NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Melissa Etheridge says the star-studded Love Rocks NYC benefit, the annual concert for the nonprofit God鈥檚 Love We Deliver, is exactly the kind of fundraiser she wanted to join.
鈥淚鈥檝e wanted to be involved in this wonderful, wonderful project that has just done so much for so many for so many years,鈥� the Grammy-winning 鈥淚鈥檓 the Only One鈥� rocker said.
This year鈥檚 Love Rocks, which takes place at The Beacon Theatre in Manhattan on Thursday night, boasts enormous star power 鈥� including headliners Etheridge, Keith Richards, with his 鈥渙ther鈥� band The X-Pensive Winos, Mavis Staples, and others, as well as hosts including Kiefer Sutherland and Mario Cantone. But for Karen Pearl, God鈥檚 Love We Deliver鈥檚 president and CEO, what this one night generates for her group year-round is what makes it even more special.
After two years of audiences limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year鈥檚 event is back at full force. (The event will also be livestreamed and archived at .) The proceeds from ticket sales and sponsorships will fund thousands of meals for people in the New York area who are unable to cook or shop for themselves. Pearl says God鈥檚 Love We Deliver will provide about 2.6 million meals this year to more than 10,000 people.
鈥淭his concert provides us with resources to actually meet a lot of the needs of the people who we are serving,鈥� Pearl said. 鈥淚t also helps more people know about us. And we are really committed to finding everybody who needs God鈥檚 Love.鈥�
During the pandemic, that need grew quickly. Within days, requests for God鈥檚 Love We Deliver鈥檚 help grew 30%, which the group managed with volunteers working from home for the first time and their kitchens manned at half capacity so they could follow the city鈥檚 rules for social distancing. 鈥淲e are very proud that we have been able to do these things because this was so unpredictable,鈥� Pearl said. 鈥淰ery early in the pandemic, we delivered to everybody two weeks鈥� worth of shelf-stable food so that if we had to somehow stop working, people would still have food. Happily, we never had to stop.鈥�
Greg Williamson, co-executive producer of Love Rocks NYC, said there are plenty of ways charities can fundraise, but concerts are something special. 鈥淲hen you have a gala, people show up for the charity,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen you have a concert, you could have 500 or 1000 people that come for God鈥檚 Love and then you could have another 2,500 people that come who don鈥檛 know the charity. They鈥檙e showing up because of Robert Plant or Dave Matthews, or Sheryl Crow or Mavis Staples.鈥�
Many of those people, Williamson said, then become future God鈥檚 Love volunteers or donors after learning about the charity鈥檚 work. God's Love leaders count themselves lucky that their Love Rocks benefit was one of the last indoor benefits before the COVID-19 lockdowns and one of the first major in-person indoor benefits as pandemic restrictions relax.
Etheridge said she has been impressed with God鈥檚 Love鈥檚 work for years. 鈥淚 remember, back when it started during the AIDS epidemic,鈥� she said. 鈥淧roviding that sort of resource, that nutrition for people who couldn鈥檛 get it, that鈥檚 just God鈥檚 Love. Then when the pandemic hit, to offer it to more people who definitely shouldn鈥檛 go out, I mean, that鈥檚 just the very definition of love.鈥�
Etheridge鈥檚 busy touring schedule has previously prevented her from appearing at Love Rocks. But because the COVID-19 pandemic has scaled back many artists鈥� tours, she was available for this year鈥檚 show before starting her 2022 tour next week. And she jumped at the chance to do it.
鈥淭here鈥檚 all the good stuff that will come from it, but, oh my goodness, this lineup!鈥� Etheridge said. 鈥淭he people that are going to be there are just some good friends and then some folks I鈥檝e never met before that I鈥檓 looking forward to meeting. Believe it or not, I haven鈥檛 met Keith Richards.鈥�
And after two years of limited touring, Etheridge says she鈥檚 excited about playing with musicians outside of her usual band. 鈥淥ur last little tour was so very isolated and we were all nervous,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 want to catch anything and cancel the tour, so we were all in our little bubbles. This will be a wonderful experience.鈥�
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Glenn Gamboa, The Associated Press
