For many of us, our time was spent racking our brains in Bartle preparing for finals. But hopefully everyone was able to take a break to watch “12/12/12 The Concert for Sandy Relief,” a concert that will go down as one of the best in history.

In this six-hour mega-concert, the stars aligned as celebrities and music icons teamed up to raise money for the Robin Hood Relief Fund, all proceeds going to the victims of Hurricane Sandy. Celebrities stood by taking calls for donations to help the victims of Sandy: 140 people were killed and the homes of many in New York and New Jersey were damaged or destroyed. As rock legends performed, they spoke of the affected areas, recalling their fondest memories.

The night started with a bang as Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band took the stage and performed popular hits “Land of Hope and Dreams” and “Wrecking Ball.” There was no shortage of enthusiasm or energy in the Madison Square Garden arena when rocker Jon Bon Jovi joined Springsteen to perform the crowd favorite “Born to Run.” Both from New Jersey, they shared their disbelief at the destruction that Sandy had on their hometowns. “Tonight,” Springsteen said, “this is a prayer for all of our struggling brothers and sisters.” Springsteen was certainly not alone in this sentiment.

The show moved along smoothly with delightfully funny and appropriately compassionate host Billy Crystal. Always lightening the mood, Crystal cracked jokes galore: “You can feel the electricity in the building, which means Long Island Power isn’t involved.” Still, he delivered the true message with the utmost professionalism, saying, “More than 100 people died, entire neighborhoods wiped out. Tonight with your help, we are going to emerge stronger than before.”

The crowd roars and the concert continues with Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters and Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder performing songs including “Another Brick in the Wall,” and “Comfortably Numb.” Shortly after, Adam Sandler sang his comedic version of “Hallelujah” with accompaniment by “The Late Show’s” Paul Shaffer. The audience may have had to grin and bear it, but at least the lyrics were heartfelt, saying “Hallelujah, Sandy screw ya! We’ll get through you, ‘cause we’re New Yorkers!” Meanwhile, Brian Williams sat in the call center with celebrities including Ben Stiller, Jake Gyllenhaal and Whoopi Goldberg. The place was filled with celebrities taking calls for donations — Williams joked, “You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a celebrity.”

Jon Bon Jovi emerged on stage again to perform “It’s My Life” and “Livin’ on a Prayer” followed by guitar great Eric Clapton performing the relevant “Nobody Knows When You’re Down and Out.” The crowd stayed on its feet as Jimmy Fallon introduced The Rolling Stones, and continued to dance and sing to the tune of “You Got Me Rocking.” Next, Alicia Keys delivered an emotional performance, and in closing, said, “My city, New York City, is the most resilient city.” The Who then gave an electrifying performance and Chris Rock gave the audience a short break before introducing rapper Kanye West.

Then came the really big acts of the night. First up, Billy Joel, a native New Yorker. Joel sang his classic “New York State of Mind,” changing the lyrics to pay homage to areas hit hard by the Hurricane, saying, “It comes down to reality, and its fine by me cause I’ve let it slide. I don’t care if it’s Breezy Point or in Oceanside.” The crowd went wild and cheered until the next performer, Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martin, took the stage. After joking around with the crowd, Martin was grateful to perform with R.E.M’s frontman, Michael Stipes as they sang “Losing My Religion.” Nearing the concert’s end, the moment everyone was waiting for: Sir Paul McCartney.

“I love New York!” McCartney said as he kicked off his jaw-dropping set, which included a mix of his Beatles, Wings and solo records. McCartney rocked out to “Helter Skelter” and softened it up with “My Valentine” and “Blackbird.” But it wasn’t over. To the crowd’s amazement, McCartney joined with Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear in a Nirvana reunion. With their new front man, they performed a new grunge song that got the crowd going wild. McCartney wrapped up his performance with the splendid “Live and Let Die,” fireworks blazing. He then called the “heroes of Hurricane Sandy” back on stage, shaking their hands as Alicia Keys came up to close the show with “Empire State of Mind,” dedicating it to “all the heroes in New York and beyond.”

After a fantastic night of music and star power, broadcasted live on 37 television stations in the U.S., over 200 countries worldwide, and live streaming on 30 websites, the message must not be forgotten. For those who were hit hard by the storm, keep fighting, and for those that can help, please help. We can get through this together.