Concert to benefit Planned Parenthood
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » All are invited to Stand With Planned Parenthood at a benefit concert this weekend in the Spa City.
Presented by Acquired Taste Booking, Stand With Planned Parenthood: A Benefit Concert will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday at Putnam Den, located at 63 Putnam St. in downtown Saratoga Springs.
Local musical acts Pony In The Pancake, Dryer, Nick Conners and Olivia Quillo will perform at the event, along with comedians Katherine Gauthier, Jen McMullen, Victoria Diana, Dre Cerbin and Dee Watson.
This benefit aims to be a night full of great music and comedy for a great cause. On why he decided to host this event, Acquired Taste Booking owner-operator Shane Frasier said, “Planned Parenthood is an organization that does a tremendous amount of good for women’s health, but it gets this stigma that it only provides abortions, which is the sole purpose their opponents target it. The new administration and Republican Congress/ Senate have been looking to defund the organization for some time, and now they are well on their way to doing so. I love putting energy into organizing ben-
efits that aid causes/organizations that I support that need some help, so it was natural for me to do this.”
When Frasier started reaching out to local artists, he found that many were totally into the idea of performing at a Planned Parenthood benefit show. “Bands are almost always willing to jump on board something that helps raise money for social causes, it’s just in their nature,” Frasier said, noting that the community has also been very receptive and supportive of this event, with a variety of stores and organizations donating goods for the raffles and silent auction table.
Back in January, Acquired Taste Booking held another benefit event at Putnam Den called Stand With Standing Rock. Although the Dakota Access Pipeline was later greenlit, the local concert was successful fundraiser, and Frasier hopes the money raised will help the Sioux with any court costs they have that stemmed from the protests.
With some experience booking benefit events under his belt, Frasier wants to pursue a career in organizing festivals, concerts and events that raise money for worthy causes across the globe. “It combines my love of helping others with my love for putting on events, so it’s something I’ve been eyeing recently,” he said.
For this upcoming Planned Parenthood benefit, Acquired Taste Booking is also bringing in comedians, who will perform sets between the bands on the bill. “I’m a comedian myself, and I felt like adding some humor into the mix would loosen up the event,” Frasier said. “We have a tremendous lineup of female comedians for the night, and they will perform in between band sets, so it breaks up any down time the audience may have, so it keeps them engaged. Plus, everyone enjoys a good laugh.”
The ultimate goal of this event, Frasier said, is not only to help raise some money for a great organization, but also to educate people who may not be aware of all that Planned Parenthood does. “I think it’s important for people to realize that budget cuts to an amazing group like Planned Parenthood does a lot more damage than they realize.”
All funds raised at Stand With Planned Parenthood: A Benefit Concert this weekend will be donated directly to Planned Parenthood through its donation services.
Tickets to Friday’s show are $10 for those ages 21 and older or $15 for ages 18 to 20, available at the door. Raffle tickets will be available as well.
For more information about this concert visit the Facebook event page for Stand With Planned Parenthood: A Benefit Concert.