By: Jamie
5.30.08

The Event: The Tony Higbee Benefit Show

The Date and Place: April 4, 2008 at the Exit/In in Nashville, TN

The Review:

So I guess this is not only my introduction to the readers of this website, but the introduction of the Nashville local music scene as well. We had better make this a good one...

I’ve lived in this town since the summer of 2002. I moved to Nashville from Roanoke, Virginia upon graduating high school. Since that summer I have lived in and loved the music scene. Personally, I’ve always thought of the local scene as a family, everyone may not always get along, but at the end of the day we’re all here for the same thing: the music. This past month I was proven right, we are a family, and we take care of our own.

Just before the New Year's holiday Tony Higbee was diagnosed with stage 3 lymphatic cancer. Tony is a veteran in the local music scene, having played bass in Bombshell Crush before moving on to play guitar and front his current project, Caprice. He’s the guy that thanks you for coming out to a show, and really means it. He loves what he does, and it shows. Tony worked at Guitar Center Nashville and is now working for Gibson Guitars so, suffice to say he eats, breathes and sleeps music. Tony is also not one to back down from a fight, he began a 6 month chemotherapy treatment and vowed to beat the disease. Within months the cancer began to shrink and his diagnoses was moved from stage 3 down to stage 2. While we are all sure that Tony will destroy this cancer on his own, the medical bills that are rolling in are another story. Insurance only goes so far folks, and with that in mind some of his friends decided to help him out in the bill department.

The Tony Higbee Benefit Show was held on April 4, 2008 at the Exit/In right here in Nashville, Tennessee. The night kicked off with a set from Deadsun, one of Nashville’s most rocking metal acts. If you’ve ever seen them, you know they don’t mess around; they bring it. The band had two new members in tow (way to go Chris and Sean!), and made a thunderous debut. Next up was fORMER who were also sporting a line-up change (please welcome back Mr. JD Garner). If you’ve never seen these guys live, you don’t know what you’re missing. During their set they pulled the man of the hour on stage to play covers of Butch Walker’s "Mixtape," as well as Cheap Trick’s "Surrender," with Tony’s brother Cody assisting on bass. The first special guest of the evening was Kelly Keagy (of Night Ranger fame), who joined Tony, along with Denny and Billy from fORMER for a crowd pleasing acoustic performance of "Sister Christian." Sticking with the acoustic theme, Duanne and Laws Rushing debuted some new material with their newest project Branded Sons. Closing out the night were local favorites Ligion two of which were sporting "Cancer SUCKS" shirts. Needless to say they brought the house down. Once again Tony took the stage and played guitar on "Face Yourself."

Aside from the musical happenings there was a silent auction and a raffle going on. Guitar Center Nashville donated an acoustic guitar signed by Peter Frampton that pulled in $1,250, as well as a Fender Strat signed by Motorhead that was also raffled off at the end of the night. Also up for auction were custom made handbags and a signed Predators jersey. Other raffle items included a Tony Iommi signature Epiphone guitar, gift certificates for massages, gift certificates from restaurants, and clothing items. The Exit/In donated the door money, and Iconic Rockwear donated 10% of their merchandise sales to the cause. At the end of the evening Nashville donated just over $7,100.

At the end of the night, not only was Nashville’s musical talent displayed, but the heart of the locals as well. It was awe-inspiring to witness an event that displayed the solidarity of so many talented Nashvillians across the board, from musicians to promoters, and from bartenders to clothing designers. The sense of family and the unity of the Nashville local music scene has never been displayed better than it was on this night. Nashville, I salute you.