Classic rock acts Metallica, Eddie Vedder and Cat Stevens are among the artists who will perform at the fifth annual Global Citizen Festival, taking place this Saturday, September 24, in New York’s Central Park. The event will be broadcast live on MSNBC starting at 3 pm.
Unlike most music festivals, there is no admission charge to this event. Instead, potential attendees pledge over a period of months to “take action on the world’s biggest challenges,” including poverty, health, education, women’s issues, environmental concerns and more. For their participation—signing petitions and otherwise engaging in activism—fans are rewarded with free tickets to the festival and other events.
This weekend’s event will also feature performances by Demi Lovato, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar and Major Lazer, as well as special guests Usher, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Ellie Goulding and Yandel. Special appearances and speakers are expected to include Chelsea Handler, Deborra-Lee and Hugh Jackman, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra, Salma Hayek Pinault and Seth Meyers. Another Global Citizen event will take place in Mumbai on November 19. Special guests include Aamir Khan, Jay-Z and A.R. Rahman, among others.
The inaugural fest, in 2012, featured performances by Foo Fighters, the Black Keys, John Legend, Band of Horses, K’naan and Neil Young and Crazy Horse. The following year featured Stevie Wonder, Kings of Leon, Alicia Keys and John Mayer. In 2014, the lineup included fun., the Roots, Carrie Underwood, No Doubt (joined by Sting for a song), and Jay Z, who was joined for two songs by Beyoncé.
Beyoncé headlined last year (joined by Ed Sheeran for “Drunk in Love”), and the show also included Coldplay (joined by Ariana Grande for “Just a Little Bit of Your Heart”), Pearl Jam (joined by Beyoncé for “Redemption Song”), and Ed Sheeran (joined by Chris Martin for “Thinking Out Loud”). Special appearances and speakers included Stephen Colbert, Hugh Jackman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Vice President Joe Biden and First Lady Michelle Obama.
Watch Pearl Jam perform “Daughter” at the 2015 Global Citizen festival
