Sign up for IQ Index
The latest industry news to your inbox.
Elton John is set to headline a fundraising gala in Los Angeles for City of Hope, the largest cancer research and treatment organisation in the US.
The 51st edition of the Spirit of Life gala will take place at the historic Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall, with appearances from magician David Blaine, chef Evan Funke, and comedian Fred Armisen.
Jay Marciano, chairman and CEO of AEG Presents, will be presented with City of Hope’s prestigious Spirit of Life Award for his philanthropic and humanitarian efforts.
Under Marciano’s leadership, AEG Presents produced John’s swansong tour Farewell Yellow Brick Road among others and is currently in the midst of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour.
“I am honoured to be receiving The Spirit of Life Award from City of Hope and to be able to contribute to raising awareness and funds to speed its important work of eradicating cancer and improving lives for so many,” says Marciano.
“I am humbled and grateful that Elton John has agreed to lend his immeasurable talents to this event”
“I am also humbled and grateful that Elton John, a true superstar in every regard, has agreed to lend his immeasurable talents to this event with a performance that’s sure to inspire support for a cause that unfortunately touches so many lives. And if that weren’t enough, having David Blaine, Evan Funke, and Fred Armisen contribute to such an extraordinary evening is beyond my wildest dreams,” Marciano added.
John’s historic, final tour comprised 330 shows worldwide to over 6.25 million fans across the UK, Europe, North America and Australia. The US leg of the tour concluded with three sell-out shows at Dodger Stadium. He later headlined Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage in June 2023, the final UK show before the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour concluded in July 2023, marking the end of more than 50 years on the road.
“Jay is more than a colleague; he is a dear friend,” says John. “It is my pleasure to lend my support to him as he receives the Spirit of Life honour, especially given City of Hope’s dignity-giving supportive care for people who face cancer, along with its unmatched research for other life-threatening illnesses. Their important work has led to advancements in the field that have fortunately enabled so many people to live beautiful, long lives. Everyone should have that opportunity, and I’m honoured to play a part in City of Hope’s work towards that goal.”
The Spirit of Life gala is organised by the City of Hope’s Music, Film and Entertainment Industry Group which has raised over $150 million for its research and care programmes over 50 years.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Former IQ news editor Jon Chapple has launched a fundraising campaign for life-saving cancer treatment.
The 34-year-old writer and PR account manager was diagnosed with stage-four bowel cancer in January 2022, aged 32, and has since undergone radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery.
“While the combination of chemotherapy and surgery seemed to be successful, my cancer is aggressive and grew back in my liver within a couple of months of being off chemo,” Chapple wrote on his Go Fund Me page. “For this reason, I have now been told no further surgery is possible.”
He is now hoping to raise £75,000 for dendritic cell therapy (also known as cancer vaccines) in Germany – a treatment that is not available through the NHS.
“It’s a miracle treatment: one that could allow me to once again live a ‘normal’ life, able to participate in the things – and make the kind of plans for the future – you expect to be able to in your early 30s,” the post continues.
“It’s a miracle treatment: one that could allow me to once again live a ‘normal’ life”
“When I asked my doctor in the UK, he told me, frankly, that dendritic vaccines are the future of cancer care. Unfortunately, such personalised treatments are still decades away from being on the NHS.
“They are currently only available privately and only in Germany, and are way out of my price range: £50,000 is a conservative estimate for the consultations, the creation of the vaccines, and the vaccines themselves (initially four), and that’s only for the first round of jabs. Novel treatments like dendritic cell therapy, which has a success rate of 60% for stage-four cancers, are now my only hope of being cured – but it will take the kindness of strangers to help me be able to afford it.”
Chapple was IQ‘s news editor for nearly six years, between 2016 and 2021. He recently wrote a comment piece on his journey since leaving for pastures new and his experience with stage-four bowel cancer.
Donate to Jon Chapple’s fundraising page here.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
CAA London agent Ben Kouijzer has thanked the international live music industry for its “incredible love, support and generosity”, following a groundswell of support for his fundraising campaign to pay for cancer treatment.
Kouijzer, 36, turned to crowdfunding site GoFundMe after being diagnosed with malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour (MPNST) – a rare and aggressive form of cancer of the connective tissue surrounding nerves, which in Kouijzer’s case later metastasised to his lungs.
After being told by doctors that the lung cancer would eventually kill him, Kouijzer “immediately began an ongoing process of researching every possible thing that I could do (conventional and integrative) to change the course of history I found myself on,” he explains, “discussing different treatments, arranging tests, ordering supplements, radically changing diet, speaking to therapists, embracing meditation and breathwork, taking in as much information as we could and trying to make sense of it all.”
