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Light of Day - the concerts and the organization - grew from a birthday party and fund-raiser held in 1998 at the Downtown Cafe in Red Bank to celebrate
the 40th birthday of artist manager and music industry veteran Bob Benjamin. Benjamin was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 1996.
In 2000, Benjamin and Tony Pallagrosi of Concerts East, Inc. organized the first official Light of Day concert, which took place at the legendary Stone
Pony in Asbury Park on Nov. 3 - Benjamin's birthday. Headlining were Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers, the Pittsburgh-based band managed by Benjamin. The
show featured an appearance by Bruce Springsteen, who joined the Houserockers for a late-night set that ended well after 2 a.m. Springsteen has appeared at
six of the nine Light of Day concerts.
In 2001 and 2002, the show moved to the now-demolished Tradewinds in Sea Bright, and returned to the Stone Pony in 2003, becoming a two-day event. It was a
three-day event in 2004. Dozens of artists, including Gary U.S. Bonds, Garland Jeffreys, John Eddie, La Bamba and the Hubcaps, Marah, Soozie Tyrell, Highway
9, Boccigalupe and the Badboys, Dan Bern, Willie Nile, Pete Yorn, Robert Earl Keen, Southside Johnny and Jesse Malin have performed at Light of Day. In 2003,
actor Michael J. Fox, who also suffers from Parkinson’s Disease, joined Grushecky, Springsteen and Benjamin on stage for a performance of the show's theme
song.
The shows, named after a Springsteen song that is the title of a movie starring Fox and Joan Jett, have raised funds for the ongoing fights against
Parkinson's Disease, ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and related diseases.
A CD featuring covers of Springsteen songs by various artists was released in 2003 on Benjamin's own Schoolhouse Records label. The CD and a European
version, also released in 2003, have sold over 30,000 units worldwide and raised an additional $150,000 for Parkinson’s research and for the Kristen Ann Carr
Fund. All told, the Light of Day ventures have raised nearly one million dollars since 1998.
In 2005, the Light of Day series expanded significantly, featuring one show at the Stone Pony and two shows at a new venue, the Starland Ballroom in
Sayreville, NJ. That year also saw Light of Day produce its first show outside of New Jersey with a show at the House of Blues on the famed Sunset Strip in
Los Angeles. The inaugural West Coast show featured appearances by Lucinda Williams, Jakob Dylan, Dave Alvin and Peter Himmleman. The first
international event was also held in Rome in December 2005.
In 2006, all three Light of Day shows, including an opening night acoustic “Writers in the Raw" event, were held at Starland Ballroom. Light of Day was
moved to early December in 2006 for the first time, to give founder Bob Benjamin more time to recover from DBS surgery for Parkinson’s. The international
shows grew into a second show in Rome and inaugural dates in London and Barcelona.
Light of Day 8 featured two days of concerts at Starland Ballroom on Nov. 1 and 2, 2007, followed by a week of shows in Europe and two performances in
Canada. The first night featured an acoustic format while the second night hosted rock performances by artists including Grushecky and the Houserockers, Gary
U.S. Bonds and Joe D’Urso and Stone Caravan.
In 2008, Light of Day 9 began with a rare intimate acoustic performance by multi-platinum Grammy-winning artist John Rzeznik (Goo Goo Dolls) at Asbury
Park’s Paramount Theater. John’s stirring set was preceded by rocking sets from D’Urso, Willie Nile, Jesse Malin and Joe Grushecky. There were also
acoustic sets throughout the night. That was followed by a marathon concert at the Stone Pony with over 20 performers during the day/night show.
The tour on next moved onto to Niagara Falls and Toronto, Ontario, Canada and ended with a post-Thanksgiving, week-long trek
through Europe, including stops in Stockholm, Oslo, Milan, Rome, Madrid, Wales and London. Portions of the proceeds from each show were donated to a local
Parkinson’s organization.
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