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.
The Bob Woodruff Foundation is the beneficiary of the proceeds from the show, which supports military veterans and their loved ones. The foundation was established in 2007 by Bob Woodruff, an ABC News correspondent who suffered a brain injury while covering Iraq. Although he made a full recovery, he still wanted to help those who were less fortunate.
The show has gone from the Town Hall, to the Beacon Theatre, and then to the Theater at Madison Square Garden. Now it is at Alice Tully Hall. The event has earned $60 million in revenue and featured performances from Roger Waters and Red Hot Chili Peppers, Trevor Noah and Jon Stewart, John Oliver and Jerry Seinfeld. Ricky Gervais and many other comedians were also present.
Springsteen was a performer at the first event in 2007. He has been there almost every year since, with the exception of 2017, when he had to cancel due to his Broadway residency. He plays three songs on the acoustic, and sometimes tells a joke. In the past, he has sold a personal guitar lesson as well as a lasagna dinner 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,” Anne Marie Dougherty (CEO of the Bob Woodruff Foundation) said. “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.”
The show tickets go on sale September 28th. All guests must show proof that they have been immunized.