Fall Out Boy to headline March for Our Lives benefit concert

A month after the senseless shooting at Marjory Douglas Stoneman High School in Parkland, Fla., the students have become the vocal spokespeople for gun control and school safety. Following the shooting, the students were quick to join forces to speak out against gun violence and organize the March for Our Lives march which will take place later this month.

While the students are doing their part to speak out against the government, entertainers are doing their part to help them out. In conjunction with the flagship March for Our Lives march in Washington D.C., Fall Out Boy have announced plans to headline the Stay Amped concert the night before the protest.

On Tuesday (March 13), the Chicago-founded band, who all happen to be fathers, announced their plan to hold a benefit concert hours before all those marchers take to the streets of D.C.

“This is a time for action. We need to support the Parkland teens, and kids across the country,” Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz said in a press statement. “We have their backs, and we must demand our lawmakers do more to end this gun violence crisis.”

Joining Fall Out Boy on the bill will be G-Eazy, Bebe Rexha, Lizzo, and other unannounced surprise guests.

Proceeds from the Stay Amped benefit concert will go to two anti-gun violence organizations; Everytown for Gun Safety and Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence.

Everytown is the largest gun-violence prevention organization in the United States while Giffords was formed after former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in an attempted assassination in 2011. Since the assassination attempt, Giffords has been advocating for stricter gun laws.

“Music brings people together, fuels our energy and offers us inspiration. It’s for those reasons music played such an important role in my recovery,” Giffords said. “I’m thrilled that the night before students take to the streets to march in communities across the country, this concert will provide an opportunity for us to gather and show support for the activism of young people and to encourage them to stay loud as they demand a safer future.”

Tickets for the Stay Amped concert will go on sale beginning this Wednesday, March 14, at 10 a.m. ET on Ticketfly.

The Stay Amped benefit concert announcement comes weeks after Parkland/Coral Springs-founded band New found Glory announced plans to hold their own benefit show in Pompano Beach, Fla. in May. Last week, rock-centric music festival Fort Rock announced plans to offer 50 percent off discounts on all general admission weekend passes as long as you sign the Students Fighting Guns Since Adults Won’t petition, take a screenshot of the signed petition (or forward the confirmation email), and send it to a specific email.

Corey Taylor, Halestorm, Fort Rock producers support school safety initiatives

In the month since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., the world has seen as its students, as well as students around the country, join forces to demand that the government do something about gun control and school safety. Last week, a benefit concert featuring Dashboard Confessional, former Yellowcard singer Ryan Key, and Parkland natives New Found Glory was announced and now, it looks like a massive music festival is getting in on the action.

On Wednesday (March 7), the people behind the World’s Loudest Month concert series, Danny Wimmer Presents, announced that they will be offering 50 percent off general admission weekend tickets to Fort Rock for those who sign the Students Fighting Guns Since Adults Won’t petition. The petition was created by high school student Julia Kemple of Kalamazoo, Mich. in response to last month’s school shooting. The petition has so far garnered signatures from over 200,000 people across the nation.

Backing the music festival’s decision to support the petition and the students’ gun control/school safety movement are headliners Corey Taylor and Halestorm as well as Danny Wimmer Presents CEO/Broward Country native Danny Hayes.

“I’m absolutely behind this movement. Not only the name itself, but the reason and the cause. As a father, my one concern is my children. The fact that no one is doing anything worthwhile to change the horrendous laws and circumstances around these shootings is unacceptable,” Taylor expresses in a press statement. “[So] if the adults can’t extricate themselves from the politics that are keeping them from ACTUALLY making a difference, I support the generation who will.”

“To all the students that have been affected by gun violence, and to students everywhere, YOU are the ones we’ve been waiting for. Our future is what YOU make it and the path is yours to blaze. YOU are the fire!,” a joint press statement from Halestorm reads. “We are proud to stand by you as we push to make this planet a better place.”

“The wording of Julia’s petition is profound. We should all be ashamed that our nation’s youth feels unprotected by those in charge,” begins Hayes in his own press statement. “As a Broward County, Florida native, the Stoneman Douglas tragedy really hit home for me. We are so deeply touched and moved by the courage and fortitude of the students at Stoneman Douglas High School. They have turned trauma into strength. As a society we must act quickly to give them the protection they deserve.”

This special promotion will be available to future Fort Rock ticket buyers. For those who already purchased a ticket to the festival, the concert promoters still ask that they sign the petition and spread it to as many people as they can. Those who would like to take advantage of this promotion are asked to simply sign the petition, take a screenshot of the signed petition (or forward the confirmation email), and send it to dh@dwpresents.com. This promotion will only be available until April 1, 2018 while supplies last.

On Feb. 14, an armed shooter entered Stoneman Douglas High School towards the end of the school day and began shooting, killing a total 17 people. Since then, the Douglas students have been vocal about supporting stricter gun control laws.

In conjunction with their movement, the kids and families of March For Our Lives will take to the streets of Washington D.C. on Saturday, March 24, to demand that their lives and safety as well as the ending of gun violence and mass shootings become a priority. For those not in D.C., there will be almost 500 marches taking place worldwide. To find a local march or to sign the petition, head on over to the March For Our Lives website.

As for Fort Rock, the sixth incarnation of the annual music festival announced a major change when it was confirmed that they would no longer call the JetBlue Park in Fort Myers home. This year, Fort Rock will make its debut at Markham Park in Sunrise, Fla. Fort Rock will take place during the weekend of April 28-29.

This year’s lineup will include performances by Ozzy Osbourne, Godsmack, Five Finger Death Punch, Stone Sour, Shinedown, Breaking Benjamin, Stone Temple Pilots, Halestorm, and many more.

New Found Glory, Dashboard Confessional to headline Parkland benefit concert

While the country, and much of the world, is still reeling from the senseless shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., those in the South Florida community have made it their mission to come together and help those victims any way they can. On Wednesday (Feb. 28), local rock radio station 104.3 The Shark announced how they intend to help the victims of the shooting and it includes the healing power of music. Taking to social media, the radio station and its hosts announced a concert to benefit the Broward Education Foundation Victim’s Fund.

Titled “#ParklandStrong: A Concert Benefiting Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School,” the show will bring together several rock musicians who call the southern part of Florida home. Headlining the springtime show will be New Found Glory who not only call the Parkland area home, but are also MSD alums.

In a Twitter post, the band writes: “As some of you may or may not know, half of our band went to MSD, so it is important to us that we do as much as we possibly can to help the school and families of the victims. They deserve our love, support, and help and we will help in any way we can. We have decided that in an effort to help raise funds for those impacted by the events at MSD and to honor the victims and heroes, NFG will be playing a benefit show at Pompano Beach Amphitheater on May 16.”

Also performing at the benefit will be Dashboard Confessional (who call Boca Raton home) and former Yellowcard vocalist William Ryan Key (who calls Jacksonville home). Both Dashboard Confessional and Key will reportedly perform “intimate acoustic sets” while it appears New Found Glory will perform a normal, full set.

As New Found Glory posted in their open letter to fans, the show will take place on Saturday, May 16, at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater in Pompano Beach. Tickets for the benefit show will go on sale beginning this Monday, March 5, at 10 a.m. local time here. Tickets will cost $25 each with 100 percent of the proceeds going directly to the fund.

The show will be all ages with door opening at 5 p.m. and the show beginning an hour later at six.

Last week, local Fort Lauderdale concert venue Revolution Live held their own concert benefit for the victims of the shooting. Pop star Austin Mahone, DJ-duo Jack and Jack, and 20 others artists performed at the show.