Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe LONDON, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- When Paul McCartney releases his new single, "From a Lover to a Friend," on Oct. 29 all proceeds from the sale of the record will be donated to relief for the families of firefighters in New York, McCartney said Wednesday. More than 300 firefighters are missing following the collapse of the World Trade Center Twin Towers in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. Advertisement The new song will be released worldwide by EMI and Capitol Records nine days after McCartney appears at an all-star concert at New York's Madison Square Garden to raise funds for victims and heroes of the terrorist attack and the rescue and recovery effort that followed it. Billed alternately as The Concert for the Americas or the Concert for New York, the event will also feature appearances by Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton, Melissa Etheridge, Goo Goo Dolls, Macy Gray, Mick Jagger, John Mellencamp, James Taylor and the Who. Advertisement In a statement issued Wednesday, McCartney described his initial reaction as he witnessed the destruction of the towers from an airplane on the ground at a New York airport. "Out of the window of the plane I could see the towers smoking and in flames and, like everybody, I could not believe what was happening," he said. "As the airport was then closed, I stayed in New York for a week after the attack and I was able to also witness the tremendous heroism that has come out of the city, including the bravery of the firefighters. "I have great admiration for the courage those guys showed," said McCartney, whose father was a volunteer fireman in Liverpool during World War II. "We're doing this big concert in New York to stand up for democracy, to honor the rescue workers and to benefit the victims of the attacks, and I hope that the sales of this new single will help raise more funds. McCartney's first new studio album in four years, "Driving Rain," is due in stores Nov. 13. "From a Lover to a Friend" had already been scheduled as the first single from the CD. Capitol Records said it was also set to be featured on the soundtrack of the new Tom Cruise movie, "Vanilla Sky," which will be released in December. Advertisement VH1 announced Wednesday that the Backstreet Boys have canceled a concert in San Diego to join the Oct. 20 concert in New York. Paul Shaffer and his "Late Show" band were announced as the house band for the show. The four-hour concert will air commercial-free on VH1, VH1 U.K. and VH1 European, reaching 88 countries. It will also be simulcast on radio stations nationwide. The telecast will display a phone number and Web site address for donations, which will go to a special fund established by the Robin Hood Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit that focuses on helping people out of poverty. Movie and TV actors expected to appear at the event include Jimmy Fallon, Michael J. Fox, Mike Myers, Ryan Phillippe, Adam Sandler and Reese Witherspoon. Jim Carrey, John Cusack, Ryan Phillippe, Meg Ryan, Susan Sarandon, David Spade and Julia Stiles have also announced plans to be there.
