Aerosmith, James Taylor lead Boston Strong benefit concert

Aerosmith, James Taylor and Carole King, the Dropkick Murphys and the band Boston were among performers serving up solace and inspiration to a crowd of thousands at TD Garden during Thursday night’s Boston Strong concert benefiting victims of the recent Boston Marathon bombings.

“Boston got its heart broken,” Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler said, “but if they think they can keep us down, they can ‘Dream On,’ ” before he and the band launched into that career-establishing 1973 hit. The group also trotted out its 1978 version of the Beatles’ “Come Together,” using it as a theme for the evening.

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James Taylor, with Carole King playing piano, played “Sweet Baby James,”the title track of his 1970 breakthrough album, which includes the line “Now the first of December was covered with snow, and so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston.”

The city’s namesake rock band performed its 1976 hit “More Than a Feeling,” while Boyz II Men made a surprise appearance with New Kids on the Block to offer “One Sweet Day” in memory of those who were killed in the attack.

Proceeds from the show, for which tickets ranged from $35 to $300, will go to One Fund Boston, which was established by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to help bombing victims.

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