MPNST is non-chemosensitive, meaning it doesn’t respond to chemotherapy. Doctors in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) suggested operating on one lung at a time to remove as much of the cancer as they can, and then follow up with chemotherapy to “manage the disease”, Kouijzer continues.
“We are embracing surgery with open arms, and feel fortunate to have an amazing surgeon within the NHS, but bog-standard chemo that isn’t likely to work just doesn’t feel good enough for a long term outcome.”
“We are more hopeful than that,” he adds, explaining that “there are other forms of treatment, targeted therapies and immunotherapies that can in some cases have better outcomes that we want to explore after surgery. Eligibility for these depends on certain genetic mutations which need to be tested for using expensive molecular testing and DNA sequencing – something that is not available as standard through the NHS. If I have certain genetic mutations, I might be eligible for some of these more promising treatments, and maybe even beat this thing!
“If I have certain genetic mutations, I might be eligible for some of these more promising treatments, and maybe even beat this thing”
“While I’m not turning my back on the NHS, who have been in so many ways amazing up until this point, we need to form the right team of people, do the necessary testing and create an individualised treatment plan for me, no matter what or where in the world this takes place.
“I just don’t have the financial resources to do all of this alone.”
Kouijzer, who is currently in hospital recovering from the first of the lung surgeries, says he has been “blown away” by the support for the fundraiser – which includes donations from friends, wellwishers and colleagues in the concert business – which smashed through its £50,000 target within a matter of hours on Friday 8 April.
At press time, the GoFundMe stood at over £117,000 – every penny of which will be put towards “treatments further down the road”, says Kouijzer, whose CAA roster includes electronic music acts 808 State, Meduza, Tough Love and Bearcubs.
“Thank you so much, everybody – I can’t tell you how this makes me feel,” he adds. “It’s been a lonely week in hospital but the support I’m feeling today is just unreal.”
To donate to Kouijzer’s campaign, visit Ben Kouijzer’s fight to survive MPNST on GoFundMe.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
To mark World Cancer Day (4 February), Ticketmaster UK today announced a new fundraising partnership with Cancer Research UK, which will see 20 Ticketmaster International operations across Europe, Australia and New Zealand paired with a local cancer charity.
Ticketmaster will offer fans the opportunity to add a charitable donation on tickets bought through its websites, as well as dedicate all its employee fundraising activities – “from bake sales and bucket collections through to fun runs and quiz nights” – to support cancer charities around the world.
Mark Yovich, president of Ticketmaster International, says: “I am very proud to announce our partnership with Cancer Research UK. Cancer is something that is likely to have touched us all at some stage, our family, friends and even colleagues. By uniting our markets together from across the globe, we can amplify our efforts on an international scale and make a greater contribution to the fight against cancer. Our teams have great affinity with this cause, and I have high hopes for what we can raise together for Cancer Research UK this year, and beyond.”
“Around the world, Ticketmaster employees will be raising money to support their local cancer charities,” adds Caro Evans, director of Partnerships at Cancer Research UK. “Cancer Research UK is the UK partner and the money raised here will help fund our lifesaving research.
“By uniting our markets together from across the globe, we can amplify our efforts on an international scale”
“Today, on World Cancer Day, it’s exciting to be part of this international fundraising effort. Cancer is a global issue, so it’s vital that we work together to beat this disease.”
As part of its World Cancer Day activities, every Ticketmaster International employee has today received a Cancer Research UK ‘unity band’ to mark the day, while in London, Ticketmaster UK staff have taken to the streets with collection buckets, as well as volunteering in local Cancer Research UK shops. and taking part in a variety of cancer education and awareness programmes.
Last November, Ticketmaster UK held a white-collar boxing event in aid of Cancer Research UK at the Troxy in east London. A team of employees underwent eight weeks of boxing training in the lead up to the fight, which raised £48,983 for the charity – in addition to upsells on the UK site, which have raised a total of £350,000.
Ticketmaster International markets included in the Cancer Research UK partnership are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, the Republic of Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Troxy in east London will this month host an evening of live dance music aimed at raising awareness of male cancer.
The black-tie Masquerave, organised by cancer charity One for the Boys and carmaker Fiat, will feature DJ sets by Faithless, Eats Everything, Tom Findlay of Groove Armada, Jamie xx, Jillionaire, Seth Troxler, Catchment, Patrick Topping and yet-to-be-announced surprise guest, while in attendance will be “DJs, dance legends and celebrities getting together to show their support, inviting the public to raise money for the fight against male cancer”.
Tickets for the Saturday 30 April event are available now for £42.50 per person or £580 for a VIP table for four.
The independently owned Troxy (pictured), an art-deco former cinema opened in 1933, is a multi-purpose music and events venue with a capacity of 3,100 for live music.
Here’s the line-up as it stands: