Break out the fingerless gloves, the parachute pants and the Aqua Net: Rock the 80s is coming back home. After going virtual in 2021 due to the pandemic, the benefit concert for the Bob Perks Cancer Assistance Fund will return to the stage at The State Theatre for its 10th annual show on Friday, April 22, at 7 p.m.
Local musician J.R. Mangan came up with the concept and organized the first Rock the 80s event in 2013.
“I always wanted to do a show at The State Theatre. And I thought (the Bob Perks Fund) was a great charity. My brother passed away from cancer, and I loved the idea of helping people out with their bills and keeping it local. So, I talked to Doreen (Perks), and she was very enthusiastic about it,” he said.
Mangan recruited a group of local bands after settling on the 80s theme.
“I enjoy 80s music, and I thought it would be upbeat and fun — dressing up, spiking our hair, Flashdance and all that stuff,” he said.
Still, he was not sure how the event would be received.
“It was nerve wracking the first year. I was really stressed that no one was going to show up. And then during the last week we sold an additional 200 tickets. I think we sold the place out,” he said.
Since then, the event has sold out The State Theatre almost every year, filling more than 500 seats and a big open dance pit in front of the stage.
Mangan’s friend and fellow musician, James Miller, has taken over as organizer of the event, but the theme, and many of the performers, have remained the same. The bands volunteer their time, each performing three or four songs for free. Yes, it’s for a good cause, but Mangan said it’s also just plain fun.
“It’s great, especially hanging out downstairs in the dressing room; it’s like a reunion every year. It’s so much fun for us,” he said. “Being a musician, you’re always working when other bands are playing, so it’s fun to get to hear the other bands. … They’re just some wonderful, talented musicians that are a blast to hang out with. And the crowd is always enthusiastic.”
This year’s event will include performances by Anchor & Arrow, Cone of Silence, The Extractors, The Long Afternoon, J.R. Mangan Band with Veronica Auger, Miss Melanie, Spider Kelly and Velveeta. Jeff Brown will emcee the event for his 10th time.
The mission of the Bob Perks Fund is “to ease the financial burden of local cancer patients and their families who often face the huge burden of unpaid bills while undergoing treatment.”
It was founded in 2006 by Doreen Perks after losing her husband, Bob, to melanoma. Since then, the fund has distributed more than $2 million to help cover basic expenses for thousands of cancer patients living in Blair, Centre, Clearfield, Huntingdon, Juniata and Mifflin counties, with Rock the 80s events accounting for well over $100,000 of that total.
Besides the Rock the 80s concert, the organization usually hosts at least one “Night at the Races” fundraising event in the fall. Perks says the past two years have been tough on an organization that heavily relies on events in order to fundraise, but it could have been worse. With the help of loyal sponsors, last year’s virtual Rock the 80s raised more than $20,000.
“The bottom line is this: our sponsors should get gold medals,” Perks said. “They have stuck with us through all of this. Which really goes to show, it’s not about Rock the 80s or Night at the Races; it’s about the Bob Perks Fund and what we’re doing to help cancer patients in our community.”
Rock the 80s admission is $40 per person. In addition, a pre-event, “Totally Rad Reception,” will be held at the Kish Expect More Store at 114 S. Allen St., State College, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Admission to the reception is an additional $20.
Tickets are available online through The State Theatre website.
This story appears in the April 14-20 edition of the Centre County Gazette.
