Celebs and Dignitaries Take Over the National Mall for Earth Day Concert

The Global Citizen 2015 Earth Concert packed the National Mall with an estimated 300,000 persons April 18.

Dignitaries invited to attend were United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde.

Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas and TV news journalist Soledad O’Brien hosted the event. Chris Martin of Coldplay was in attendance because of his role as curator for Global Citizen. The concert featured performances by Mary J. Blige, Usher, Train, Fall Out Boy and No Doubt.

The concert was powered by solar energy. Food trucks, serving the rally attendees, surrounded the grounds of the National Mall. Trash and recycling bins were overflowing by the end of the event.

The rally was presented through the combining efforts with the Global Poverty Project to end extreme poverty. It also coincided with meetings at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington.

Attendees were asked to sign petitions for a U.N. conference on climate change, taking place in Paris during December.