Broncos fundraiser concert nets over $428,000

Cheques going to 29 families

Each of the 29 families affected by the Humboldt Broncos bus crash will get a cheque for $14,770.20 after a tribute concert held last week netted $428,335.71, according to its organizers.

The 50-50 draw raised an additional $24,884.60, which will be directed to the newly established Humboldt Strong Community Foundation, said Country Thunder Music Festivals general manager Kim Blevins.

“We’re just thrilled that we were able to do this,” Blevins said of the star-studded concert held last Friday, three weeks after 16 people died and 13 more were injured when the team’s bus crashed near Tisdale.

“It’s something that was very dear to all of us, and we’re proud of the work that we accomplished in a short period of time,” she added.

The concert, which featured country performers including Jess Moskaluke and Dallas Smith, drew 9,959 people. Blevins said that includes those who paid $65 each for tickets as well as family members and first responders.

Nashville, Tenn.-based Country Thunder Music Festivals reported Wednesday that the show grossed $505,795.24 and cost $97,166.33 to put on — a figure that includes venue staff and production costs.

That money comes on top of the almost $15.2 million raised on a GoFundMe page set up by Humboldt resident Sylvie Kellington in the aftermath of the crash. Those funds are under the control of a corporation set up by the team.

Country Thunder — which also runs a country music festival near Regina each summer — put on the concert to ensure families got some money as quickly as possible, Blevins told the Saskatoon StarPhoenix last week.

The April 27 show was not without controversy, after backlash to a racial joke made by American comedy duo Bruce Williams and Terry Ree — who hosted the event — led to a public apology.