According to published reports, the Smashing Pumpkins benefit show at Chicago's Metro on Tuesday night raised anywhere from 60-80 thousand dollars for Chicago musician Matthew Leone. Kill Hannah opened the night.
Tickets were sold by a raffle system, $10 for a raffle ticket that gave you a chance to win 2 concert tickets. VIP and meet and greet tickets for $100 and $500 a piece were also sold out. Between encores, Billy Corgan auctioned off the guitar he was playing for $10,000. Other memorabilia was action off between sets, $1,600 for a bag of collectible Pumpkins memorabilia, $2,500 for a signed event poster and $4,000 to meet Billy after the show.
Illinois Governor, Pat Quinn was at the concert and proclaimed Tuesday Matthew Leone Day in Illinois. "We have a true American hero right here in Matthew Leone," the governor said. He presented Matthew's twin brother, Nathan with a plaque.
Reviews of the show were mixed (video below). Smashing Pumpkins are now Billy Corgan plus three new members, Mike Byrne on drums, Nicole Fiorentino on bass, and Jeff Scroeder on guitar. Here's my review from a Pumpkin's show Monday in NY City. This show, however, was more about compassion than music criticism.
"I couldn't believe how wonderful Billy Corgan was," Giulio Leone, Matthew's father, said after the show. "It was a wonderful evening. It's sort of the positive ending to a very negative situation."
Matthew Leone, from the band Madina Lake, survived brain surgery last week to replace part of his skull that was removed almost a month ago after injuries suffered in a terrible attack on June 30th. He is now home from the hospital. The surgery was successful. He is recovering, smiling, and walking, but said to be in great pain.
Matthew was the victim of a severe beating when he tried to aid a woman that was being choked by her husband in the street. Matthew had just left his brother's apartment on his way to meet a friend around 12:45am when he saw the argument. The woman yelled for Leone to help her and he tried to break them up and calm the situation. The husband, later identified as Justin Pivec, brutally attacked Leone and left him unconscious with many head injuries. Pivec, as reported here, has been arrested and charged with domestic battery for the incident with his wife and with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, a felony, for attacking Leone.
Matthew has no medical insurance and faces large bills for his stay in the hospital, his surgery and subsequent treatments. Sweet Relief kindly started a fund for Matthew and has raised over $30,000, this is aside from the concert proceeds. Donation are still being accepted, click "Chip In" on the box below.
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