If you go to enough concerts (and even if you don’t) you long for the experience of seeing big name acts playing a small club and having a great time in a room that’s neither so crowded that you can’t walk up to the front, nor so loud that you can’t hear yourself think, where the drinks and food are excellent, plenty and free. A place where there is merch that is rare and exclusive and a good value to boot. How about all that and feeling good and righteous for being there? Feeling as you are doing some good in the world, and contributing to helping others who are suffering?
Sounds impossible. But it happens every year at what is my favorite charity event, “Rock The Night,” a benefit for Connecting to Cure Crohn’s and Colitis, which this year took place at the Terragram Ballroom in Los Angeles on April 14 and featured Jakob Dylan, Butch Walker, and a special appearance by Jim James (there was also a New York event at the Bowery Ballroom in November).
Connecting to Cure was founded by Stacy Dylan and Dana Zatulove who both have sons who suffer from these painful gastro-intestinal diseases for which there is currently no permanent cure. Over the last seven years, they have raised more than $1.5 Million in funds that have supported the research of doctors such as Dr. Marla Dubinsky at Mount Sinai in New York and Dr. Shervin Rabizadeh at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles. They have also established support groups where patients and their caregivers can share their experiences, their knowledge and offer each other encouragement.
The recent LA event was emceed by Andy Berman who was able to get the crowd to raise more than $30,000 in a flash text fury in the room. Joe Sib, a comedian, did a very funny set about parenting in the 21rst Century. And there was a moving speech from Benjamin King, the actor and director, known for “Liv and Maddie,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Weeds.” As well as warm words to the crowd from Stacy Dylan who said that Lowell, her son, had been through a hard year.
“Our struggles are real and deep and the things that our family have been through, I never could have imagained,” Stacy Dylan said. “But our family and our C to C community continue to be hopeful for the future.” One of the points made in a short video made by media company Wondros, is that these diseases also deeply affect the families – parents, siblings, spouses – they are all impacted by the suffering and treatments for the disease. It is hard to fully appreciate what these families go through.
Which is why everyone feels so good about supporting a cause by having a good time. And a good time it was. Jim James, the musician and singer of “My Morning Jacket” who has been pursuing a solo career as well, came out and performed several songs solo with acoustic guitar, hitting those ethereal high notes that have become his trademark (I might note that with his shoulder length hair and overcoat he’s starting to resemble Rodin’s statue of Balzac – that or Howard Hughes in his Vegas penthouse phase). James performed “I’m Amazed,” and “Throwback” and then one of his solo compositions, the beautiful and meditative, “Changing the World” – which hit just the right note for a charity benefit.
Jakob Dylan, who has performed at every Connecting to to Cure benefit, was at his best, performing Wallflower hits such as “Three Marlenas,” “God Don’t Make Lonely Girls,” and “One Headlight,” as well as rocking such classics as Sam Cooke’s “Another Saturday Night” and a hard-rocking version of The Box Tops’ “The Letter.” (Dylan was also joined on stage by Jade Castrinos). There was something so dynamic about Dylan’s performance -- like he’d found his mojo again after wandering in the desert (or more to the point by not being in the desert at Coachella).
Butch Walker and his band was like the greatest bar band ever, with epic soaring guitar solos matched by his bandmate guitarist Stanton Edward 's ripping riffs and by his great keyboardist and pedal steel guitar player. The music rocked so hard that Dylan even made a crack that he felt like Tom Petty watching Prince at the Concert for George.
Still, Dylan and Walker jammed with great enthusiasm, matching lick for lick, on the show’s closing number, a cover of “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace Love and Understanding” (the Nick Lowe song made famous by Elvis Costello). They burned down the house on that one, making for a memorable ‘you had to be there’ musical experience.
The night raised some $200,000, which should make everyone there feel good – as if being at the best concert night in LA didn’t already do that.
For more information: http://www.connectingtocure.org/
