Last week I hosted my first
Punk Rock CCFA Benefit fundraising concert at
O'Brien's Pub in Allston. We had a huge crowd to see some great musicians perform. My friend
Patrick Simas opened with some earth-shattering acoustic punk, followed by personal favorites
The Digs, smoothed by the crooning melodies of
The Hideout, and headlined by local legends
Zip-Tie Handcuffs.
Folks donated $5-10 at the door, and had the opportunity to be entered into a door prize raffle for an AmEx gift card for every $10 they donated to the cause.
What took me by surprise was that not only did the bands playing just want to play a show, but they were enthusiastically supportive of the cause. All participating musicians donated merch, with which we were able to entice concert-goers for additional cash donations. They all also spotlighted our donations table during their sets to encourage their own fans to give to the cause.
Altogether, we had a kick-ass night, raising over $300 for the cause, spreading the word about IBD and the CCFA to 40+ enthusiastic Bostonians, and, of course, losing our voices from screaming lyrics and cheering on a great cause.
This concert was actually only the first of a series that I'll be hosting all over the greater Boston area this year to raise money and awareness for the CCFA. I only hope that the next show is equally successful!
Thanks to everyone that came out to kick IBD's ass!
Boston strong,
ashley
