Whoever said chivalry is dead has not heard the story of Matthew Leone, bassist for rock band Madina Lake, who is currently awaiting further brain surgery after intervening in fight on a Chicago street. And now he has some heavy hitters coming to his aid to help him pay his hospital bill – The Smashing Pumpkins.The story played out like this: While walking to a bar, Leone passed a man beating his wife on the street. Leone stepped in and managed to subdue the attacker, but while he was waiting for police to arrive, the man turned on Leone and beat him severely. The man and his wife then left him on the street unconscious.
Leone underwent emergency brain surgery and had one-third of his skull removed to relieve the swelling. He’s currently in stable condition awaiting an additional surgery to replace the part of his skull that was removed. The man who beat has been arrested and charged and is awaiting a future hearing.
Leone’s medical insurance lapsed two months before the incident, so friends of the band and the Chicago music community are rallying to help provide for Leone’s medical needs. Those friends include The Smashing Pumpkins, who will play a benefit show Tuesday, July 27th, at The Metro in Chicago. The club has special meaning to the band – it played its farewell concert there in December 2000 before the band went on an extended hiatus.
Ticket info for the event is as follows:
There will be a raffle for tickets. Individuals can enter the raffle as many times as they wish for $10 each entry. A majority of the venue will be sold to raffle winners. Each winner will receive two tickets to the concert. Tickets are not transferable and winners must show ID matching their raffle entry. Raffle tickets will be available for sale through Metro website only beginning Wednesday July 21 at noon at http:///www.metrochicago.com. The raffle will end at 2pm on Saturday July 24, 2010, and winners will be notified via email at 5pm on Saturday July 24, 2010.
There will also be a very limited amount of balcony VIP tickets put onsale for those fans who want to make a larger donation and ensure entry into this special event for $100 each. Balcony VIP tickets will go on sale Wednesday July 21 at noon.
Additionally, a limited amount of soundcheck VIP tickets will be available for $500 each. The soundcheck VIP event (approximately
30 minutes), set for the late afternoon, includes a meet and greet/photo with the Pumpkins and merchandise items, plus a seat at a table in the balcony for the show; this package is priced at $500 per person. Soundcheck VIP tickets will be available Wednesday July 21 at noon at http:///www.metrochicago.com.
Leave a Comment