All Charity Hospital babies and supporters are invited to join us at the Howlin' Wolf (907 S. Peters St.) on September 19th at 8PM for a huge benefit concert featuring the Low Rider Band, DJ Captain Charles, Tony Hall, Raymond Weber, John Gros, Ian Neville, and additional special guests.

September 19th, 2009 is a significant day and not just because we're throwing an awesome concert. It is the fourth anniversary of the shuttering of Charity Hospital without the legislative approval required by law. The decision to close Charity Hospital at that time remains a huge setback for our city. Contrary to the claims of state officials, Charity Hospital was not destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. In fact, teams of doctors, nurses, and military personnel worked around the clock to scrub the hospital clean so that it was ready to receive patients on the day it was shut down.

Click here for photos of the hospital's condition on the day of its closure.

The concert on September 19th will not only help us sustain our grassroots and financial momentum, but will provide another opportunity to fill out more postcards to our City Council reiterating our long-standing requests: An independent side-by-side cost benefit analysis of the two competing hospital proposals, the official hearings before the City Planning Commission and City Council required by law, and the inclusion of an evaluation of the hospital proposals within the ongoing master planning process.

CLICK HERE TO BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW

Read on for our press release with more details about the show.

Tell all your friends! It's the only place to be next Saturday in New Orleans!

For immediate release:

 

Benefit Concert for Charity Hospital Scheduled for Saturday, September 19th at the Howlin' Wolf (907 S Peters St)

Show of Support for the Plan to Gut & Rebuild Charity Hospital Featuring the Lowrider Band and Special Guests

Doors Open at 8:00 P.M. Tickets $5, VIP tickets $30

Building upon one of the largest grassroots mobilizations on the streets of New Orleans in recent memory, SaveCharityHospital.com and supporters are throwing a benefit concert on September 19th at the Howlin' Wolf, featuring the world-famous Lowrider Band. On August 31st, over 1200 people poured into the streets to celebrate the iconic Charity Hospital and signed blue postcards to members of City Council demanding that competing plans for new hospitals be subject to public hearings, independent analysis, and evaluation within the ongoing master planning process. The September 19th benefit concert presents another opportunity for Charity Hospital babies and other supporters of Charity Hospital to come together for a purpose.

The Lowrider Band features the original multi-platinum writers and artists of hits such as "Low Rider," "Why Can't We Be Friends," "Slippin' into Darkness," and "Cisco Kid." Once a mainstay of Crescent City music clubs and dance floors everywhere, band members Harold Brown, Lee Oskar, Howard Scott, B.B. Dickerson are playing their first show in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina. They will be joined by Lance Ellis, Chuck Barber and Telvis Ward.

"We can't wait to be back in New Orleans," Harold Brown said. "We wanted to show our support for the plan to rebuild Charity Hospital and for the people of New Orleans."

The concert on September 19th comes on the precise four year anniversary of the day Charity Hospital was shuttered by LSU officials even though military and medical personnel had pumped the basement dry and decontaminated the first three floors so that it was ready to receive patients. The decision to close the facility, without the approval of the State Legislature as required by law, has attracted an ongoing lawsuit.

State officials have unveiled unpopular and unsustainable plans to abandon Charity Hospital and tear down Lower Mid-City for a proposed joint LSU/VA medical complex that remains unfunded. Elected representatives at all levels have systematically avoided evaluating an alternative proposal that would save Lower Mid-City and downtown New Orleans by gutting and rebuilding historic Charity Hospital, though a study by the world's seventh largest architecture firm has shown that rebuilding Charity Hospital would bring new medical facilities and jobs to New Orleans faster and for less money that the LSU/VA proposal.

Concert organizers hope to raise money to sustain their efforts with the concert.

Tickets are $5.00.

For those who can give a little more to the cause, there are VIP tickets available for $30.

"Even though we certainly need the financial support, it was more important that we make the concert accessible to all supporters of Charity Hospital," explained Jonah Evans, of SaveCharityHospital.com. "We're offering $30 VIP tickets and will introduce an online auction so that everyone will have the opportunity to give what they're able while nobody will be prevented from coming out and showing their support."

The benefit concert kicks off with the renowned DJ Captain Charles, one of the most popular and celebrated DJs in New Orleans, at 8:00pm. International touring artists Tony Hall, Raymond Weber, John Gros and Ian Neville will play at 9:00pm, featuring a full lineup of musical Special Guests. The Lowrider Band will play at 11:00pm. Tickets may be purchased in advance at howlin-wolf.com or at the door.