Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd put aside his feelings of helplessness following the 9/11 atrocities so he and his band could send a message of hope to the devastated survivors.
As America plans to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, many celebrities are recalling where they were when two hijacked commercial planes hit the Twin Towers in New York, while a third crashed into the Pentagon in Virginia and a fourth crash landed in Pennsylvania.
And rocker Boyd has opened up about his personal account of the fateful day, revealing he was staying a mile away from the World Trade Center buildings at the Soho Grand Hotel on the night of September 10, 2011 - and he and a friend awoke just shortly before the planes crashed into the Twin Towers.
Speaking to the New York Daily News, he says, "It was such a gorgeous day. I had the windows open so I could listen to the glorious hum of the city... (And then) I heard the first plane go over, which sounded like it went right over our hotel. I said to the young woman I was dating at the time, 'That seems awfully low for a plane to be flying.'
"(When the first plane hit) our windows rattled like an earthquake. I heard sirens and raised voices, but couldn't see out of my window which direction it had gone.
"We watched the second plane hit (on the news) and again our windows rattled. At that point we knew something was very wrong. It goes without saying that the feeling that hit me was overwhelming helplessness. I didn't know what to do for my own safety, let alone to lend a helping hand."
Boyd admits he and his bandmates were forced to make a decision about whether to axe their two shows at the Hammerstein Ballroom days after the attacks (14-15Sep01) - because the venue was just two miles from Ground Zero.
He continues, "I remember asking if it was even an option for us to play New York. The promoter told us, 'I don't think anyone is going to object...' Though the shows had been sold out for some time, we weren't sure if anyone would come out. There was so much fear in the city."
Incubus made the collective decision to push on with the concerts and their fans were glad they did - in the hours before their Friday (14Sep11) performance, over 85 per cent of the ticket holders had come to claim their passes.
Boyd adds, "It was obvious at that moment how much music mattered. It didn't even matter that it was us playing it. It was just that people wanted to go out and hear some music and be taken away from it all. It was like touching a live wire, playing that night."