John Varvatos' Funhouse Blog

I boarded the plane to head back to my native Michigan, not only to attend The Ron Asheton Benefit Concert, but to spend some time with one of my all time favorite rock gods, Iggy Pop. Airing the concert live on my Sirius XM show, Born in Detroit, there was a mix of nostalgia and anticipation as Henry Rollins took the stage to emcee the show. His words were poignant and his sentiment touching. For those of us lucky enough to have seen Ron Asheton perform, we knew no tribute could fully recall his awe inspiring talent on the guitar, yet nodded in gratitude for all that he had shared. If you missed out on the Ron Asheton experience, you'll just have to believe in the epic legend he left behind.



The Space Age Toasters, an enthusiastic rock band from Ann Arbor's Neutral Zone Teen Center,
opened the show.



Henry Rollins.....powerful.







Iggy didn't disappoint as he energetically ran and jumped on the stage and boldy into the crowd.



















We miss you Ron.  Thanks for the memories.

Tune into Sirius XM, The Faction to hear my live broadcast of Iggy & The Stooges as they perform at a benefit concert for their former bandmate, the late Ron Asheton at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, also featuring punk rock icon, Henry Rollins as emcee of the event.

Coverage of the sold out concert begins Tuesday, April 19 at 7:30 pm ET on Faction, Sirius channel 28 and XM channel 52. The concert will be rebroadcast on Wednesday, April 20 at 12:00 am ET, Sunday, April 24 at 9:00 pm ET and Thursday, April 28 at 8:00 pm ET.

For more information, please visit www.siriusxm.com/faction.

On Sunday, March 13th, we closed down the streets of Melrose and Robertson
in the heart of West Hollywood and raised over $500,000 for Stuart House, a charity
which is very near and dear to me, as it helps children of sexual abuse. With over
1,500 guests the tents were over flowing with people enjoying an afternoon
of great food, luxury shopping, live and silent auctions & lots of children's activities.

 

Patrick Dempsey and his lovely wife, Jillian, graciously hosted the event and helped Bill Bellamy,
our emcee, up the ante in our live auction by getting members of the cast of Grey's Anatomy
on stage as the crowd bid higher and higher for the opportunity to win a set visit to the show!



 

My dear friend, Melina Kanakeredes eyed up the awesome selection of signed guitars
ranging from Steven Tyler to Dave Navarro to Billy Idol to Kings of Leon. All generously
donated to our silent auction.



 

Inside the store Shepard Fairey kicked things up a notch on the turn tables!

 

Although the tunes inside were rockin', I couldn't have an event without a little
live music. First up, Franky Perez.



 

Followed by the main act, k.d. lang and THE SISS BOOM BANG!



 

A few familiar faces came out to support the cause as well.....







 

Check out the video.


 

 

If you would like to support the tremendous works of Stuart House, please visit www.911rape.org