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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