Talent concert to benefit Danforth victims
Billy Talent’s Benjamin Kowalewicz’s studio is not far from the Danforth shooting scene.
Mississauga rockers Billy Talent will host a benefit concert next month in Toronto to support the victims of the deadly shooting on the Danforth.
The band say it will join fellow musicians City and Colour, Pup and several other artists to play the Toronto Together fundraiser at the Danforth Music Hall on Aug. 11.
The venue is steps away from the shootings where an 18-yearold woman and a 10-year-old girl were killed and 13 others injured when a gunman fired into restaurants and patios along the busy street.
Toronto’s Greektown neighbourhood has long been home to a vibrant arts community. The late Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie lived in the area while Billy Talent purchased a residence near the area years ago, which they converted into a studio space.
Proceeds from the concert, which takes place during the bustling Taste of the Danforth festival, will be donated to the #TorontoStrong fund.
“What has happened in Toronto this summer, and with what happened on the Danforth a few blocks from our studio, has not only hit close to home — this has hit home,” wrote the band in a statement. “All we know is that we can’t just sit here. We don’t know what we want but we want to do something. We want to throw a concert to show the world and more importantly our community that Toronto is a place of love, of community, of kindness and compassion.”
Tickets will be limited to two per person and go on sale for $50 each on Wednesday at 10 a.m. at torontotogether.com.