BOOTS ON THE SAND

DAY OF DISASTER, NIGHT OF RECOVERY, #FLORIDASTRONG

Written by: Bill LaPlante

Most old guys golf, travel or pursue other leisure activities.

But in Florida we’re fortunate to have talented, considerate and still vitally active neighbors who also happen to be legendary rock and country musicians, the folks who volunteered— that’s right, no pay! — their sweat and 50-plus years of rock ‘n’ roll fame to put 10,000-plus fans into Estero’s Hertz Arena.

Oh, by the way, did we mention that the Boots on the Sand benefit concert raised (so far) $1.5 million to help victims of Hurricane Ian?

South Fort Myers resident and guitar legend Rickey Medlocke (Lynyrd Skynyrd/Blackfoot) knew it was time to help when he got the call from fellow musician Ira Dean of Trick Pony fame. Medlocke’s neighborhood wasn’t hit badly by the storm, though watching the pummeling in Fort Myers Beach, Captiva and Sanibel, he “couldn’t believe what I was seeing!”

So too did the entire Lynyrd Skynyrd band, which started five decades ago in Jacksonville. “You know we’re a Florida band and true Floridians,” says Skynyrd’s Johnny Van Zant.

“We’ve grown up with hurricanes. Hurricane Ian did major damage and people lost loved ones and everything they had. We couldn’t sit by and not try to help people. Hopefully, we can raise a bunch of money for storm victims.”

Grateful Giving

Boots in the Sand in early December opened with Jim Breuer, the former Saturday Night Live (when it was actually a comedy show) performer and a top comic, who introduced a half dozen acts that included event organizer/musician Ira Dean and RaeLynn, country singer/composer from Texas.

John Rich and Tracey Lawrence sang of how great it is to live in America, where neighbors helped each other when it’s needed, as in the aftermath of the second deadliest hurricane to hit the continental U.S. in the past 100-plus years.

Brian Kelley, formerly of Florida Georgia Line, lighted up the arena with his personal pledge to give profits from his song “Florida Strong” to help storm survivors. Then Motor City Madman Ted Nugent did a half hour or so of his soulshaking guitar growls, punctuated with patriotism.

“We’ve grown up with hurricanes. Hurricane Ian did major damage and people lost loved ones and everything they had. We couldn’t sit by and not try to help people. Hopefully, we can raise a bunch of money for storm victims.”

An online auction offered guitars signed by Boots on the Sand headliners, sports memorabilia autographed by gridiron greats, weeklong trips to the Caribbean and even a bourbon tasting and cowboy hat selection session. That tasting session would be with Cole Hauser, Rip Wheeler in “Yellowstone,” the Paramount Plus neo-Western series. Hauser was due to meet the winning bidder (rumored to have contributed $10,000 for the prize) a couple of nights after the show at an undisclosed bar in the Naples area. Sure hope that autographed hat fits well, as it’s all for the benefit of Ian’s victims. Online bidders came up with more than $100,000 in contributions to add to the million-plus dollars from concert ticket sales.

During the nearly five-hour event, neighbors swayed to the music, locking arms, holding hands, brightening up the cavernous arena with cellphones —rather than matches or lighters— evoking memories of Woodstock, which this writer covered as a young reporter in White Lake, New York, one rainy Saturday night in August 1969.

The 10,000 or so fans — including seats on the arena’s plywood-covered ice hockey surface — became a family of friends, helping other folks they may not know personally get through the frightful natural disaster of Sept. 28.

Those who made it through Ian, those still picking up the pieces, are truly #FloridaStrong.

The rockers and country musicians, along with their loyal fans, are proving that. FCM

Florida Disaster Fund, volunteerflorida.org