Dave Matthews Parties in Central Park

The Dave Matthews band kept tens of thousands of fans on their feet at a free concert in Central Park as part of a fund-raiser for music programs in the nation’s largest public school system.

The concert was sponsored by America Online, which has held other fund-raisers and donated $1 million to New York City schools. AOL handed out 70,000 free tickets before the concert through its Web site and on the streets.

With its brand of funk, jazz and worldbeat fusion, the band entertained the crowd with hits like “Where are You Going” and “Two Step.” The concert Wednesday followed in the tradition of Diana Ross, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, Barbra Streisand and Garth Brooks, who also performed for free at the park.

The band opened with “Don’t Drink the Water,” a 10 top hit in 1998. The group has released a dozen albums and has had 10 top 10 singles.

“So nice to run into you in the park here, the greatest park in the world, and the greatest city in world,” Matthews said to wild applause.

For Joe Bruno, 18, of Brick, N.J., Wednesday’s concert marked his 28th time seeing the band – and his 13th time this year.

“They’re my favorite band by far,” he said. “It’s all happy, it’s all friendly, and unlike other concerts there are different kinds of people here, and nobody’s fighting.”

The money given by AOL is the second major private donation to the city’s public school system in the past two weeks.

Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates last week donated $51.2 million to develop 67 new high schools.