Black Eyed Peas Central Park Gig Raises $4M for Poverty
“I Got a Feeling” that hit group the Black Eyed Peas are celebrating after raising a record $4 million in a charity benefit concert in New York City Friday night.
The free charity concert put on by The Robin Hood Foundation was set in the middle of Central Park boasting 60,000 screaming fans in rainy weather. The Peas lit up the night with a light show rivaling a Fourth of July production.
Peas front man Will.i.am announced at the concert that the show raised $4 million by having fundraisers and fans all over the world text in their donation. The foundation also asked all attendees to donate whatever they could since the concert was free.
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The Robin Hood Foundation message is to fight poverty, noted Robin Hood executive David Saltzman in a Hollywood.com interview “Fight poverty in NYC. This is the toughest economic time in the 23-year history of our organization.”
Alongside sponsors Calvin Klein and Chase Bank, the benefit was able to land the Black Eyed Peas to join the fight against poverty.
The two-and-a-half hour benefit show featured hits mainly from the groups last two albums, but also included a few songs from each of the members solo efforts. The crowd roared in the opening dance number “Rock That Body” and continued the screams when Fergie started “Glamorous,” a hit song from her solo album.
The concert ended with a revitalization of excitement when the Black Eyed Peas came back for an encore with number one hits “Boom Boom Pow”, “This Time (Dirty Bit), and closer “I Got a Feeling.”
As the storms began to brew, Fergie screamed, “Lightning didn’t strike twice!”
This was in reference to the show being rescheduled from June when impending thunderstorms forced the organizers to cancel the concert after fans showed up.
The free concert isn’t the only benefit that the Black Eyed Peas will be playing this year. The group was recently added to participate in the Michael Jackson Tribute concert in Cardiff, Wales. Proceeds from tickets sold at the show will go towards charity.
