Sandy benefit concert draws $23 million in pledges

Volunteers serve hot meals that were donated Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012, outside the Belmar recreation center in Belmar, N.J. After being battered by Monday’s storm surge by Superstorm Sandy much of the region is still without power and many homes have been damaged. AP/Mel Evans

LOS ANGELES – NBC said its benefit concert for Superstorm Sandy victims drew nearly $23 million in donations to the American Red Cross.

Friday’s hour-long telethon included performances by artists native to the areas hardest-hit by Sandy, including New Jersey natives Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi and Billy Joel of New York’s Long Island. Others who took part in the special included Sting, Christina Aguilera, Mary J. Blige, Tina Fey and Jon Stewart.

The telethon’s mood was somber but hopeful, from Aguilera’s “Beautiful” to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.”

Pledges made by phone and online totaled $22.9 million, NBCUniversal and the American Red Cross said.

Sandy’s assault last week killed more than 100 people in 10 states and created widespread damage and power outages.