By: Mille Appleton

When performers like Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Madonna and U2 come together, it is sure to be a memorable evening. The celebrities weren’t stealing the spotlight, though; the heart of the evening was to raise money for the devastation in Haiti.

“Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief,” hosted by George Clooney and Wyclef Jean Friday night, raised a record-setting $58 million and still counting, according to USA Today.

“It’s a big world out there and we all have a lot of responsibility to look out for people who can’t look out for themselves,” Clooney said to MTV News.

The donations continue to rise as people around the globe are still sending money via the Internet, phone, text or mail, as well as buying the “Hope for Haiti Now” album on iTunes, currently number one in 18 countries, according to the MTV Web site.

The evening was full of inspirational ballads, and the classics took on new meanings. Jennifer Hudson belted her rendition of “Let it Be” and Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock and Keith Urban collaborated beautifully for “Lean on Me.”

Of course, it was Bono who pulled out all the stops teaming up with the Edge of U2, Rihanna and Jay-Z for their debut of “Stranded,” mixing rap and film-noir pop with perfectly tailored lyrics to “Haiti, mon amour.”

It was only proper for the native born Haitian Wyclef Jean to close the evening with the reggae hymn “Rivers of Babylon.” The encouraging, uplifting musician stirred the audience to “rebuild Haiti, let’s lift them up, let’s show them where we come from,” before an African-inspired drum solo that filled the hearts of all watching with the soul of Haiti.