Jagger and McCartney on stage

An unprecedented line-up of rock superstars featuring Mick Jagger and Sir Elton John is to perform at the weekend Concert for New York City, masterminded by Sir Paul McCartney to raise up £25 million for the city's relief fund.

David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend of The Who, Janet Jackson, Bono, Billy Joel and Bon Jovi are billed to perform, a spokesman for Sir Paul said.

It will be Sir Paul and Jagger's first time on stage together since the Beatles and Rolling Stones played at the NME poll winners party in 1964.

Hollywood stars Meg Ryan, Jim Carrey, Susan Sarandon, Mike Myers, John Cusack and Michael J. Fox will also join the singers.

The Saturday show is to take place in front of 20,000 people at the legendary Madison Square Gardens and will be televised live to a worldwide audience of three billion.

The climax of the Saturday show is expected to be a "supergroup" of up to 30 stars singing one emotional anthem together.

At first Sir Paul wanted to hold a more modest show to raise cash for the families of firefighters affected by the terrorist atrocities.

He was in New York when the tragedy unfolded and his father was a fireman in Liverpool during the Second World War.

But the project snowballed when Miramax boss Harvey Weinstein and the chiefs of global music channels MTV and VH1 heard about his plan and decided to get involved.

All the profits from Sir Paul's new single From A Lover To A Friend, which will be released on October 29, will go straight to the New York police force and firefighters.

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