Lainey Wilson and Five For Fighting’s John Ondrasik to Perform on ‘9/11 Tribute in Light: Live From Lower Manhattan’ Special

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with information about Cyndi Lauper joining the broadcast.

The annual Sept. 11 commemoration in New York will be broadcast live for the first time this year on ABC as part of the 25th anniversary commemoration of the 2001 terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people at the World Trade Center in Manhattan, the Pentagon in Virginia and in Shanksville, Pa.

The live special, 9/11 Tribute in Light: Live From Lower Manhattan, will air at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, Disney+, Hulu, National Geographic and ABC-owned TV stations, livestreams and ABC News Live in partnership with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. It will feature a special performance from Five For Fighting‘s John Ondrasik and country star Lainey Wilson, who will perform live from the base of the Tribute in Light’s iconic double beams.

“The courage, bravery, and heroism displayed in response to 9/11 is a reminder of who we are as Americans and the strength and compassion we show one another at our most difficult moments,” said Wilson in a statement. “I’m honored to lend my voice to this moment, and to recognize the first responders, families, and communities whose service and sacrifice continue to inspire us 25 years later.”

In addition, Cyndi Lauper was added to the lineup on Tuesday (Sept. 8), with the “True Colors” singer slated to join Ondrasik and Wilson for performances from the Tribute in Light base. “I’m grateful to be a part of the 9/11 Tribute in Light. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 25 years. Like so many of us, I feel like it was just yesterday,” said Lauper in a statement. “I was outside the city that morning and desperate to get back to my family, a luxury that, sadly, a lot of people were not afforded. I am honored to sing for them, those that we lost, and the families and friends who remain, and for my city. We will never forget.”

The Tribute in Light has lit up the New York skyline every Sept. 11 since 2002, sending a pair of white beams four miles into the sky in a shape echoing that of the Twin Towers, for a display that is visible within a 60-mile radius of Lower Manhattan. The special will be hosted live from New York by World News Tonight anchor David Muir, as well as Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts and anchor Diane Sawyer, as well as WABC anchors Linsey Davis, Sade Baderinwa and Mike Marza.

“I am honored to perform ‘Superman’ for this moment. Though a quarter century has passed, we will never forget the heroes who selflessly ran into the burning twin towers to save their fellow Americans,” said Ondrasik about his band’s song that was released two weeks before the terror attacks and peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 that December. “Their courage, fortitude, and sacrifice will forever embody the very best of our nation.” 

“Superman (It’s Not Easy),” which features the open verses “I can’t stand to fly/ I’m not that naïve/ I’m just out to find/ The better part of me/ I’m more than a bird, I’m more than a plane/ I’m more than some pretty face beside a train/ And it’s not easy to be me,” became an 9/11 anthem in the wake of the worst terror attack in U.S. history.

Ondrasik played it at the 2001 Concert For New York City benefit at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 20 of that year, which also featured performances by David Bowie, Bon Jovi, Jay-Z, the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the Goo Goo Dolls, Billy Joel, James Taylor, Destiny’s Child, John Mellencamp, The Who, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Backstreet Boys and many more.