Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for A+E NetworksThe A&E special Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America, featuring performances by Bruce Springsteen, Smokey Robinson, Sting and a variety of other music stars, airs Friday, November 20, at 8 p.m. ET. The two-hour show, which aims to promote unity and progress in the wake of tragedies like the racially motivated shooting this past June at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, was taped on Thursday at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
RollingStone.com reports that Springsteen and his E Street Band were joined onstage by R&B star John Legend, as well as by Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello. The Boss and company performed “American Skin (41 Shots),” a song Springsteen wrote in 1999 after four New York City police officers shot and killed an unarmed African immigrant named Amadou Diallo.
Robinson teamed up Eric Church for a rendition of the country star’s song “Kill a Word.” Smokey also took the stage to introduce Sting, who played a solo acoustic version of his 1987 tune “Fragile.”
Other artists who performed at the concert included Jill Scott, Jamie Foxx, Pink, Ed Sheeran, Pharrell Williams, Big Sean, Aloe Blacc, Zac Brown Band, Sia, Nick Jonas, Miguel, Tori Kelly and more.
Each performance was introduced by a celebrity presenter, and short documentary films were shown between songs that featured various artists, including Alicia Keys, Pharrell and Legend, visiting sites where racial conflicts have occurred throughout the years.
Shining a Light will not only air on A&E, but also on all of the channel’s affiliated networks, including History, Lifetime and LMN. During the special viewers will have the opprtuniy to donate money to The United Way Worldwide-sponsored Fund for Progress on Race in America.
You can check out a variety of video clips from the show at A&E’s official YouTube channel.
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