Local groups pull together to pull off big-time benefit concert

The double whammy of Hurricanes Helene and Milton inflicted considerable damage, chaos and anxiety on the region’s barrier islands. But out of those storms came some inspiring — and highly successful — initiatives. 

This is a story about what can happen when community leaders come together, pool their talents and resources, galvanize their efforts and raise a bunch of money to help people in need — and do so far more quickly than reasonably expected.

A couple of days after Hurricane Helene swamped the keys with storm surge on Sept. 26, a group of leaders held a conference call to see what they could do to provide aid, recalls Chris Culhane, executive director of The Center of Anna Maria Island. Among many other topics, the idea of a benefit concert came up and generated enthusiastic support. 

Two weeks later, Hurricane Milton muddied the waters, pushing concert plans back. A core group of leaders continued to stay in touch about the project, even while some of them were cleaning up their own properties. By mid-October, plans began in earnest.

Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, committed his organization to sponsoring the event, which meant putting up most of the money. He called Rich Engler, a Pittsburgh concert promoter who promotes shows for the Center of Anna Maria Island. “We needed to find the right artist,” Falcione says. “It had to be either a country act or a classic rock act to headline. Those genres appeal to our region more than any others.”

A key factor: The concert had to come together quickly, in three to four weeks. Most major shows are booked several months in advance. 

Engler made offers to a few acts, but the tight timeline and scheduling conflicts got in the way. He reached out to Lynyrd Skynyrd, the beloved Southern rock band that formed in Jacksonville in the mid-1960s and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. The band’s lead singer, Johnny Van Zant — who lives in Jacksonville — was brought into the conversation and wanted to make the show happen. The group was not on tour, and therefore available, but members and crew would have to be flown in for the gig.

A handshake deal was set. Organizers tabbed singer/guitarist Marcus King to open the show. The concert, coined Rock ’n’ Support, was scheduled for Friday, Nov. 25 at the Bradenton Area Convention Center. The county-owned facility’s capacity is 4,000. Ticket prices ranged from $75 to $125, with $500 VIP packages.

Culhane signed the contract with Lynyrd Skynyrd Nov. 1. He and his team handled ticketing and most of the concert logistics. 

Courtesy image

The community leaders decided the money raised would go directly to hospitality and tourism workers on the coastal islands — the Manatee half of Longboat Key, Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach, Anna Maria Island and the Village of Cortez. Grants would be $500 for full-time workers, $250 for part-time. 

But there was still the matter of how to vet applicants and disperse the dollars. That’s where John Horne came in. He owns Oysters Rock Hospitality, whose primary brand is Anna Maria Oyster Bar. He’s also the chairman of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association. A few years earlier, Oysters Rock had formed a nonprofit to help employees in need. It was dubbed Shuckin’ Good Cause, wordplay being part of the company culture.

Horne offered up the nonprofit as a conduit to issue grants to displaced workers, many of whom were out of jobs for the foreseeable future. The process needed to be nimble, free of red tape. “I said, ‘We set up this 501(c)(3) and could easily run all the disaster relief [concert] funds through it,’” Horne recounts. “It enabled us to get money directly to the workers and not have to go through the businesses.”

Shuckin’ Good Cause Director Pam Beck managed the operation. “I don’t think she’s slept since Helene or Milton,” Horne quipped in late November.

The nonprofit recruited another nonprofit, the Women’s Resource Center of Manatee, to process the applications. Beneficiaries would need to have worked in one of the eligible communities. Residency did not qualify. Organizers set a low bar for receiving the grants. Applicants had to show four pay stubs and provide a need. “I mean, everybody’s got a bill to pay,” Horne says. 

Meanwhile, preparations for the Lynyrd Skynyrd concert moved along. The Crewe of De Soto offered to handle the bar. Manatee Performing Arts Center provided volunteer ushers. Plus, “Skynyrd’s entire team was really into it,” Culhane says. “They travel with a lot of people.”

When the lights went down and Lynyrd Skynyrd hit the stage, Culhane experienced “complete relief,” he says. “Everything we did for three weeks was coming to fruition.” 

“The community needed to have some fun after what we’d gone through,” Falcione adds.

Culhane estimates 3,500 people attended the Rock ’n’ Roll Support concert. Revenue included ticket sales, drinks, a percentage of merchandise, money from auctioning off signed guitars and a $50,000 donation.

As of mid-December, the event had raised a total of $377,000, according to Culhane. He expected the final tally to exceed $400,000. All of those dollars were earmarked for hospitality workers in need. Also as of mid-December, more than 500 recipients had received a total of  $256,250.

That’s not bake-sale money, people. 

“It’s how we work down here, man,” Culhane says. “Y’know, it’s a glorious thing, really.”