tanster’s report
The heavy rains did not dampen the spirits of the nearly 3,000 people who attended the “Rainn Wilson & Friends” benefit for the Mona Foundation at the Paramount Theater in Seattle on October 23, 2010.
Rainn was a fantastic host, introducing every band, telling jokes between acts, bringing out Mona Foundation founder Mahnaz Javid, and raffling off cool Office memorabilia to lucky raffle ticket winners.
Here’s an audio clip of Rainn:
The bands not only played great lively music, they were really funny. Many talked about how they met Rainn, and Rainn would occasionally stride back on stage to confirm (or deny) a detail or two. :)
My favorite act, of course, was Craig Robinson, who absolutely killed. He was not only hilarious, but he talked to the audience and got them singing and shouting! Rainn sang Happy Birthday to Craig by way of introduction.
My boyfriend was most taken with the band Blitzen Trapper, and likened lead singer Eric Earley to a young Bob Dylan. When we chatted with Rainn afterwards, he said that if Blitzen Trapper been around in the 1970s, they would have opened for a band like The Eagles.
The show ended with all the evening’s performers coming back on stage to sing a tribute to “Mona” (sung to the tune of “Lola”).
At the afterparty, I got to meet the auction winners of the Rainn Wilson & Friends VIP package, and chat a little with Rainn and Craig, who of course, were mobbed by adoring fans!
All in all, it was an evening full of great music and high energy.
If Rainn plans another “Rainn Wilson & Friends” next year, I highly recommend you attend!
Proceed to the next page for some photos.
Looking forward to it :)
Oh my gosh. I hope I can make it!
i need to go to this.
oh balls. I live in texas. . .
Rainn,
Please come close to nj. I know alot of people who would come out and support your cause. Wish I could make it to Seattle.
I’m so excited for Saturday night, I can’t wait. Going on my own though – is there some kind of secret Tallyhead signal I can use to find others there??
Too bad I can’t afford it. :(
Got my ticket! And to the after party too WOOOOO!
Arrived in Seattle today. No rain, YAY!
Hope to see some Tallyheads at the show tomorrow night. :)
That’s great that you’re going to be there too. I hope to see you :)
@tanster, sorry there’s rain today. haha:) There’s supposed to be a storm tonight but that’s not stopping me from going!! Hope to see you later!
HILARIOUS SHOW! Can’t believe I saw you Tanster!
It was a highly enjoyable night for a great cause – Rainn joining the Presidents for Lump was probably my highlight. Also great to see you and OfficeTally get a mention-I whooped. 2 things niggled me about the night though – given the Mona charity’s emphasis on girls and women, I found it disappointing and a little shocking that there was not 1 female act on stage. Also, I got in early to book a great seat when it was planned for the Moore theatre, but the seat I was allocated at the Paramount when they switched venues was nowhere near as good. Anyway, I hope the Mona Foundation made lots of money, they’re a great charity.
[from tanster: thanks for whooping. it was very sweet of Rainn to do that. i hope i didn’t look too shell shocked. :) ]
Thanks for the terrific recap! Two of my friends are in the Presidents and they both said it was a blast (and that Craig was amazing and a really, really tough act to follow). I’m right here in Seattle, and had a ticket but was too sick to go–darn, but thanks for posting all the photos and news. My sister went in my place and said it was really fun. Great event for a great cause!
[from tanster: the presidents were awesome, really high energy! sorry you couldn’t attend, next year!]