Benefit concert to help accident victim
Local and out-of-state bands are slated to perform a benefit concert for recent motorcycle crash victim Brandon Wright.
The event will take place Thursday, at 7 p.m., in the Lundstrom Student Living Center. The lineup for the concert includes Matteo from Salt Lake City, Danny the Skeleton Horse and War Elephant from Rexburg, Idaho, and Dut Dut from Logan.
Wright, who was injured earlier this month in a traffic accident near campus, was a member of both the USU chapter of the Charity Anywhere Foundation and the Independent Music Club. The two organizations have combined to organize the concert, hoping to raise money to help pay Wright’s medical expenses.
Amy Nguyen, president of the Independent Music Club, said she went to high school with Wright and was shocked when she learned he had been injured.
“That whole day I was thinking about what I could do to help Brandon,” Nguyen said. “Because of the Independent Music Club and me having these opportunities to put on events on campus, I felt like that would be the best thing to do, to throw a benefit concert for Brandon. And since he loves music as well, it just makes sense.”
Wright’s accident and subsequent rescue attracted the attention of national and international news outlets, when a USU student in the vicinity filmed several bystanders lifting a burning car to free him. The video rapidly went viral on Internet and TV news sites. Wright was flown to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah, and his condition, which was originally listed as critical, has gradually improved.
Wright also has several friends in the USU chapter of the Charity Anywhere Foundation, said chapter President Kaden Harding. Wright was heavily involved in a humanitarian expedition the foundation sponsored over spring break and participated in at least one other expedition not affiliated with the USU chapter, Harding said. While Charity Anywhere usually focuses its volunteer efforts on humanitarian aid for other countries, the chapter’s ties to Wright prompted its leaders to help with the concert.
Harding said after he saw news footage of the accident, he called a fellow Charity Anywhere volunteer to verify the crash victim as Wright.
“The first thing that he asked was, ‘Is there anything that Charity Anywhere can do?’ I think that just goes to show the quality of people who are willing to help Brandon,” Harding said.
The bands performing at the concert are volunteering as well, Nguyen said.
“I think it’s awesome that these bands are coming to play. They’re putting in their time, and we’re not going to be paying them at all, so they’re giving to this benefit concert as well,” Nguyen said.
Though the other bands will have to travel several hours to get to Logan, guitarist Steve Larsen, a member of Dut Dut and Cache Valley resident, said he was interested in performing in the benefit concert for many reasons, including to promote awareness for safe driving practices around motorcycles.
“I want it to be a good awakening for the music scene around here, I want it to be a good awakening for people to watch out when they drive. I want people to start respecting other people on the road,” Larsen said.
This is the second concert in Logan to be held for Wright’s benefit. The first was held at local venue WhySound, Saturday.
Nguyen said she hopes students show the same willingness to help Wright that his rescuers showed on the day of his accident.
“All the people who were there to help Brandon that day were all people from campus, basically,” Nguyen said. “It’s still an ongoing process, right? Brandon still needs to get better, and he still needs people to remember him and not just that day. He still needs help.”
Harding said he agreed. “I’m hoping more students come out than we can handle,” he said.
– steve.kent@aggiemail.usu.edu