While the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall made their royal rounds of the Big Apple and Washington on November 2, 2005, fellow Brit Sir Elton John held court downtown.

"An Enduring Vision," a benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, drew music, film and fashion luminaries to Cipriani Wall Street for an auction and dinner.

CNN's Paula Zahn played host, and Elton performed nine of his hit songs for a crowd that included Richard Gere and Carey Lowell, Bette Midler, Sophie Dahl, Moby, John Mayer, Stanley Tucci, Ivana Trump, Tom Ford, Karl Lagerfeld and Bernie Taupin.

Arriving at the event — the fourth such gathering for Elton's foundation, which has raised more than $80 million — the singer expressed gratitude to contributors. But he acknowledged that less-well-heeled folks have donated "small gobs of money, and can help so much just by spreading the word."

Fellow artists such as Elvis Costello and Joss Stone were on hand to do just that. "I haven't been fortunate enough to be at any of these events before," Costello said. "But I'm here to show support."

A giggly Stone reported that she had recorded a new holiday song, "Calling It Christmas", with Elton. "He's an amazing guy, and he can sing his (butt) off."

Billie Jean King, another guest, said she jammed with Elton, too. "I can't sing, but Elton used to bring me on stage in the early years," said the tennis champ, who auctioned off tickets to Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and tossed in a coaching session with her and a lesson with John McEnroe.

In another impromptu gesture, Elton auctioned off stays at his apartment in Venice and his house in Nice.

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