who, since he loves them both.
*Bruce Springsteen”s opening set. The performance order hasn”t been officially announced, but word has leaked out that Springsteen and the E Street Band will open. While hardcore fans are hoping for “Sandy (Fourth Of July),” it”s too obscure for a worldwide audience. Expect “My City of Ruins” and “We Take Care Of Our Own.”
*Eric Clapton’s guests: No word yet on who the rock god is performing with, but his dressing room says “Eric Clapton and Friends,” according to one of our spies, so expect some high profile artists, who aren’t already announced to possibly join him.
*Billy Joel, whose modified performance of “Miami 2017” was the hands-down highlight of the first Sandy benefit on NBC on Nov. 1 will play with his full band for the first time in three years. He will have no special guests with him.
*The surprises. There are some names that haven”t been officially announced. One rumor we”ve heard but weren”t able to confirm that makes perfect sense is Paul Simon. How could he not be there? We heard his name from one person on the scene, while another source told us his name hadn’t appeared on any schedules. The other obvious one is Jay-Z. Though he”s not listed, we wouldn”t be surprised if he”s a walk-on at some point, perhaps during Alicia Keys” set.
*Paul McCartney’s closing jam. There”s always one for something like this where everyone still in the building shows up for a rag-tag cover. Showbiz 411 is reporting that McCartney will close the set, so expect some kind of sing-along on either “Hey Jude” or another Beatles classic, but I wouldn”t bet against “Hey Jude.”
Proceeds from the evening go to The Robin Hood Relief Fund. To donate, click here. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. ET and will air basically everywhere, including 32 TV channels and on the internet.