Photo provided Nationally touring ’70s smooth rock band Yacht Rock Revue will headline the Our Hospice of South Central Indiana concert slated Sept. 3 at Mill Race Park in Columbus.
The Columbus-flavored smooth sounds of the ’70s cover band Yacht Rock Revue finally will headline the fundraising Our Hospice of South Central Indiana Labor Day weekend concert on Sept. 3 — in person, or so it strongly appears.
The group’s lead singer, Columbus native and Columbus East High School graduate Nick Niespodziani has said for several years that he and Columbus native bandmate Peter Olson have dreamed of headlining the free show that draw thousands to Mill Race Park — and generates goodwill and good money for the local, nonprofit hospice’s work with patients facing life-limiting illness.
But the COVID-19 pandemic has cooled a bit of the national Yacht Rock Revue national fever and fervor that sold out 3,000-seat to 6,000-seat venues in major cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco in early 2020 and resulted in national publicity in Rolling Stone and The New York Times. Plus, national radio airplay had just begun of its original release “Hot Dads in Tight Jeans,” which landed on the Billboard album charts.
Then the worldwide illness stopped all that and the tour. In 2020, the group eventually performed a livestream show from its Atlanta, Georgia, base for the hospice concert that raised a record amount of $157,000 for the cause. But last year, a planned in-person return gig for the event was canceled when local COVID numbers rose again.
“I’m tentative to even say it out loud, but it would appear that it’s for real this time,” Niespodziani said.
Our Hospice’s leader echoed his thought.
“We have waited three years and we are ready to finally get Yacht Rock Revue on stage at Mill Race Park,” said Laura Leonard, Our Hospice president. “Our Hospice is a not-for-profit, community based service that needs the generosity of our communities to support our largest fundraiser which allows us to continue to provide the highest quality palliative and end-of-life care for your family, friends and neighbors.”
In the days before the concert, hospice will hold its popular American Legion Fish Fry drive-thru a week before the concert and also the drive-thru featuring baked cookies, raffle tickets and T-shirts for sale.
Julie Davis, Our Hospice’s events and volunteer services manager, sounded a grateful tone about the event.
“We are thankful to Yacht Rock Revue members for their continued commitment to help make this concert happen,” Davis said. “Yacht Rock Revue live on stage at Mill Race Park has been a dream for its’ members and our community.
“We are confident this dream is finally coming to fruition and would like to thank the band for being such a great partner through these uncertain times. We are also grateful to all of our sponsors and donors for the continued support and understanding they have exemplified over the past two years.”
