Classic Rockers Raise Funds For Sept. 11 Victims

CLASSIC ROCKERS RAISE FUNDS FOR SEPT. 11 VICTIMS:

Classic rock veterans will join together again to stage a pair of concerts to benefit victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., Billboard Bulletin reports. Rock to the Rescue concerts featuring Styx, Bad Company, Foreigner, and others, will be held Oct. 19 at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J., and Oct. 20 at Gund Arena in Cleveland.

“We had such a good time last year that we thought we’d do it again this year,” Styx lead singer Tommy Shaw said in a statement. Shaw conceived the idea for last year’s Volunteers for America concerts in Atlanta and Dallas, held shortly after Sept. 11 to raise money for survivors and victims’ families. “It was an extremely emotional yet rewarding experience for all of us involved and we’re looking forward to this year’s Rock to the Rescue concerts.”

Edgar Winter, REO Speedwagon, Survivor, Sam Moore of Sam and Dave, Felix Cavaliere, Grand Funk Railroad’s Mark Farner, Eddie Money, and John Waite have also signed on for the shows, produced by TBA Entertainment.

Tickets for both shows go on sale Saturday (Sept. 14) at 10 a.m. ET via Ticketmaster. Proceeds will go to the Port Authority Police World Trade Disaster Survivors Fund.

“A year has passed since the horrific events of last September 11th and I still cannot fully integrate it into my life’s experiences,” REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin added. “I have watched the various televised retrospectives and they are so powerfully real that they have a way of overwhelming me. No matter how many times I see those images, there is a part of me that is as shocked and angry and sad as I was a year ago. The feelings have not faded… Maybe they never will… The Rock to the Rescue benefit concerts will let the people of New York and New Jersey and all around the country know that we have not forgotten.”

Last year’s Volunteers for America concerts raised $550,000 for the Port Authority Police Department, according to TBA Entertainment’s Charlie Brusco. “That was definitely a good start but our mission is to continue the fundraising efforts for the families of the victims of the Sept. 11th tragedy.”

Barry A. Jeckell courtesy of Billboard