REO Speedwagon Plans Fundraisers To Aid Fire, Shooting Victims

Hard Rock International – REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon plays Hard Rock Live in Orlando, Fla., April 13.

With the dual tragedies of a recent shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and a fire sweeping through multiple Southern California cities and counties, REO Speedwagon is donating the proceeds from a previously scheduled show to charity and is scheduling a follow-up show the next night. 

The originally scheduled show, at Fred Kavli Theatre in Thousand Oaks Jan. 12, is already on sale, and a second gig is being ironed out for Jan. 13, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. That second show, presumably at the same venue, goes on sale Nov. 15.

Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Ventura County Community Foundation. The REO Speedwagon shows will be opened by Sir, Please, which features Cronin’s twin sons Josh and Shane, who reportedly played the Borderline not long before the shooting.

While the effects of the shooting at Borderline echo throughout the U.S., where concerns about safety at public events continue to mount with each mass shooting, the effects of the fire hit particularly close to home for REO Speedwagon singer Kevin Cronin, who lives in nearby Westlake Village, and many other music industry figures. 

Booking agent Dan Rozenblum, co-founder of 33 & West, lost his entire Malibu home to the fire. His colleagues have set up a GoFundMe account to help him recover. 

Miley Cyrus, Neil Young and actor Gerard Butler also lost their homes to the fire, according to Variety. The publication went on to report that Robin Thicke and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner were also forced to evacuate their homes. 

Other musicians who were forced to evacuate their homes because of the fires include Fred Durst and Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit, Adam Jones of Tool and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, according to Consequence of Sound. 

Thousands have been displaced by the fires burning in Northern and Southern California, and one of the many programs accepting donations is the California Fire Foundation.