Derek Dorsey’s We Live On Foundation benefit concert brought droves of people to Ardmore Music Hall March 13 and March 15

Toby & Zach of Dr. Dog

Written by Brian Cronin  Photos provided by Lisa Schaffer

The first annual We Live On benefit concert was held on March 13 and March 15 at Ardmore Music Hall (AMH) in Ardmore, right outside of Philadelphia, and was hosted by Dan Fein. The benefit was set up to raise money for Derek Dorsey, a longtime music promoter, manager, and talent buyer in the Philadelphia music scene.

Sunday’s show brought out many artists and folks to support both Derek and this new foundation.  

I attended Sunday’s show that featured: Dr. Dog‘s Toby and Zach, Hoots & Hellmouth, Hezekiah Jones, John Faye, Anjuli Josephine, Stargazer Lily, Ben Arnold, Illinois, Andrew Lipke, Don McCloskey, Johnny Showcase & The Mystic Ticket, to name a few. It was a great night of music as each one of the artists had been covered by Origivation/THAT MAG at some point throughout the years.

Personally, for me, it was good to reconnect with the artists both performing or showing their support in the crowd. AMH did a great job, as always, with their house sound and keeping the night on a constant flow. Derek has touched so many lives throughout the years, and to see and feel the energy in the room, was electrifying.

I regrettably did not attend Tuesday’s night’s show, as they had another great lineup featuring Talib Kweli, Karl “Dice Raw” Jenkins, Schooly D., Chris and Herb of Fathead, Mike Voss, Flipside Esq., and Wardell Piper. Tuesday night’s festivities were hosted by Elements of Hip Hop. Not only were the funds raised to help Derek with his immense medical bills, but also for his new foundation, We Live On. The foundation has the goal of creating a space for people with rare diseases to network and to provide information on services and providers available. We Live On strives to create that safe community space as rare diseases are isolating and often end in suicide rather than death by disease. Most importantly, the foundation will serve its community of individuals and families who are facing medical adversity, establishing that people are not alone and that there is hope.