Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Global CitizenIt was an evening of star-studded performances and collaborations as the 2015 Global Citizen Festival rocked New York City's Central Park on Saturday. Sixty thousand fans showed up to watch the proceedings, just one day after Pope Francis had greeted 80,000 of the faithful in the same location.
Performers included Coldplay, Pearl Jam, Ed Sheeran, Beyonce, Tori Kelly, Sting and rapper Common, but in addition to everyone playing their hits, there were some surprise duets. Coldplay's Chris Martin, for example, joined fellow Brit Ed Sheeran on Ed's hit "Thinking Out Loud."
In addition, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder teamed with Beyonce for a version of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song."
Also, Chris Martin welcomed surprise guest Ariana Grande to the stage, and the two performed "Just a Little Bit of Your Heart," a track from Ariana's album My Everything.
The event, hosted by Stephen Colbert, was timed to coincide with the 70th annual United Nations General Assembly. Leaders from 13 countries came out in support of the U.N.'s new Global Goals to end extreme poverty by 2030, as well as reduce inequality and deal with climate change.
U2 didn't perform, but Bono was on hand, and he told the crowd, "To end poverty, inequality and fix climate change...impossible, right? Wrong. It is always impossible until it is done."
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