The Concert in Central Park attendees. Although rain fell throughout the day and continued until the start of the concert, an estimated 500,000 audience members made this the seventh-largest concert attendance in the United States in history. The stage backdrop depicted an urban rooftop with water tank and air outlet, symbolic of New York's skyline. At twilight, the backing band went onstage, followed by New York's mayor, Ed Koch, who announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, Simon and Garfunkel!" The duo entered through a side stage door, took center stage amid audience applause, looked at each other and shook hands, and began the concert with their 1968
Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief was a one-hour, commercial-free benefit concert television special that aired simulcast in the United States on September 12, 2017 at 8 p.m. ET/CT live from New York City, Nashville, San Antonio, and Los Angeles and tape delayed MT and PT. During the hour it was on the air, the special raised $14 million for the relief efforts from the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. By evening's end the total was up to $44 million. Organizations benefitting the relief include the United Way