Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi performed at the 12.12.12 concert in New York last night. The Beatles guitarist fronted a Nirvana reunion as he brought surviving members, drummer Dave Grohl, bassist Krist Novoselic and touring guitarist Pat Smear - who were with singer Kurt Cobain until his suicide in 1994 - on stage halfway through his set at Madison Square Garden.

Before introducing the group at the Concert for Sandy Relief - which raised money for people in the Caribbean and US who were struck by Hurricane Sandy in October - he said, "The penny finally dropped that I was in the middle of a Nirvana reunion."

The quartet debuted a new song, "Cut Me Some Slack," which will appear on the soundtrack of Grohl's new film, Sound City Movie.

Other star performances at the concert - which was available to up to two billion people via the internet, radio or TV - saw Springsteen and Bon Jovi team up to open the gig with "Born To Run" and then perform a string of their hits including "Land of Hope and Dreams" and "Wrecking Ball" before saying a prayer.

"I pray that that characteristic remains along the Jersey Shore, it's what makes it special. So tonight, this is a prayer for all our struggling brothers and sisters in New York and all along New Jersey," Bruce said.

A number of celebrities appeared on stage at the event including Adam Sandler, Kristen Stewart and Billy Crystal, who made an emotional speech: "No one could have anticipated the level of devastation Sandy would bring, or just how many lives it would affect. Over 100 people died, over 600,000 homes and 500,000 businesses were destroyed or damaged, entire neighborhoods were wiped out... Not only did Sandy not put us down, we stayed on our feet and tonight, with your help, we will emerge stronger and better than before."