Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Clear Channel
Roger Daltrey (l.) and Pete Townshend of The Who performing at “12-12-12,” the Concert for Sandy Relief in December at Madison Square Garden.
One rockstar favor deserves another.
After The Who donated more than $3,000 worth of sound equipment to help a Queens music venue get back on its feet following Superstorm Sandy, LIC Bar is now returning the favor by putting on a show to benefit the legendary rock group’s charity.
The concert on Saturday will feature a tribute band and will raffle off a guitar signed by Pete Townshend to raise money for Teen Cancer America, which The Who launched in 2011.
“This is a show to let The Who know how grateful we are for their help,” said the venue’s owner, Brian Porter, 44. “It’s still hard to believe rock icons came to our aid.”
The Long Island City music spot was inundated with 8 feet of water in the basement during the storm, destroying all their sound equipment, Porter said. They were unable to open until they got amps, mic stands, microphones and other sound gear from The Who.
“That helped us get back into the swing of things,” he said. “We were unbelievably surprised. It saved us.”
The Who was first approached by Robert Basch, a fan of both the iconic band and the local music venue, in early November.
“I reached out to The Who and told them the venue lost all their equipment,” said Basch, a perennial fixture at the LIC Bar. “I didn’t think they would respond. Then a day or two later, Simon Townshend got back to me and said they could help.”
Simon Townshend, 52, is Pete Townshend’s younger brother and a backing guitarist on many of The Who’s recent tours. He said the group was eager to help.
“Hurricane Sandy ripped the club apart but couldn’t tear the heart out,” Townshend told the Daily News. “Obviously the story deeply affected us. After all, where would we be without these clubs and music lovers that give so much and often receive so little.”
Tickets for Saturday’s show are $20 and all proceeds will go to Teen Cancer America.
“We were so grateful,” Townshend said of the group when they found out about LIC Bar’s benefit concert. “Teen Cancer America is such a worthwhile cause.”
Porter said the people at LIB Bar were the ones who were truly thankful.
“I listened to them growing up,” Porter said of The Who. “I’m still in shock. We just want to say thank you to them any way we can.”
