On Saturday night, David Lynch got by with a little help from his friends—chief among them Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, who reunited onstage for the first time in nearly seven years to benefit the esoteric director's eponymous foundation.
The two surviving Beatles teamed up at Radio City Music Hall to play a medley of their hits, and, in between a little good-natured vamping, paid tribute to late bandmates John Lennon and George Harrison.
The landmark performance was the highlight of the David Lynch Foundation's "Change Begins Within" benefit, which aimed to raise money in order to teach transcendental meditation techniques—techniques which the Fab Four themselves employed at the height of Beatlemania—to one million children around the world.
The duo's highly anticipated reunion took place after McCartney's lengthy solo set and was kick started when the singer called the drummer, or at least his alter ego, to the stage.
"At this point we would like to introduce somebody to you who you know, you've heard his name," McCartney said. "He's going to come out here and play you a little song this joyful night. Ladies and gentlemen, Billy Shears!"
As it is, "Shears"—Starr's Sgt. Pepper pseudonym—and McCartney last played together in November 2002, at London's Concert for George held in the wake of Harrison's death.
In addition to Beatles mini-reunion, the benefit also featured performances from Ben Harper, Eddie Vedder, Sheryl Crow, Donovan and Moby and onstage appearances by Jerry Seinfeld, Howard Stern and the Beach Boys' Mike Love.
The eclectic audience included Yoko Ono, Martin Scorsese, John McEnroe, Jennifer Aniston and Bill O'Reilly.