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Sat. Jan. 12 There was the year Red Sox outfielder Johnny Damon took the Paradise stage, ripped off his shirt, tossed it to the rafters, and dove into the crowd as 20-plus musicians rocked through Cheap Trick’s “Surrender.” Terry Francona and Kevin Millar stood side-stage, shaking their heads.And the time Jon athan Papelbon joined the gang and belted out the Rolling Stones’ “It’s Only Rock and Roll.” You never quite know what’s going to happen at the multi-act, annual January Hot Stove Cool Music concert fundraiser. The rock-and-jock event began at the Paradise in 2000, co-founded by NESN and MLB Network analyst Peter Gammons and former Herald sportswriter Jeff Horrigan. It’s at the Paradise Saturday Jan. 12 starting at 7 p.m. It's hard to imagine - but it's true - the day that rock and sports were oil and water to fans of both. Or so it seemed. Guitarist Gammons will play with Hot Stove vets Buffalo Tom’s Bill Janovitz, the Figgs’ Mike Gent, Robin Lane and Jenny Dee and the Deelinquints Ed Valauskas, among others. Former Throwing Muse and Belly leader Tanya Donelley joins up again. Also: Christan MacNeill & Sea Monsters, the Cape-based Parkington Sisters, the Reigning Monarchs and the Chad Hollister Band, The show’s longtime host-auctioneer, comic and “Glee” star, Mike O’Malley, returns. “Baseball is the most important unimportant thing,” O’Malley says. “At Hot Stove, there’s a sense of joy that’s different from at the ballpark. You see the players let their hair down. To be associated with the Red Sox is to bask in the reflected glow.” “I’ve done all the Hot Stoves except for the first one,” says Buffalo Tom’s singer-guitarist Janovitz. “It went from being a really humble, feel-good party to a very big, feel-good party. There was a turning point when [Sox general manager] Theo [Epstein] joined the team and played guitar with his band. That was pretty far out. You couldn’t imagine that during the [Dan] Duquette days.” Hot Stove was popular from the get-go, but it really amped up in 2005 after the Red Sox won the World Series. “It’s grown a bit over the years,” Epstein says, “and we’ve been able to raise more and more money. But I think the feeling in the room is still the same - people getting together to have a good time, listen to music, talk baseball.” Hot Stove Cool Music is a fundraiser for Epstein and his brother Paul’s umbrella charity organization, A Foundation to be Named Later. It’s raised more than $3.5 million over the years. The money is distributed to local charities. The event mixes music with baseball chat from the stage and in the crowd. Gammons and Epstein will take questions between sets. Epstein said he’d talk to people at the bar, too. (He, of course, is the GM with the Cubs now.) “None of us would have jobs in baseball if it weren’t for the fans,” Epstein said, “so it’s important literally and figuratively. These are our main constituents and I can provide a little insight.” Tix: $40. 967 Commonwealth Ave., 617-562-8800 www.thedise.com www.foundationtobenamedlater.org |
