While the owners and players remain at a standstill and the lockout is causing numerous events to be cancelled, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright took it upon himself and his charity, Big League Impact to schedule a fundraising concert at the popular Boondocks in Springfield, Illinois.
Wainwright, who has his permanent home in Georgia is friends with songwriter and recording star Dallas Davidson who also makes his home in Georgia. Wainwright asked his friend to play the concert and the owners of Boondocks were happy to pitch in.
The event sold out quickly and fans stood in line to meet Wainwright and get his autograph.
“Incredible night at the Boondocks in Springfield,” he wrote on Twitter. “What a great venue! Dallas Davidson, Rachel Wammack and Dylan Marlowe crushed it. Big League Impact will be able to do great things from this. Thanks to everyone who came out to support it.”
It was originally announced as a concert but Jason Isringhausen who lives in Illinois volunteered his time to come and sign autographs for the charity event where all the proceeds went to Big League Impact, but shortly after it was announced, the Cardinals put the kabosh on it.
As per Big League Impact’s website: “Due to the rules surrounding the current MLB lockout, Jason Isringhausen is unable to attend the Feb. 6 event. We apologize for the inconvenience.”
Wainwright wrote this on Twitter: “Thank Jason for trying. Seems silly to me. I guess they thought we were going to try and negotiate a bargaining agreement at our charity event where the money raised will feed people and provide clean water, etc? Izzy is a stud.”
Jim Edmonds was talking to Isringhausen and when he found out about it, Edmonds volunteered to help. Somehow he got around it and filled in attending the event and signing autographs. Fans were happy to meet the former Cardinals outfielder and get his autograph.
There was an auction with baseball memorabilia and other items including a barbecue smoker.
Wainwright was excited for the event which ended up selling out, saying, he was “excited to have the opportunity to have this time to connect with Cardinals fans in the off-season.”
Boondocks is a unique and very popular 9,000-sq.-ft. venue with standing room only and a bar. They host concerts by national & local musicians. The Springfield Business Journal called it “central Illinois’ largest live music venue.”
The crowd loved hearing Davidson as well as Dylan Marlowe and Rachel Wammack, who were also part of the concert.
One big surprise of the night was when Wainwright with guitar in hand introduced and sang an original song of his own.
Click the video player below to hear a small part of that song.
Davidson has done a lot in his career so far including he wrote “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” that was shot to number two on the country charts for Trace Adkins in 2006. Davidson co-wrote the Brad Paisley-Keith Urban duet “Start a Band”, which reached number 1 in January 2009; co-wrote Billy Currington’s “That’s How Country Boys Roll”, which went to number 1 in 2010. He was Billboard’s Hot Country Music Songwriter of 2010, and received the 2012 ACM Songwriter of the Year; a 2012 ACM nominee for Song of the Year (for “Just a Kiss”); the 2011 BMI Country Awards’ Songwriter of the Year together with Rhett Akins.
He is also a recipient of three CMA Triple Play Awards, given to songwriters who write three number-one singles in a one-year span. Davidson is the Chairman of the Georgia Music Foundation.
Rachel Wammack did a cover of “A Million Dreams” from the movie “The Greatest Showman.” This is her official video of the song which was a big hit among fans at the event.
For more information on Big League Impact CLICK HERE.
Photos courtesy Derek Parris and Channel1450.com
