Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - Tuesday, May 27, 2003
John dedicated "For The Boy In The Red Shoes" to a friend who died of AIDS, but the mood was far from somber as the event rollicked into the early hours Sunday.
Thousands of guests streamed in and out of the massive neo-Gothic building, clad in everything from tuxedoes to little more than body paint.
Glitter was abundant. So were outlandish headdresses a la Carmen Miranda or Josephine Baker that sometimes blocked the view as tens of thousands of nonpaying visitors ogled from across chain-link barriers set up at City Hall Square.
John accepted a check for more than $533,000 for his AIDS foundation to support projects in Africa. Singer Taylor Dayne and Neal Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys also performed.
First held 10 years ago, the annual event is now among the largest and most colorful charity galas in the world dedicated to raising funds to fight AIDS. Ahead of the ball's opening, organizers said they had raised about $5.4 million.
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