Christopher BarrettSigned setlists from Paul McCartney, Ed Sheeran, Paolo Nutini, Wet Leg and Everything Everything are among the many items contributed to Stagehand’s #I Love Live 3 prize draw fundraiser, created to provide support to UK-based touring and festival crews dealing with serious physical or mental ill health.
Stagehand’s Christmas fundraiser, #I Love Live 3 launched today, 1 December, with tickets at £5. Among the many other items included are a drum skin from Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, memorabilia from Michael Jackson’s This Is It Tour, and a piece originally owned by Pink Floyd.
Previous I Love Live events have featured Liam Gallagher’s Les Paul guitar, Glastonbury Festival tickets and Dave Grohl’s signed DW ICON Snare Drum, raising more than £900,000 for stage crew impacted by the pandemic. Research shows that touring professionals are 5-10 times more likely than the general population to experience mental health challenges, according to Stagehand.
Lighting designer Tom Campbell of MIRRAD, who has worked with acts including Bring Me The Horizon, Thirty Seconds to Mars and Skunk Anansie, said there is a critical need to support wellbeing among music stage and road crew: “In a high-pressure industry that runs primarily on a skilled, freelance workforce, ensuring that we look after both our own wellbeing and that of our peers on the road is critical. Our sector has been through a lot over the last few years, and with support from charities like Stagehand, we have got through it. I hope people support this fundraiser and continue to acknowledge the backstage ecosystem that is part of every musical performance.”
The prize draw is scheduled for 5 January 2024, when winners will be announced. Entries will close on 22 December. Tickets are available here.