Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, Jim Gaffigan to Perform at ‘Stand Up for Heroes’ Benefit
The annual Stand Up for Heroes benefit is returning November 8th with an in-person event at New York City’s Alice Tully Hall and a lineup that includes Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, Jim Gaffigan, Nate Bargatze, Grace Gaustad, Nikki Glaser, Sing Harlem, and Donnell Rawlings.
Funds raised from the show will benefit the Bob Woodruff Foundation, which aids military veterans and their families. It was started in 2007 after ABC news correspondent Bob Woodruff suffered a traumatic brain injury while covering the Iraq war. He eventually made a complete recovery, but he wanted to help others that lacked his financial resources.
Over the past 15 years, the show has moved from the Town Hall to the Beacon Theatre to the Theater at Madison Square Garden and now Alice Tully Hall. Along the way, the event has grossed $60 million and featured performances by Roger Waters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Trevor Noah, Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Jerry Seinfeld, Seth Meyers, Ricky Gervais, and many other comic greats.
Springsteen performed at the inaugural event in 2007 and has played at practically ever year since then, only skipping the 2017 show because of his Broadway residency. He usually plays three acoustic songs and tries out a few jokes. At many past shows, he ended the night by auctioning off a personal guitar lesson and a lasagna meal at his house.
The 2020 Stand Up for Heroes show was a virtual event because of the pandemic. Springsteen used the occasion to play his new songs “House of a Thousand Guitars” and “I’ll See You In My Dreams” for the first time in a live setting.
“Last year, the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the New York Comedy Festival were able to take Stand Up for Heroes global, bringing a virtual night of hope, healing, and laughter to more than 100 countries around the world,” says Anne Marie Dougherty, CEO of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. “But as any music or comedy fan will tell you, there’s simply nothing like being there live. You just can’t capture that energy virtually, and there’s a special magic that happens when we bring together an amazing lineup of stars and a theater full of supporters to show the wounded heroes and their families seated in the front row: ‘We’re here for you. We appreciate you. We’ve got your six.”
Tickets for the show go on sale on September 28th. All attendees will have to show proof of vaccination
