Annapolis Rising Concert Is 'Right Thing To Do': Mayor

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Tickets are still available for the Annapolis Rising: A Benefit for The Capital Gazette & Free Press concert benefit, which will be headlined by Maryland natives Good Charlotte. Proceeds will go to the victims' families and survivors of the June 28 Capital Gazette mass shooting. The full concert and event lineup is below; tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the gate.

The concert begins at noon on Saturday, July 28, one month after the shooting in which five employees of the paper were killed. The benefit will "promote freedom of the press and its importance to our country's democracy," the city's press release says.

Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley says the concert, and the celebration of a free press, "is the right thing to do; right now.

"The tragic murders of Wendi Winters, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Gerald Fischman and Rebecca Smith have forever changed their families, the survivors of this massacre, the entire newsroom family, our city, our state, and our country," Buckley said on Facebook. "Indeed, the entire world is jarred by this attack on the free press. This horrible event has impacted me deeply. Never did I imagine that as mayor I would be dealing with the deadliest attack on the press in the history of our country."

Headlining the concert is international recording artist, Good Charlotte, a Maryland-based band with connection to the city. In addition, Less Than Jake, another national recording artist currently performing on the Vans Warped Tour, will open for Good Charlotte in the evening portion of the event. Jordan Klepper, from Comedy Central’s The Opposition and Klepper shows, will speak before Less Than Jake.

The benefit will officially begin at noon with the National Anthem performed by Paul Reed Smith of PRS Guitars, based in Stevensville. Immediately after, there will be a special presentation to the families of the five victims of the shooting – Wendi Winters, Rob Hiassen, John McNamara, Gerald Fischman, and Rebecca Smith.

• Music will continue at 12:30 p.m. with the Western Star Band. At 1:20 p.m., the Great Heights Band will perform.
• At 2 p.m. during the set change on stage, journalist Elisabeth Bumiller of the New York Times, Tom LoBianco – formerly of the Associated Press and CNN and The Gazette, and Lucy Dalgish – dean of the Merrill School of Journalism at University of Maryland, will speak.
• At 2:20 p.m., music will continue with Art Sherrod Jr.
• At 2:33 p.m., Bishop Craig Coates of Fresh Start Church will lead a moment of silence in honor of the victims.
• At 3 p.m., former Director of Civil Rights for the Maryland Attorney General and Annapolis Alderman Carl Snowden will speak during the transition to music group, Skribe.
• At 4 p.m. Washington Post Executive Editor Marty Baron and the White House Correspondents Association Olivier Knox will speak before the next musical group, Higher Hands.
• At 5 p.m., Anne Arundel Medical Center Board Chair and World Class Sailor Gary Jobson will speak during the transition to the musical group, Dublin 5, which will perform "Amazing Grace."
• A 6 p.m. ceremony will honor First Responders. The ceremony will be led by Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley.
• At 6:20 p.m., the band Clones of Funk will take the stage.
• At 7 p.m., Rick Hutzell, editor of The Capital, will speak, along with other representatives of The Capital and Maryland Gazette staffs.
• At 7:30 p.m., Less than Jake will take the stage.
• At 8:15 p.m., during the set change, Comedy Central’s Jordan Klepper will speak. At 8:30 p.m., the headlining act, Good Charlotte, performs. At 10 p.m., the event ends.

The event will take place entirely on the block of Calvert Street between West and Northwest streets. Children age 10 and younger will be admitted at no charge with a paying adult. There is a limit, first-come, first served, of 3,000 tickets due to space limitations. All sales will be online. Ticket holders must bring tickets with them to event. Click here to buy tickets.

Legal identification is required for alcohol purchases inside the venue. No chairs, coolers, backpacks or outside beverages will be allowed. There will be food and drink sold inside the event perimeter. Attendees will be issued wristbands to leave and return to the event as needed.

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See the City of Annapolis' press release on the concert and get your tickets now.

Concert Info:

• The event will take place entirely on the block of Calvert Street between West and Northwest streets.
• Tickets cost $25 each. Kids age 10 and under get in free with a paying adult.
• Due to limited space, there's a limit of 3,000 tickets. They are first-come first-served.
• No chairs, coolers, backpacks or outside beverages allowed.
• Preferred parking is available at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Rowe Boulevard side of lot) for $10, with proceeds also going to the victims' fund. Free shuttles will be transporting Navy stadium parkers to the event. Click here for a parking map. Additional parking information available at www.annapolisparking.com. There are several garages located near the event location.

"When news of the Capital Gazette mass shooting broke, we were filled with shock and heartbreak. It's hard not to be overcome by a feeling of helplessness for the victims and their families, and to be discouraged that this has become a reoccurring headline in all of our lives," said Good Charlotte's Madden brothers.

Sponsors are offsetting costs so almost all proceeds can go to the Capital Gazette Family Fund. In addition to that, funds have been pouring in to help the victims, with over $560,000 coming in from around the country. The newly created Capital Gazette Memorial Scholarship already has had over $125,000 in donations.

See more:

• Slain Capital Gazette 'Hero' Deserves Medal Of Freedom: MD Reps
• Annapolis Shooting: Here Are The 5 Capital Gazette Victims
• Accused Newspaper Gunman's Rampage Was Almost 8 Years In Making
• Editor Had Feared Suspect As 'Crazy Enough' To 'Blow Us All Away'

"This horrible tragedy cannot be forgotten. Sadly, our country's attention will soon shift from this event that has forever changed our city. We will not stand by and allow the memory of these slain journalists to be forgotten," said Mayor Gavin Buckley. "We also stand up for our journalists and our freedom of the press, and this concert is just one step in that direction."

Article image Annapolis Strong banner placed outside the Capital Gazette office on Bestgate Road, by Patch Editor Elizabeth Janney