Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney lead the rock and Hollywood stars $ millions collected  for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band opened the sold-out extravaganza, which was dubbed 12-12-12.

A who’s who of rock and pop icons signed up for the Madison Square Garden gig, which was streamed online and shown on hundreds of TV stations to an estimated global audience of two billion.

Among the performers – many of whom have property or other close links to New York – were the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Alicia Keys, Bon Jovi, Chris Martin, The Who and Kanye West.

Springsteen was joined by Jon Bon Jovi for Born To Run, followed by Roger Waters performing Pink Floyd classic Comfortably Numb alongside Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder.

Ticket prices for Wednesday night’s concert ranged from $150 (£93) to $2,500 (£1,550).

Some $32m (£19.8m) had already been raised from ticket sales and sponsorship before the curtain was raised, and the organisers are hoping to raise tens of millions more from advertising and syndication.

More than 130 people were killed when Sandy struck the East Coast of the US in October.

Thousands more were left homeless as the storm tore through areas of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, causing billions of dollars’ worth of damage.

The ordeals of victims severely affected by the superstorm were showcased during the concert.

Donations raised from the concert go to the Robin Hood Relief Fund, which will provide money and materials to groups helping those people who were hit hardest by the storm.

Watch Superstorm Sandy Concert video

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