Springsteen, Pharrell, John Legend and more are Shining A Light
The discussion about race relations in America that began last summer with the horrifying murders in a Charleston, North Carolina church is ongoing, but A&E and an impressive roster of musicians aims to bring it back to the national consciousness with this Saturday’s three-hour special airing simultaneously across all of A&E’s sister channels – A&E, Lifetime, HISTORY, H2, LMN and FYI, Shining A Light.
The first part of the evening, Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America, is a two-hour special featuring performances by John Legend, Pharrell, Bruce Springsteen, Sia, Ed Sheeran, Smokey Robinson, Sting, Tom Morello, the Zac Brown Band, Eric Church, Jamie Foxx, Tori Kelly, Miguel, Pink, Jill Scott, Aloe Blacc and Big Sean, with appearances by Morgan Freeman, Nicki Minaj, George Lopez, LL Cool J, Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner.
The concert is followed by the one-hour special, Shining a Light: Conversations on Race in America, with Pharrell, Alicia Keys, Soledad O’Brien and others visiting the locations of recent racial turbulence – Ferguson, Charleston, Baltimore – and discussing with the local communities, with a bonus performance or two for good measure.