Features
The Volunteer Ticket
But there is a catch. To gain access to one of Boost Mobile’s Rock Corp shows, you’ll need to put in four hours of labor.
The Rock Corp movement began four years ago, COO Grady Lee told Pollstar, aiming to inspire young people to give back to their communities.
“We put on exclusive shows and the only way to get a ticket is to volunteer,” Lee said. “You can’t buy a ticket, you can’t win one. You have to go out and earn it.”
The volunteer projects encompass a range of activities, from planting, painting and cleaning to working at food banks, senior citizens’ homes and youth centers, and the payoff is pretty sweet.
Lee explained the group likes to provide the volunteers with the VIP experience. Boost Mobile RockCorp partnered for an upcoming Beyoncé show in Baltimore, for example, and created a VIP room backstage for the volunteers. And during the group’s exclusive shows, there’s the chance to see a concert solely with an audience of volunteers.
RockCorp has drawn thousands of people to work on projects in major market cities thus far, and has a handful of concerts coming up, including a four-show tour with Taking Back Sunday.
Lee said both the projects and the shows have lasting effects on volunteers, and many have ended up returning for additional work.
“We see this as really growing,” he said. “We have eyes on larger venues and really want to make this a national or even a global movement.”