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
Diana Ross Live in Central Park Diana Ross Live in Central Park Live in Central Park is a DVD by Diana Ross released in 2012. On July 21, 1983, Diana Ross' concert at The Great Lawn of New York City's Central Park, attended by 450,000 fans, was cut short by a massive lightning storm. The concert was staged as a benefit to raise funds for a children's park, later known as the Diana Ross Playground, located inside the park at West 81st Street and Central Park West. The concerts were aired worldwide on the Showtime cable network, and directed by Steve Binder, who produced Ross' 1981