[Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye]
On Sunday night, an array of performers and musicians came together at Theatre 80 on St. Mark's Place for a benefit to aid displaced residents from the deadly gas explosion on Second Avenue on March 26.
According to published reports, the benefit, spearheaded by East Village-based writer Alan Kaufman and artist Jim Storm, raised some $50,000 in donations and ticket sales. The donations raised Sunday night will be managed by the Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES), which has aided displaced residents in the explosion's relief efforts.
Here are a few of the performers from the night via EVG contributor Stacie Joy ...
[Emcee Randy Jones of the Village People]
[Dev Hynes of Blood Orange]
[Mollie King]
[On Ka'a Davis and Ensemble]
[The Bowery Boys]
[Edgar Oliver]
[MOTHXR]
[Kayvon Zand]
[Tammy Faye Starlite]
[Jesse Malin]
[Theatre 80 proprietor Lorcan Otway]
[Alan Kaufman]
This was a great event and much thanks to Alan Kauffman for pulling it together so quickly. Sting got all the headlines but Yoko Ono and many other anonymous donors made this possible. There was so much media there that they were lined up on the walls on both sides and jammed up all the aisles. A number of the victims of the fire were seated up on the stage, this must all have felt very surreal to them having just lost their homes. Patti Smith sounded amazing and her artistry was really great to see live. Tammy Faye Starlite was hilarious. If you ever get a chance to see her perform live do it, she really should have her own late night comedy show, and she helped lighten the mood, as did Kayvon Zand with his wild outfit and foot high hairdo, who said even he had moved to the Upper East Side like everyone else since the EV rent is too damn high. Mollie King shined, Dev Hines was amazing on keyboard, Jesse Malin brought his own unique energy. To them and everyone else who helped give the EV a little much needed music and healing, thanks for making this happen.
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