Queensryche Starring Geoff Tate Will Auction Off QR Stage Backdrop With Proceeds Going To Devout Fan Bryan Stow
Photo by Ron Lyon
Geoff Tate Will Also Donate Proceeds of Song “Facing My Demons” To Stow, Who Continues To Make Progress After Beating at Dodger Stadium in 2011
On opening day of the baseball season in 2011, San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow was beaten in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium by two individuals who are currently serving sentences for their actions.
Bryan Stow
Stow, a paramedic and proud father of two, sustained severe injuries to his brain and was placed into a medically-induced coma after the incident.
It would be months before he would go outside and it was more than two years before he returned home.
Shortly after the occurrence, while Stow was in the hospital, Queensryche became aware that he was one of their biggest fans, even sporting a sizeable tattoo of the Queensryche logo on his left arm.
At the request of a friend, the band made a surprise visit to Bryan in the hospital that September, and it wound up being an experience neither will ever forget.
“We were incredibly inspired by his love for life, his love for his family and his love for our music,” states original Queensryche lead singer Geoff Tate.
With a week remaining in their Farewell tour, Geoff’s version of Queensryche (which will continue on as Operation: Mindcrime after the tour ends ~ read our full article on O:M here ) will be auctioning off the Queensryche stage backdrop that has been featured on several tours. “It’s truly a special part of our musical history and we’d like to raise some much-needed funds for Bryan so he can continue his progress.”
Photo by Mick McDonald
The auction will begin at 3:00pm PDT on Sunday, August 31, the day after the very last performance of Queensryche Starring Geoff Tate – The Farewell Tour, and will end at 3:00pm PDT the following Sunday, September 7, 2014.
“We’re honored and thankful to have fans like Bryan in our life and would like to present him with a check just prior to Thanksgiving. Every little bit helps at this point and we hope to continue our efforts for Bryan and his family down the road.”
Come Sunday, fans who want to bid can enter “Queenryche Stage Backdrop” on eBay or go directly to the link.
In addition to the money raised from the auction of the backdrop, Geoff will personally be donating his proceeds “Facing My Demons,” a song that that he sings with The Voodoos, who are currently out on tour with him.
Geoff with The Voodoos
You can download the song here.
The Morgan Hill performance
Earlier this month, Bryan came out for the Queensryche Starring Geoff Tate performance in Morgan Hill, California and on Sunday, August 17, made a clubhouse visit with his son to the San Francisco Giants’ clubhouse, where he was guided by longtime third base coach Tim Flannery and Giants relief pitcher Jeremy Affeldt.
Bryan
Flannery, a musician himself, has performed a series of Northern California concerts over the past three years to raise money for Bryan, and plans to continue his efforts as well.
To all music fans…to all sports fans… to all those who just want to do some good… Get out there and bid!
For more information, visit operationmindcrime.com, and for details about Bryan and his progress, head to support4bryanstow.com.