Rolling Stones and Springsteen rock 12/12/12 Hurricane Sandy concert

The bonanza - dubbed 12-12-12 - was opened by Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band and featured the evergreen likes of the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton, as well as Chris Martin and Kanye West.

Tickets sold for between £93 and £1,550 and in total the event raised some £19.8 million to support those hit hardest by November's superstorm, with organisers hoping to raise millions more through advertising and syndication.

Fans were also treated to the bizarre sight of Paul McCartney standing in for Kurt Cobain, the legendary grunge band Nirvana reuniting minus their talisman.

Reaction on Twitter focused partly on the former Beatle's relaxed attire - or "$800 mom jeans" - but the night was stolen by the Rolling Stones, who put in (another) high tempo performance, frontman Mick Jagger quipping at the start: "This has got to be the largest collection of old English musicians ever assembled in Madison Square Garden. If it rains in London you’ve got to come and help us.”

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