Streisand, Nelson, Stone Raise Funds For Presidential Candidate

06/28/2004 2:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
LAUNCH Radio Networks

A star-studded fundraising gala held last Thursday (June 24), which comedian Billy Crystal called "Woodstock for really, really rich people," kicked off the first of two events for Senator John Kerry's U.S. Presidential campaign and raised $5 million for the cause. According to the Associated Press, celebrities Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond were reunited for the first time in 24 years to perform "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" at the sold-out event, which boasted ticket prices ranging from $250 to $25,000 and was held at the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California. Other performers for the evening included actors Ben Stiller, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro, and singers Willie Nelson and Angie Stone.

Even though Streisand retired from public performing in 2000, she does sing for Democratic fundraisers. She sang a 2004 election version of her signature hit "People" at a fundraising concert for John Kerry which included some of these lyrics:

"People/ I mean G-O-People/ Who'd believe there's such people in the world?/ Bush sees a Lotta Condoleezza/ They're dividing the planet's oil/ According to Richard "Poil"/ And they're all just trainees/ Of Cheney's/ Now Rumsfeld/ We must get rid of Rumsfeld/ He's the spookiest person in the world/ As for Powell/ He's neither fish nor fowl/ He's in the back of the room/ While they're all fiddling with gloom/ No one's minding the store/ What's more/ Let's discuss this war we're lost in/ Don't ask what it's costin'/ What's a trillion or two to rule the world?"

Senator Kerry closed the evening, saying, "There are four months to undo four years and prevent four more."

The next show in New York City on July 8 will feature Whoopi Goldberg, Jon Bon Jovi, the Dave Matthews Band and Mary J. Blige.

In March of this past year, Kerry collected more than $3 million from two fundraisers with the help of Hollywood celebrities.

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