Black Keys, Foo Fighters and Neil Young to Headline Benefit Concert in Central Park

By JAMES C. MCKINLEY JR.

The Black Keys, Foo Fighters and Neil Young with Crazy Horse will be on the bill for a charity concert in Central Park next month intended to motivate people to do something to alleviate extreme poverty around the world, organizers announced on Tuesday.

The concert on Sept. 29 is free, but to enter the lottery for one of the 54,000 tickets to be given out, people must visit a new Web site, Global Citizen, and earn points by participating in various charitable acts aimed at reducing poverty, from signing petitions to donating money to anti-poverty groups.

The concert is being organized by the Global Poverty Project, an Australian charity, and coincides with a United Nations meeting in New York.  Hugh Evans, the charity's chief executive, told the Associated Press the goal is to raise $500 million for various anti-poverty groups and to send a message to the assembled world leaders.

“All the world leaders are going to be in town that week for the United Nations meeting, and this concert and the associated campaign will give us the opportunity to ask these world leaders to make practical and tangible monetary commitments to the world's poor,” Mr. Evans told the Associated Press.

The lineup also includes Band of Horses and the rapper K'Naan.