After announcing his intentions last week to stage a benefit concert for families of firemen who died in the World Trade Center collapse, Paul McCartney has decided instead to join up with an all-star benefit planned for October 20 at Madison Square Garden.

The four-hour show will also feature the Who, Bon Jovi, John Mellencamp, Macy Gray, the Goo Goo Dolls, James Taylor, India.Arie and Melissa Etheridge, with more acts to be announced. Called simply "The Concert for New York," the event will air live on VH1 and will be simulcast on radio stations nationwide.

As with the "America: A Tribute to Heroes" telethon, the musicians will be joined by a panel of actors and comedians including Jim Carrey, Jerry Seinfeld, Gwyneth Paltrow and John Cusack. The television broadcast will display a phone number and Web site address for donations, but it appears unlikely that celebrities will answer viewers' calls like they did on last week's telethon.

More than 5,000 members of New York's fire department, police department and rescue crews and their families are being invited to the event.

Tickets will go on sale October 7 at noon via Ticketmaster. Prices have not yet been determined, but all money raised will go to the Robin Hood Relief Fund, which will distribute the money to the Twin Towers Fund and other agencies aiding the victims and their families.

For more information on and audience reaction to the attacks, including tips on how you can help, see "9.11.01: Moving Forward."